Hessville Park Ball Field was bursting with vibrant eggs, laughter, and excitement on Sunday, April 2 in preparation for the City of Hammond’s 20th Annual Easter Egg Hunt. The event was one of the city’s most egg-cellent Easter Egg Hunts yet, as hundreds of kids, friends, and family all gathered to celebrate the spring season.
Every year the Hammond Parks Department and the American Veterans Motorcycle Association (AVMRA) team up to put together an astonishing event for the community. Without fail the event brings everyone together and gets them in the spring spirit--this year was no different.
“I just love how this brings everybody together,” said Paula Reasoner, a member of AVMRA who worked hard to organize this year’s Easter Egg Hunt.
Reasoner went above and beyond to make sure the event was fun for everybody. She divided the field into different sections based on age so every child would have an equal chance to hunt some eggs. In years past, Reasoner’s even sectioned off part of the field for children with disabilities to ensure the Easter Egg Hunt is accessible for them.
“We just want to be the best we possibly can for all of the community,” said Reasoner.
Kids bounced on their toes in anticipation of the hunt. Seeing the kids so eager to get started made Paul “Pappy” Day, commander of AVMRA Chapter 1, smile.
“I love watching the kids swallow up all the eggs. They’re normally all picked up within two minutes,” laughed Day.
Two minutes might have been an exaggeration. As soon as the clock hit noon, the kids stormed the field with smiles plastered on their faces and determined gleams in their eyes. It felt like all the eggs were gone within mere seconds, but each child managed to walk away with a full basket of goodie-filled eggs.
Afterward, the kids got to munch on their hard-earned candy and take pictures with a motorcycle-riding Easter Bunny. Make no mistake, parents had just as much fun posing with the bunny and vying for a chance to win a raffle.
Everybody was on board to help make this year’s Easter Egg Hunt unforgettable. Hammond Central High School’s ROTC students came to present the Colors. There was also an astonishing list of sponsors including Texas Roadhouse, Dunkin’ Donuts, Buffalo Wild Wings, Hooters, Plaza Lanes, Thomas Kia of Highland, L.A.M.A, Bugaboo Tattoo, China Doll Tattoo, Family First Services, Albanese, State Farm, Home of Trailblazers, and Tyler’s Tender.
“The community just gets so involved. Normally when you go out and ask people for donations they say ‘oh, we’ll think about it,’ but with this people just automatically donate without a second thought,” said Reasoner.
Reasoner was extremely touched by everybody who donated to this year’s Easter Egg Hunt. The event wouldn’t have been possible without their generous support, and Reasoner was incredibly grateful.
“How can you not say wow? People are just so good to us and we want them to know we appreciate it,” said Reasoner.
This year’s Easter Egg Hunt was ultimately enjoyable for every bunny. Everyone involved was beyond proud of how the event turned out, and can’t wait to make next year’s event even bigger and better.
“I just want to keep this going. It’s really great and the City of Hammond helps us out a lot--they provide us with the field and make a big candy donation. The help of L.A.M.A., Hammond Central ROTC, and the city just really brings this all together and makes it even better each year. We always look forward to doing it,” said Day.
To learn more about the City of Hammond and all its special holiday events, visit https://www.gohammond.com/.