Five Things to do This Weekend: Eggs and egg heads; The General and robots

One of the jokes in journalism school referred to our preference for words over numbers. Journalists are actually pretty good with numbers — although some of us regularly thank calculator inventors for their work — but we’re still taking some liberties with the number five this weekend.

Easter early

I have it on good 5-year-old boy authority that the Easter Bunny will be in town next weekend, and he leaves better candy at grandma’s house. Nonetheless, imposter bunnies are providing practice hunts this weekend across the area:

▪  Freeburg: Noon Saturday at the Catholic War Vetrans, 3535 Illinois 159, Freeburg (three miles south of Belleville). For children up to age 12.

▪  Belleville: 9-11 a.m. Saturday at East Belleville YMCA, 2627 Carlyle Ave., Belleville. Activities start at 9, hunt at 10 a.m. for children up to age 12.

▪  Collinsville: Noon to 4 p.m. Saturday at the American Legion, 1022 Vandalia St., Collinsville. The egg hunt has staggered start times based on age, starting at 1 p.m. for up to age 2; 1:15 p.m. for those ages 3 to 5; and 1:30 p.m. for ages 6 to 10. A craft and vendor fair and 50/50 raffle are there for the afternoon; proceeds go to the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

Two bits

The song is a little flopped — it’s more like a pledge and a shave than a shave and a haircut — at the St. Baldrick’s Fundraiser on Saturday at the Maryville Fire Department, 300 N. Donk in Maryville. Volunteers got pledges if they would shave their heads, which they are doing from 8:30 a.m. to noon to support the St. Baldrick’s Foundation. Go to www.stbaldricks.org/events/maryvillefd for more information about the event sponsored by St. Baldrick’s and the Maryville Fire Department. They’ll also have a medical helicopter at 9 a.m., and Louie from the St. Louis Blues and Fredbird from the Cardinals will be there at 9:15 a.m.

Spring art show

If you just can’t wait for Art on the Square a moment longer, get an art fix at the March Maeystown Preservation Society Mill and Museum at 1113 Main St. in Maeystown from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Maeystown artist Clara Lewis and Waterloo artist Jane Washausen will have prints, paintings and more. The event is free; donations to museum are welcome.

General party

The Capitol Theater in Waterloo is celebrating its 90th birthday at 6 p.m. Sunday with a showing of a silent movie. “The General,” starring Buster Keaton. The movie can be seen for a quarter and a can of food to donate to the Western Egyptian food pantry. All concessions will be 25 cents as well, and attendance prizes are planned. Tickets will be sold at the door only.

Botball

Seventeen teams will compete in Botball this weekend at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, where middle and high school students make their robots work a number of tasks to conduct a “Rescue from Mars.”

“The goal is to use hand-on robotics programs in order to communicate the excitement, knowledge and practical understanding of technology, engineering and math,” said Gary Mayer, assistant professor of computer science in SIUE’s School of Engineering.

Even better, it’s a spectator event and free to watch. It’s the 19th Botball season, and Saturday’s event is a regional competition with teams from Illinois, Missouri, Indiana and Kansas. Seeding rounds start at 10 a.m. and double-elimination rounds at about 1:30 p.m. at the Morris University Center’s Meridian Ballroom on the SIUE campus.

Bonus: Words on pages

You know how journalists feel about books. Bags and bags of books...

▪  Fairview Heights Public Library, 10017 Bunkum Road, has a sale wrapping up from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, when the library supplies the bag, and you pick the books for $4.

▪  Mascoutah Public Library, 3 W. Church Street, has its sale from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday (it continues on Monday). Prices are 50 cents a book, with children’s books being two for a quarter. For more information, call 618-566-2562 or go to www.mascoutahlibrary.org.

This story was originally published March 18, 2016 at 9:28 AM with the headline "Five Things to do This Weekend: Eggs and egg heads; The General and robots."