Stephens City UMC Easter Egg Hunt likely to draw 2,000 at Newtown Commons

There will be a free community Easter Egg Hunt on Saturday, April 1 on the Newton Commons at 5165 Main Street in Stephens City from 12:30 to 3 PM.  The Egg Hunt is being held by Stephens City UMC and will be accompanied by a United Women of Faith (UWF) Flower and Bake Sale from 11 to 3 PM. It is estimated about 1,000 folks attended the event in 2022, so the anticipation is an even larger event this year.

Easter Egg hunt for 4–6-year-olds was packed with frenzied children. The roped-off egg hunting areas will be double the size from last year to accommodate more children. Courtesy Marty Barley.

Pastor Bertina Westley invites the entire community to visit the Easter Egg Hunt on the Commons. “The Commons is located right in the middle of town,” said Pastor Westley. The location is perfect as it allows many people in the Stephens City area to conveniently walk with their families to the event and enjoy the festivities. Everyone in the community is welcome.

All participants, if they have not already preregistered, are requested to stop by one of the two registration tables. One registration table, located along Main Street, can be found by an inflatable Easter Bunny. The other registration table is under the picnic shelter pavilion next to another inflatable bunny. Please sign in to hunt for 4,000 plastic eggs filled with candy and prizes and grab an event map and church activity schedule.  Parents are encouraged to bring their own bag or basket for their children to collect eggs.

L and R, Donna Steward (Lay Leader) and Pastor Bertina Westley pose with the Easter Bunny. EB will be available for photo opportunities at the Newtown Commons music stage. Courtesy Marty Barley.

Cathy Barley is the Missions Chair at Stephens City UMC. “As Chair, I am tasked with organizing our 2nd annual community Easter Egg Hunt. After last year’s stunning success, our church congregation has been actively aspiring to continue outreach to our Stephens City “neighbors” and what better way than to hold this event again on the Newtown Commons, right off Main Street. It takes several months of preparation, and the assistance of many, many church, civic, and student volunteers, but the results are well worth the effort. We are estimating about 1,000 to 2,000 adults and children will attend, weather permitting,” Barley said.

Stephens City UMC purchased 2,500 candy and prize filled plastic eggs from Sunny Bunny Easter Eggs in Springfield Missouri. The company provides meaningful employment to people with disabilities.

A group of Sherando High School Students are volunteering to help stuff 1,500 plastic eggs at Stephens City UMC.  The church’s Caring Outreach ministry has also volunteered their time to assist with stuffing the Easter eggs.

Stephens City Mayor Mike Diaz will kick off each of the egg hunts beginning at 1 PM. The egg hunts are divided into four different age groups (from toddlers to age 12) at four different locations. Ages 0–3 egg hunt starts at 1 PM; ages 4–6 at 1:30 PM; ages 7–9 at 2 PM; and ages 10–12 at 2:30 PM. To accommodate more children, the roped-off egg hunting areas will be double the size from last year. There will be plenty of eggs stuffed with candy and surprises to be found by each child in attendance.

An Egg Freeze Hunt will challenge the 7 to 9-year-old children. When the music is playing, they can look for the eggs but as soon as the music stops, they must freeze!  Mayor Diaz said that last year, this was his most favorite egg hunt.

For the oldest group of 10 to 12-year-old children, there will be a unique 15’ x 20’ 3-Dimensional “challenge maze,” constructed with steel fence posts, PVC tubing, rope, colorful string, hula hoops and pool noodles. Two bunny flags will fly on the 10’ high center posts. Last year the older kids began to gather around the maze an hour prior to the event to strategize in advance, determining how they can quickly move about the maze to accumulate the most eggs.

The 3-Dimensional “challenge maze” for 10–12-year-olds was a crowd favorite last year and is bigger and more complex this year. Courtesy Marty Barley.

The eggs are beautifully colored and enthusiastic children will enter the sport of hunting for them with a zest which none but children understand. Two eggs for each age group will contain a gold disk — the children who are lucky enough to find them will each receive a totally full Easter basket of assorted goodies as a bonus prize. Quite a large group of parents and grandparents will crowd the roped-off areas and the bright faces and merry laughter of the children should make for an enjoyable occasion.

The always popular and crowded face painting sites will be in the picnic shelter area of the Commons. We will have 3 to 4 face painting stations operating simultaneously. Sherando High School is again providing student volunteers who will support this activity as well as running the festival games to include Corn Hole, Bowling, Potato Sack Relay, Ring Toss, Bean Bag Toss, and Egg/Spoon Relay.

There will be a “take your own” Easter Bunny photo opportunity for all children from 1 to 3 PM on the Newtown Commons outdoor stage. Parents always look forward to watching their children interact with the Bunny at Easter.

Self-taught artist Michael Bulley (Balloon Man) will skillfully use his balloon artistry to create hundreds of free balloon animals for the kids. Children are always fascinated by the magic that comes from the timeless art of balloon twisting and balloon animals. “I feel I am in the right place doing what I should be doing at this time in my life,” Bulley said. Mr. Bulley is a member of the Disabled American Veterans Department of Virginia, Chapter 9, in Winchester.

Michael Bulley (Balloon Man) can craft about a dozen or so unique creations to include swords, giraffes, butterflies, bunnies, hummingbirds, turtles, hearts, balloon hats and bracelets. Courtesy Scott Saylor.

Lolo the Clown from Winchester, will be roaming the Commons amusing children with her antics in between egg hunts and participating in the festival games. Lolo is colorful, kind, silly, and entertaining and will make your children laugh.

Lolo the Clown from Winchester will be roaming the Commons entertaining children in between egg hunts and festive games. Courtesy Scott Saylor.

Stephens City Volunteer Fire and Rescue (SCVFR) will provide a Fire Truck on site. Children will have the opportunity to meet and take photos with the much beloved Sparky the Fire Dog. The fire truck will blare its siren at precisely 1 PM to announce the start of the egg hunting activities. SCVFR provides outreach to the community, offering fire prevention awareness, educational material, and equipment displays to day care, elementary and middle schools, and church and civic groups.

Stephens City Volunteer Fire & Rescue (SCVFR) mascots, Sparky the Fire Dog, and Ember the Dalmatian. Engine 11 Pierce Arrow Velocity Custom Pumper, 2,000 GPM and 1,000 GWT, 6-person cab in the background. Courtesy SCVFR.

Tree of Crafts, (located at 5187 Main Street, Stephens City and opened last May), will be offering free craft projects during the egg hunt. Owner Amber Holmes will have a crafts tent and room for ten children to participate in custom made projects to include Easter salt dough ornaments. “Kids can paint an egg, bunny, or Easter basket with your favorite colors, let dry and take home with you that day!  Come out and visit our exclusive workshop. Custom apparel, cups, tumblers, and décor. Learn how to make art from scratch,” said Holmes.

Tree of Crafts will offer a tent with free craft projects (Easter salt dough ornaments) for children during the egg hunt. Courtesy Amber Holmes.

Winchester native Chris Huntt Jr. will be playing music at the Commons pavilion from 1 – 3 PM. Chris is an up-and-coming singer/songwriter who performs western country, Americana, and bluegrass! You can find him on Facebook and YouTube at Chris Huntt Jr. Music.

Stephens City UMC’s United Women of Faith will sell a variety of market flower packs (Easter flowers, lilies, daffodils, tulips, and hyacinths). “Proceeds from the flower and ‘grab and go’ bake sale will support mission projects,” UWF president Michele Hruska said. According to Hruska, UWF’s mission pledge supports programs and staff such as deaconesses, and missionaries who serve the United Methodist Church globally and nationally. “Stephens City UWF also supports local missions such as Congregational Community Action Project (CCAP) which provides a food pantry, clothing house, and financial assistance to ALICE families, and Bright Futures, a non-profit organization through Frederick County Public Schools that helps connect student needs with available resources in the community,” Hruska said.

The Town of Stephens City has graciously placed our event flyers in their newsletter mailings and made the flyer available to town residents at their office on Locust Street.

Stephens City police officers will be on hand to manage traffic control around the Commons and provide secure oversight. Say hello to them – they love visiting with and getting to know our local community!

A requested addition to the egg hunt for this year is there will be three food vendors on site at the Commons: Bam Bam’s Barbeque, Anthony’s Pizza of Stephens City, and Mattie’s Premium Soft Serve Frozen Custard! Some food vendors will be cash only, so please come prepared.

For more information about Stephens City UMC’s free community Easter Egg Hunt, or to pre-register for the event, please visit www.stephenscityumc.org.