What’s Better Than a Basket of Candy? Two Baskets of Candy!

 — by Cara Russell —

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Every year Orcas kids get to partake in not just one, but two Easter egg hunts. First on Saturday, April 4 at 10 a.m. at Camp Orkila, the Orcas Lions Club hold their annual hunt. Nearly 150 kids came out with their parents to hunt for multicolored plastic eggs on the sloping green grass and white daisy-peppered fields at the Orchard, North Camp. Kids came equipped with standard wicker baskets, satchels, and even plastic Halloween pumpkin heads. Easter Bunny, Mike Jonas posed for family pictures and had an air horn up his sleeve which he sounded to start the hunt.

“Every year the Orcas Island Lions club contributes funds to help send kids to camp,” said Orkila staff member Lynda Sanders. “and we are only too happy to host their annual egg hunt.”

By the end of the mad dash, every kid received an Easter basket with all sorts of fun and sweet prizes. Bubbles and bouncy toys filled the air, while chocolate was devoured and coloring markers almost immediately lost their caps.

On Sunday, April 5, the Deer Harbor Women’s Auxiliary and the Deer Harbor Inn hosted their Annual Egg hunt for the kids at 1 p.m. Nearly 60 little ones, dressed in their Easter best, carried traditional Easter baskets.

Pam Carpenter started the event in 1982 when she hid hardboiled eggs for her own kids. After a few years the event expanded and she moved to hiding plastic eggs with candy inside, along with three golden eggs for a special Easter basket for the finder. One year after returning home from church, they found that crows had broken into the eggs and eaten the chocolate. “So now we keep the eggs empty and the kids trade them in for candy,” said Carpenter.

Both events, divided into three sections according to children’s ages (1-3, 4-6, 7-12) were an adorable success.