The Pine Bluff Police Department hosted the third annual Citywide Easter Egg Hunt on the north lawn of City Hall at midday Friday.
Intended as a way for families to enjoy the holiday weekend with their children who were out of school for Good Friday, the hunt drew several hundred people.
“It is such a pleasure to have you out here on Good Friday to enjoy your day off from school and to understand the true importance of Easter,” Pine Bluff Mayor Carl A. Redus Jr. said to the crowd before the start of the egg hunt.
PBPD Lt. Shirley Warrior explained the rules of the hunt to the eager children, many holding their own baskets, and their parents.
“We have 202 prize eggs for you all to find,” Warrior said to an eruption of cheers. “We have some big money in two of them.”
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
Warrior said that one prize egg included a $10 bill and another included a $5 bill.
Family fun
Linda Harper of Pine Bluff was out enjoying the day’s fun with her two grandchildren.
“They are really enjoying the excitement of the day,” Harper said. “This is the first time that we’ve done this.”
Shirley Birt of Pine Bluff was also with her grandchildren, 4-year-old Shay Birt and her brother, 2-year-old Shon Birt.
“I had to come because my grandkids are here with me from Chicago,” Birt said. “I am enjoying myself with them today. We were over at the park before this and went to the nature center.”
Shay Birt nodded her head vigorously when asked if she was having a good time.
Tonya Lemons brought her goddaughter Gabrielle Peterson from Little Rock.
“This is a really nice event,” Lemons said. “All the kids are enjoying themselves and it is giving them something to do while they are out of school for Good Friday.”
Peterson was enjoying a sandwich after a successful hunt.
“It’s good,” Peterson said of the day. “I found some eggs. One had a dollar in it. I also got a good lunch.”
Estella Bland was with her two grandchildren, 5-year-old Adrian and her sister, 12-year-old Kelsey.
“This is nice and the weather is great,” Bland said. “Everybody is having such a good time and it is very well organized.”
Derkice Warrior was out with his 1-year-old son Kingston.
“This is nice for the city and for the communitiy,” Warrior said. “This is the first event like this for my family.”
Prizes
Redus, acting as master of ceremonies, announced that 20 Easter baskets and five bicycles would be given away.
Each child was handed a numbered red ticket as they arrived for the hunt and the winners were selected when the number held by the child matched the number read out by Redus.
The mayor stood at the top of the north steps of City Hall with a group of expectant kids standing in front of him, clutching their red tickets.
Redus began to call out numbers, some that matched children to baskets or bicycles and others that went unanswered.
A procession of parents and grandparents with children in tow made their way up the steps to claim their prize from Redus and within half an hour all of the prizes had been claimed.
Community policing
Lt. Warrior was pleased with the turnout for the event.
“We started off with 600 sandwiches today and they are just about gone,” Warrior said. “We went out to the schools and day care centers and even the nursing homes to tell people about this event today. This is part of our effort as a police department to interact with the community. We are here to have a good time on Good Friday. We had 200 eggs with $1 bills in them for the children to find and other eggs that entitled them to a prize. We have a number of different items for them to choose from. Wanda Bateman donated the 20 Easter baskets and we are so thankful for that.
Redus was enthusiastic about the city’s efforts to engage with the community.
“This is a great event for the community,” Redus said. “It is the third annual Easter egg hunt that the Pine Bluff Police Department has organized. The kids are out of school on Good Friday and this gives them a chance to interact with other kids. This has always gone over very well with the parents. It is a successful example of the department’s community policing initiative. It’s a great opportunity for the community to come together and celebrate the Easter weekend. This is what the Easter weekend is all about.”