Annual Lonsdale Easter Egg Hunt again draws hundreds of families

Ambassadors looking for candidates

The Lonsdale Ambassadors annual Easter Egg Hunt once again drew hundreds of area families to Lonsdale’s Jaycee Park on Saturday, March 30.

Miss Lonsdale Ambassador royalty facilitating the three age group-separated hunts were Miss Lonsdale Alli Simon, Miss Ambassadors Khloe Flicek and Avery Lerfald, Junior Ambassadors Payton Fischer and Paige Miller, and Little Ambassador Kyrie Smisek.

Over 300 children, ages 0 to 10, gathered and went out to hunt in a sea of over 4,200 treat-and-toy-filled plastic eggs. Most children couldn’t wait to have their treats right away or at least as many as their parents would allow them to have. Bins were placed at different places around the park to collect the opened eggs for recycling for next year’s hunt.

In addition to the hunt, families took in the park’s playground amenities, sat down for pictures with the Easter Bunny, and anxiously awaited their name to be called from the prize drawings for larger prize packages.

The Miller family from Lonsdale — Mother Kayla, Father Kory, and children Brooks, 2, Asher, 4, and Eli, 6, made it a family affair. “It’s our first time coming to the event,” said Kayla Miller. Asher said his favorite part was, “The eggs…because of the candy.”

Lonsdale Food Shelf also benefits from the event, which includes a cash and non-perishable goods collection for the food shelf. This year the community donated 228 pounds of food and $12.

Funding for the prizes and the event come from the Lonsdale SnoWizards, Lonsdale American Legion 586, Lonsdale Fire Department and the Lonsdale Lions.

The Lonsdale Ambassadors coordinate the hunt, which has been going on for over 20 years. Tina Simon and Heather Lerfeld have been co-chairing the event for the past 13 of the 20 years.

Lonsdale Ambassadors looking for candidates

The Lonsdale Ambassador Scholarship Program gives local youth a chance to make an impact on their community and their future by gaining leadership skills and volunteer experience while forming friendships and creating lasting memories. They are looking for candidates for this year.

Candidacy is open to residents of Lonsdale, children of Lonsdale business owners, or students attending school in Lonsdale, New Prague, Montgomery, Webster, Elko New Market, or homeschooled. Candidacy concludes with the crowning of the new ambassador crew the second Saturday in August.

Little candidates are for boys or girls in kindergarten or 1st grade, junior candidates are open to boys or girls in 4th or 5th grade, and Miss Lonsdale candidates are open to girls who are in their sophomore or junior year in high school and are 16 years old or will be by July 1.

Sign-up must be completed by April 9.

For more information and to sign-up to be a candidate, visit lonsdaleambassadors.com.

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