Rain can’t dampen Easter candy fun

In spite of drizzle and toe-numbing cold, Saturday’s egg hunt at Post Falls High School had its perks.

The Easter weekend downpour – which turned the soccer field into a Slip’N Slide – deterred some of the 2,000 kids who typically attend from coming, thus improving the haul for those who braved the chill.

“There weren’t as many people so you could get more eggs,” said Stephanie Badzik, a Ramsey Elementary School fifth-grader, who walked away with a plastic grocery bag full of sugary loot.

The event, sponsored for a fourth year by Real Life Ministries, was among a handful of big Easter candy hunts hosted by area churches. Congregations use the events as a means to connect with area youth and invite people to services.

Organizers took the weather in stride, setting up canopies and passing out coffee to soggy parents.

“You never know what you’re going to get in North Idaho, so you’ve got to be ready,” said Thad Debuhr, a youth pastor for Real Life Ministries.

Volunteers spent months planning and collecting donations, Debuhr said. They arrived at about 6 a.m. to lay a carpet of 20,000 stuffed plastic eggs and 50,000 pieces of individually wrapped candies. The colorful bounty, separated to accommodate varying age groups and children with special needs, stretched across football and soccer fields and blacktop.

Lori Sasselli, who recently moved to the area from California, brought her kids Hope, 10, Hunter, 6, and Houston, 3, to the hunt.

“Oh my goodness, it’s huge. It’s nice to see such a big turnout,” Sasselli said.

Su Smith and her fiancé, Jim Kelley, came with their four children, Alexandra Kelley, 7, Jaden Smith, 6, Cameron Smith, 5, and Reese Smith, 2, and were amazed at the effort.

“We’ve been to egg hunts, but not this large. The girls are pretty aggressive, but Cameron will need some help,” Smith said.

Coeur d’Alene First Assembly of God, a church with weekly attendance of about 350, hosted a combination candy hunt-carnival at Borah Elementary School.

Dan Christ, associate pastor at Coeur d’Alene First Assembly of God, said the event is in its eighth year and typically attracts 500 to 700 kids.

The church and school are located in a community with pockets of poverty, Christ said. Hosting the event gives the congregation a chance to provide children with a safe, fun environment while promoting a free camp that it co-sponsors with the Union Gospel Mission.

Volunteers included 13-year-old Greg Drapeau, who donned a furry squirrel costume while his buddy, Jared Kennedy, 14, led him around and hoped for a break in the weather.

The group brought in an inflatable bounce house, maze and big slide and treated families to face painting, cotton candy, popcorn and hot dogs.

Katy Ealy, a second-grader at Borah Elementary School, was having a blast on the slide, saying it beat last Easter, which she spent listening to “boring old people singing.”

Church members and the Coeur d’Alene Kiwanis also contributed money and prizes, including 13 bikes that were set to be given away in a drawing. The bike giveaway is a tradition.

“We want to show them we care about them and love them,” Christ said, “and sometimes we do it with candy and bikes.”

Lori Welch, a 33-year-old who brought her five children, said attending the hunt is a family tradition.

“We’ve been here four years in a row. We’ve won two bikes and three parent baskets.”