Saturday afternoon, kids flocked to Hessville Memorial Park in Hammond to fill their Easter baskets with tons of goodies. There were thousands of brightly colored eggs to hunt, thanks to the City of Hammond and the American Veterans Motorcycle Riders Association. Even the Easter bunny joined in, who arrived on a motorcycle and wore a snazzy leather vest.
Gina Seitz, Event Coordinator and member of AVMRA, said that this was the second year of partnering with the City of Hammond. The joint effort allows for a ton of eggs and prizes, containing plenty of candy and special treats like Skyzone passes, gift cards, and tickets for an Easter basket. The beloved event made it easy for everyone to take home a basket full of colorful eggs. The eggs were organized into four different age groups, while prizes were dispersed evenly among those sections.
“The community appreciates the fact that they find more than just candy,” Seitz said. “No one gets just a few eggs, there is enough for everyone. There are lots of happy kids!”
For Seitz, the 16th annual Easter Egg Hunt is an important tradition, especially for families unable to purchase baskets for their children. She has been approached by parents who are thankful for the opportunity to make those happy Easter memories.
“Times are tough,” said Paul “Pappy” Day, Commander of the Hammond AVMRA. “We love to help. We are are here for the Vets and community.”
Day noted that volunteers met the day before to arrange the eggs and baskets at the VFW Post 7881. Volunteers came from all over the community and were even served breakfast to thank them for their time and effort. The City of Hammond provided the means to purchase the eggs and the contents, while the AVMRA provided the manpower.
It was Krystyn Galik’s first visit to the egg hunt, and her two children and niece had a blast. They found close to 100 eggs between the three hunters and were excited to discover a ticket for an Easter basket. Galik appreciated how the age groups were set up and how many eggs were available.
“It was awesome!” Galik said. “It really brings the family together and they loved finding the eggs.”
Outside of the baseball field, Hammond New Harvest Church of God held their annual egg hunt at the same time, which families enjoyed as well. Janie Gray organized the event for the church and relayed that they host the egg hunt to support their community.
“I remember when I was a kid, and ran around collecting easter eggs,” Gray said. “It’s an exciting thing and we wanted to give that to the community.”
The City of Hammond and the American Veterans Motorcycle Riders Association’s partnership brought the community together for another successful Easter Egg Hunt that was fun for the whole family.
For more information about the City of Hammond, please visit their website.
