By Kayla Evans
For the Opelika Observer
Easter is right around the corner. There are few better ways to celebrate it than at the Flashlight Egg Hunt. The city of Opelika Parks and Recreation is hosting its’ annual Flashlight Egg Hunt on Thursday, April 1.
The event, located at Moore Stadium from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m., is for students in third through fifth grade. Parents will be watching from the stands. Flashlight Egg Hunt is free to the public and no registration is required.
“It does get pitch black out there,” public relations coordinator Laura Leigh Chesser said. “We turn off every single light and flashlights are all they have. That is why it starts at third grade instead of younger.”
Bring a flashlight and a basket and get ready to look for the eggs. Certain eggs will have special prizes in them, and golden eggs are traded in for cash prizes. There will be two different hunt areas: one for third graders and one for fourth and fifth graders.
“We will have tons of eggs, prizes and candy within the grass at Moore Stadium,” Chesser said. “We will still have our golden eggs which are worth cash money. If you find one of those, you bring it to us at the end of the egg hunt, and we’ll send you home with some money.”
To make it as safe as possible, masks are required, and everyone is to socially distance prior to the hunt. Starting points will originate from all four sides of each age group’s hunt area. Normally, the Easter Bunny and Easter Chicken would make an appearance, but this year, they will not be because of COVID-19.
“The Flashlight Egg Hunt is kind of lucky in that it already followed most COVID guidelines by its original nature,” Chesser said. “It is held outside; we don’t have a lot of contact within the egg hunt itself, so we just had to make minor changes … I will be social distancing parents in the stands and asking them to spread out and stay a part.”
The Flashlight Egg Hunt will be on Seventh Avenue in Opelika. For more information, visit www.opelika-al.gov/713/Flashlight-Egg-Hunt.