Opportunities abound to hunt eggs, meet the Easter Bunny around the Highland area

News Leader Easter Egg Hunt

The annual Easter Egg hunt, hosted by the Highland News Leader and participating merchants, is slated for 2 p.m. on Saturday, March 19 on the downtown Square in Highland.

Children from toddlers through third grade may participate in the free event.

They will be divided into four age groups. Parents may help the toddlers to 3-year-old group, but they are asked to let older children hunt for the eggs on their own.

Children should bring their own baskets or bags to fill and are asked to pick up about five or six eggs to ensure all children get some eggs.

If there’s inclement weather, the hunt will be moved to the Weinheimer Community Building, 1100 Main St.

Eggs are donated by Title Max.

Civic Woman’s Club Breakfast with the Easter Bunny

The Highland Civic Woman’s Club will hold its annual Breakfast with the Easter Bunny from 8 to 11 a.m. on Saturday, March 19 at Evangelical United Church of Christ, 2520 Poplar St. in Highland.

The all-you-can-eat breakfast will feature Chris Cakes pancakes, sausage and juice. There will also be Easter crafts, a basket raffle, live bunny petting, and photos with the Easter Bunny, sponsored by Voegele Photography Studio. Tickets are $8 in advance or $9 at the door. Tickets can be purchased in advance from any club member or at Bradford National Bank in Highland.

First Congregational Church Egg Hunt

First Congregational Church, 801 Washington St. in Highland, will hold an Easter egg hunt following the 10:15 a.m. worship service on Palm Sunday, March 20. The hunt will be held indoors. There will also be activities for kids, prizes, refreshments and family photos. For more information, www.fcchighland.org.

VFW Egg Hunt, Kite Flying Contest

The Highland Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 5694 will host its annual Easter egg hunt and kite flying contest beginning at 1:30 p.m. on Easter Sunday, March 27. The event is open to the public and will be held regardless of the weather. Egg hunters will be divided into three age groups: 1 to 3 years old; 4 to 6 years old; and 7 to 10 years old. This year’s Easter egg hunt is being held in honor of Maria Deibert, who was in charge of the Easter egg hunt for more than 10 years, taking it over from her father, Tommy Steinmann.

Highland Hope Flashlight Egg Hunt

Highland Hope UMC will host its ninth annual Flashlight Egg Hunt on Saturday, March 19. All area kids ages 1 to 10 years old are invited to bring their own bag or basket and flashlight. The hunt will begin at 7:15 p.m. on the church grounds at 12846 Daiber Road.

UCC Egg Hunt

The Easter egg hunt sponsored by Grantfork United Church of Christ will be held at 1 p.m. on Saturday, March 26 at 1 p.m. at the church.

Salem UCC Egg Hunt

Salem United Church of Christ in Alhambra will have an Easter egg hunt on Saturday, March 26 at 10 a.m. at the church. Each participant is asked to bring a food item for the food pantry. Following the hunt, there will be donuts, muffins and fruit served. The hunt is for children ages newborn to fifth grade.

The church is looking for volunteers to help fill eggs. Volunteers may pick up eggs in passageway and fill them with small items such as, wrapped candies, stickers, coins, and mini bottles of bubbles. The church needs the eggs back by Friday, March 25.

Gilbert Hosto Memorial Egg Hunt

The Gilbert Hosto Memorial Easter Egg Hunt, sponsored by the Alhambra Jaycees, Community Club and the Village Board, will be Saturday, March 26 at 1 p.m. on the east side of Alhambra Township Park, behind the dance hall. The hunt is for children ages newborn to fifth grade.

Glow-in-the-Dark Egg Hunt

The Alhambra Jaycees Glow-in-the-Dark Easter Egg Hunt will be Saturday, March 26 at 8:30 p.m. at the Alhambra Township Park baseball diamonds. The hunt is for children ages newborn to fifth grade.

Highland-Pierron Fire Department Egg Hunt

The third annual Highland-Pierron Fire Department Easter Egg Hunt is set for Saturday, March 19 at the PIC Park in Pierron, starting at 11 a.m. In addition to an egg hunt, there will be a bounce house, face painting, visiting the Easter Bunny, food, and more.

Village Easter Egg Hunt

The village of St. Jacob will host its annual Easter egg hunt at 1 p.m. on Sunday, March 20 at St. Jacob Township Park. The hunt is for children up to fifth grade. The hunt will be held rain or shine. The Easter Bunny will arrive by fire truck around 12:45 p.m.

Easter Bunny to visit Community Expo

The Troy/Maryville/St. Jacob/ Marine Chamber of Commerce will hold its annual Spring Community Expo from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 22 Triad High School. The event is free and open to the public and will feature 80 vendors, more than 2,500 Easter eggs, and the Easter Bunny.

Parents are encouraged to bring their children to get eggs from the vendors and have their picture taken with the Easter Bunny — so be sure to bring your own camera. Many of the booths will have attendance prize drawings, games, delicious food and refreshments. Not to mention, each of the 2,500 hidden eggs contain a prize.

he vendors are from a wide range of areas, including local community businesses, non-profit organizations, home businesses and many more.

For more information visit the Chamber’s website at www.troymaryvillecoc.com. To contact the chamber office, call 667-8769.

Eggstravaganza at Tri-Township Park

The seventh annual Easter Eggstravaganza, sponsored by Tri-Township Park District, will be held from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday, March 19.

The event is free (bring an item for the food pantry) and will include a visit from the Easter Bunny, an egg hunt, face painting and a balloon artist. Egg hunts will be divided into four groups: ages 0-2; ages 3-4; ages 5-6; and ages 7 and up. One girls bike and one boys bike, with helmets, will also be raffled by TCA.

A back up date of March 20 has been set in case of bad weather.

Call the Tri-Township Park Office at 667-6887 for more information.

Bethel Baptist Spring Fling

Bethel Baptist Church, 7775 Collinsville Road in Troy, will host its annual Spring Fling and Easter Egg Hunt from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday, March 26. The event is free to the community and will also include face painting, snacks, drinks and lots more. For more information, call 667-7775.

Pentecostals of Troy Spring Break Block Party/Easter Egg Hunt

The Pentecostals of Troy, 8965 Illinois Route 162 in Troy, are hosting their annual Spring Break Block Party and Easter Egg Hunt at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, March 23 for ages 11 and under. There will be age-specific egg hunts, fun, games, prizes and more — all free. For more information,visit the online church at www.pentecostalsoftroy.org, Like The Pentecostals of Troy on Facebook, follow @PentecostalTroy on Twitter, email revbb63@aol.com or call 667-6054.

Baptist Church Easter Egg Hunt

New Douglas Baptist Church will host an Easter egg hunt at the Township Park at 3 p.m. on Sunday, March 26. There will be food, drinks and prizes. Children should bring a basket.

Firefighters’ Auxiliary Egg Hunt

The Marine Firefighters’ Auxiliary Easter Egg Hunt will be held at 1 p.m. on Sunday, March 20 at the Marine Fireman’s Park. The event is for children up to 8 years old. The rain date is March 26.

This story was originally published March 17, 2016 at 3:40 AM with the headline "Opportunities abound to hunt eggs, meet the Easter Bunny around the Highland area."