Spring has arrived, and Easter along with it, as families gathered at Tippecanoe River State Park for the park and Pulaski County’s 6th annual Easter Egg Hunt. Dozens of families participated, collecting eggs and trading them for candy, goodie bags, and an array of prizes.
Each year, the event is coordinated by volunteers from the Friends of Tippecanoe River State Park in concert with the Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR), which serves as the park’s caretaker. The hunt took place around the park’s Nature Center, with its surrounding fields and trails covered in colorful eggs.
“My wife and I, and my daughter, grew up just across the road from the park, so this has pretty much been our life,” said Jack Burger, president of the Friends of Tippecanoe River State Park. “We try to encourage people to come out and enjoy nature and lay their phones down for a bit. This event has been great for that. We get a lot of community support as well as people from all over, like campers who might not be from the Winamac area. The word is out there and we’re excited.”
Rose Acres Egg Farms connected with the Friends group and donated 80 toys, from mini-basketballs and bubble blowers to small RC cars and slap bracelets. Children who found paper vouchers in the eggs they gathered collected one of those prizes, in addition to their candy and other goodies.
“I can’t really put into words how much the Friends group means to us,” said Vernon Gillum, property manager at Tippecanoe River State Park. "There are so many things that we wouldn’t be able to do here without them. It’s a group that just loves to be out here, enjoying the park, and improving the world in their own little way. It means a lot to our property, and it wouldn’t be the same without them.”
The annual hunt is quickly becoming a tradition for families around Pulaski County and the Winamac area, with some kids already moving up to the higher age-brackets of egg hunts than they started with when they first attended. Once the action began, it did not take long for every egg to get hunted down – families started tallying their loot after just 10 or 15 minutes.
“It’s heartfelt to see people coming together like this,” said Brandi Larkin, president of Pulaski County Tribe. “You can do a lot of things, but it comes down to the people. If you don’t have people, you don’t have a community. When you bring people together like this, that’s when you have joy. That’s the core part of what makes a place worth living, visiting, and being a part of. It’s about connectivity. It just feels good to do things for others.”
The Pulaski County Tribe's mission is to “communicate, collaborate, and celebrate among all communities in Pulaski County.” Larkin noted that the park, and events the Easter Egg Hunt it makes possible, are a big part of that mission. She volunteered with the Friends to help out and spread eggs throughout the Nature Center’s surrounding fields and trails.
“My husband and I want to incorporate more things for youth in our county, so this was a good event to lend a helping hand with,” she said. “This park is tremendous. It’s a place of enjoyment, a place of leisure, a place for exercise. It’s great for us who live here and it draws in those who visit, who hopefully stop by other parts of Pulaski County.”
To learn more about Pulaski County, visit pulaskionline.org.
