Five things: Easter egg hunts, gardens, tall rides and rising art stars
This year’s Easter Weekend goal is to limit the amount of chocolate that small children eat for breakfast, and remove their candy stashes from their pockets before we walk into church. I dream big.
For those who dream even bigger, here are a multitude of spring- and Easter-related activities to keep your weekend rolling.
A service in the sun
Sunrise is going to be about 6:50 a.m. Sunday, but a 7:30 sunrise Easter service is pretty close. Pastor David Fields and the worship team from the Hartford Assembly of God church will conduct a community service, with music, for an hour at the Lewis & Clark Confluence Tower. Seating will be provided, and the service is free and open to the public.
The tower will not be open on Sunday for the holiday, but take a peek below – the Easter Bunny visits on Saturday.
Plastic – eggs, that is
Easter is upon us. Hunt accordingly.
▪ Eggs and kites: 1:30 p.m. Sunday at 1900 VFW Road in Highland. Free and open to the public regardless of the weather. Egg hunters, age 1 to 10, will be placed in three age groups. Bring your own kite for a kite-flying contest.
▪ Operation KidSafe: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at George Weber Chevrolet, 701 Old Staet Route 3 in Columbia. Fee indoor egg hunt for ages 10 and younger starts at noon. Car seat safety checks, bike safety demonstrations and free helmets, more. Operation KidSafe takes child’s picture and fingerprints, which goes home with parents.
▪ O’Fallon Assembly of God: noon to 3 p.m. Saturday at 1400 N. Green Mount Road in O’Fallon. Free event optn to the public, includes 12,000 hidden eggs, four inflatables, petting zoo and more. Food and concessions for purchase.
▪ Gateway Grizzlies: 9:30 a.m. Saturday at GCS Ballpark, 2301 Grizzlie Bear Blvd. in Sauget. The 14th annual free hunt will have 10,000 eggs to be found by children in six age groups. Concessions available.
▪ Sterling Baptist Church: 10 a.m. Saturday at 9204 Old Bunkum Road in Fairview Heights. Crafts, games, egg hunt and more. Call Terenda at 618-397-4365 for information.
▪ Washington Park: 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday at Tom Qualls Washington Park, 5600 Forest Blvd. Egg hunt for children 1 to 12 years old; sponsored by WPEO Inc. Call 618-722-0348.
▪ Confluence Tower: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., 435 Confluence Tower Dr., Hartford. Meet the Easter Bunny and get a treat. Free. Tour the tower from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. for $4 for adults, $3 for military and seniors, $2 for children age 3 to 12; ages 2 and under are free. Call 618-251-9101 or go to www.confluencetower.com for more information.
Garden days
Fort de Chartres is holding its Jardin Potager Weekend from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and 10 to 3 p.m. Sunday at the historic site in Prairie du Rocher. They’ll explain historic gardening techniques and challenges, and demonstrate sugar-making.
Art at SWIC
High school students from more than 20 schools have art at the Student Art Exhibition at the William and Florence Schmidt Art Center on the Southwestern Illinois College campus. The artwork includes paint, photography, clay and more. It’s on display through April 7; hours are noon to 4 p.m. on Saturday. For more information, call 618-222-5278 or go to swic.edu/theschmidt. The show includes Congressman Mike Bost’s Congressional Art Competition; winners in that will have their work displayed at the U.S. Capitol.
Arch Views
The Gateway Arch is open – in a limited way – but includes tram rides to the top of the Arch. Tours started again this week. Tickets are available online at www.gatewayarch.com or by calling 877-982-1410. The Arch has been closed for a few months while the CityArchRiver project has been under construction. There are some limitations to the ride this weekend: Restrooms inside the Gateway Arch are unavailable, and only Journey to the Top ticket holders will be allowed entry.
This story was originally published March 25, 2016 at 9:35 AM with the headline "Five things: Easter egg hunts, gardens, tall rides and rising art stars."