A community Easter egg hunt took place at Kemmerer’s Archie Neal Park on Saturday, April 16, and the entire park was filled with Easter eggs, each one containing candy or a special prize.

In the last couple of years, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Easter Egg hunt that usually is held at Daimondville Park and hosted by the Kemmerer Chamber has been canceled. But with help from the community, including a combination of volunteers and local businesses, the event for this year was a success.

The event was originated by Shauna Ridgeway, who made a post on Facebook for a community-sponsored Easter egg hunt for the children in Kemmerer, Diamondville and surrounding areas. Within days of the April 7 post, it was being shared on the Community Board for Kemmerer and Diamondville Facebook page.

A large number of children, sectioned out by age, attended the event. Easter eggs filled the entire park, but they were gone in less than 20 minutes, leaving only a couple of empty candy wrappers in their wake.

A select few got special prizes, such as Easter baskets, NERF guns, or even chalk bundles. Most of these gifts were donated by the community.

There was even a special guest, the Easter bunny. He was posing for photos with children, helping them find eggs and giving away candy.

“We live in a great community,” Ridgeway said when asked about the event.

After kids and families had gotten their fill of eggs, most left as a few who did stay played on the playground or ran across the fields where the eggs were stashed, hoping to find more.