Elks` first Easter egg hunt a hit from the start

By Pete Fontaine
Posted 4/25/17

By PETE FONTAINE If first impressions hold true, the Tri-City Elks first-ever Easter Egg Hunt will serve as the building block for a string of children-oriented successes in the months to come. With old man weather providing a beautiful backdrop of

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Elks` first Easter egg hunt a hit from the start

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If first impressions hold true, the Tri-City Elks first-ever Easter Egg Hunt will serve as the building block for a string of children-oriented successes in the months to come.

With old man weather providing a beautiful backdrop of sparkling sunshine and blue skies, more than 200 children ages 2 to 10 collected a grand total of 3,192 multi-colored plastic Easter eggs that contained a variety of candy, while their camera-toting parents looked on.

“I’m thrilled that the day was a total success,” said Lori Eaton, Tri-City’s new Exalted Ruler, who was disappointed she could only see half of the event because she was part of the Westerly Lodge of Elks annual Installation of Officers later Saturday afternoon. “I guess we selected the right person for the Youth Committee Chairman.”

Eaton, who has held that all-important post in years past, needed to find a new chairperson because of her extensive duties at Tri-City’s Exalted Ruler. Thus, she asked Marie Cavanaugh, a relatively new member of Lodge 14, if she would be interested in the post.

“Marie signed on with open arms and bundles of enthusiasm,” Eaton said of Cavanaugh. “We are excited about what she brings to this position and what she has planned for the future.”

Cavanaugh’s résumé, Eaton explained, includes coordinating the highly-successful Oakland Beach Association Easter Egg Hunt that Saturday celebrated its 30th anniversary.

Her first Elks Easter Egg Hunt, meanwhile, went off without a hitch and had two groups of basket-carrying kids, ages 2 to 5 and 6 to 10, who were excited after they opened their colorful collections and discovered all the different types of candy that were inside.

Some 100 lucky kids also found a number inside their eggs, which meant they won one of 100 prizes that Cavanaugh explained were children-oriented items like kites, games and much, much more.

Two children, Anthony – whose last name wasn’t available – and Lauren DeRosa also found the event’s Golden Egg, which meant they each would take home a brand new bicycle.

There were even 30 adult prizes in a raffle that featured gift certificates from local businesses such as Han Palace, Top of the Bay, The Beach Café, Brothers Oven Pizza and Iggy’s, just to name a few. One lucky person also took home $128 that was the result of the day’s 50/50 drawing.

Cavanaugh, meanwhile, issued what she called a “huge thank you” to the two dozen Tri-City Elks who volunteered and in some cases even brought along their friends to help make the event an overwhelming success.

“The children had a great time,” Cavanaugh went on. “And that’s why I do what I do; it’s always about the children.”

When asked about her plans for future youth-oriented events, Cavanaugh smiled, saying, “More fantastic and fun events for the children. As Youth Committee Chair, there are going to be many new and exciting events for the children of our community.”

The next event, she offered, will be a “Go Fly a Kite Day” at Oakland Beach in June. She’s also planning a walk entitled “Children helping Children” to benefit St. Jude’s Hospital, a Halloween and Breakfast with Santa.Party

“We are also going to have a Children’s Apple Pie Baking Contest with celebrity judges,” Cavanaugh hinted. “This will be for kids only … make that aspiring youth chefs!”

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