Area Events: Easter Egg Hunts and More

Easter is almost here, and all the rabbits that didn’t drown in yesterday’s downpour are looking forward this weekend’s egg hunts. More specifically, they’re looking forward to eating our newly sprouted gardens while we’re all away at egg hunts. In order to give them ample opportunity, here’s a rundown of events this weekend in and around Northfield. As a bonus, I’ll also highlight one or two Spring events for next weekend.

Saturday morning, you can get started bright and early at 9:00am at the Northfield VFW’s 73rd Annual Easter Egg Hunt at the bottom of St. Olaf’s Old Main Hill between 1st and 2nd streets. Hosted by Northfield Area Fire and Rescue Service, this is a community institution. Seriously, it’s been going on every year since the end of World War II. For this hunt, kids are divided into three age groups: ages 0-5, 6-9, and 10-12 years, and in past years there has been an opportunity to explore a fire and rescue vehicle as well. In 2012, the event distributed more than 600 pounds of jelly beans, so be sure to bring a bag or basket.

At 10:00, Dundas is holding an egg hunt at Memorial Park on First Street for kids up to eight years old. The hunting area will be divided up so children of different ages will search in separate areas (the ranges are infant-2, 3-4, 5-6, and 7-8, so make sure you have enough adults on hand if your kids fall in multiple ranges). Be sure to bring your own basket and a dollar to cover their suggested donation, though the event is officially free.

Another massive egg hunt and carnival for kids up to 5th grade begins at 9:30 at Southland Church (Glacier Way) in Rosemount, with bouncy houses, carnival foods, and balloon artists. The egg-hunt proper begins on the East Lawn at 11:00 with the arrival of a skydiving Easter Bunny (weather permitting), and kids can seek out more than 100,000 eggs redeemable for treats and prizes. Bring a bag or basket (do you see a theme developing here?), pick up a wristband, and enjoy! The event is free, but pre-registration is recommended.

A bit to the South, the Faribault Community Easter Egg hunt will take place from 10:30-12:00 at Shattuck-St. Mary’s. Several age-graded egg hunts will take place outdoors for kids age 1-11, with free refreshments available inside. If it’s raining, all events will be moved indoors. The event is free, though donations for the Faribault Food Shelf will be gladly accepted.

Harley-Davidson Faribault on W. Airport Drive is also holding an Easter party starting at 11:00 with an egg hunt for kids under 10 and a free Mac-and-Cheese lunch. The Easter Bunny will be on hand from 11-2 for free pictures with kids.

The fun doesn’t end this weekend, either. Next Friday night (April 26th), you can shake off your jelly bean hangover (remember the 600 pounds of jelly beans from the VFW egg hunt?) at St. Dominic’s Family Fun Night. At St. Dominic School from 5-7pm, activities include a pizza dinner as well as Bingo. Make sure you RSVP for this one by Wednesday the 24th by calling the school office at (507) 645-8136.

Saturday morning, the 27th, is Knecht’s 11th annual Kid’s Planting Day from 10-12. When you arrive at the nursery on Hwy 19, head back behind the checkout greenhouse and up the hill; there you’ll buy your pot (plastic, ceramic, or hanging basket), fill it with a variety of annuals, and give it a good first watering. The nursery will care for it for two weeks, and you can pick it up Mother’s Day weekend with the plants already well established. My sons really enjoyed this last year, but I think my wife may have been even more pleased every time she walked out the door last summer and saw the pots with their little ribbons and “Happy Mother’s Day” signs. The event is rightly popular and fills up quickly, so call the nursery at (507) 645-5015 or register online at the Knecht’s website.

Much less festive but spring-ish (in the “spring cleaning” sense) is Dundas’s Spring Clean-Up Days, to be held at the Trailhead Parking Lot on Railway St. on Saturday the 27th from 7-11 AM. It’s only available to Dundas residents, so be sure to bring proof of residency. Check their website for lists of free, fee, and unaccepted items.

So get out in the spring weather this Saturday and enjoy the festive family events our area has to offer! And then throw stuff out in Dundas.