Fostoria switches from egg scramble to outdoor hunt

FOSTORIA — The city of Fostoria is unscrambling its pre-Easter fun for youngsters.The annual event of children snapping up candy-filled plastic eggs from the Fostoria Elementary School gym floor is being set aside, at least for this year, in favor of a traditional Easter egg hunt in the area of the school playground.This year's event is set for March 28. Children up to age 3 will look for eggs at 11 a.m., followed by ages 4 through 6 at 11:30, ages 7 through 9 at noon and ages 10 through 12 at 12:30 p.m.Some eggs in each division, in addition to containing candy, will have notes inside them indicating an extra prize. And at least one winner in each division will receive an age-appropriate bicycle. The number of bicycles awarded will depend on the donations received for the event from the area business community. The entire event is funded by donations."We're stepping up our game a little bit," said Maddie Stearns, administrative assistant to Mayor Don Mennel and Safety Service Director Eric Keckler. "We're stepping it up a little bit to make it more exciting and, hopefully, bring in a bigger crowd."The change in the format, Stearns said, is an effort to draw more people to the event. People have many options at that time of year as temperatures rise, so hopes are to bring out more people who don't have prior commitments. Something else new will be the availability of a food truck. "Over the last two years I've witnessed, we've had a decent amount of people there," Stearns said, referring to the Easter egg scramble. "I remember being young and being outside and going for eggs no matter how cold it was. That was part of the fun of it for me. I just thought it was time for a change, and with the bikes and other prizes (maybe) we'll bring in more families."Stearns said excessive rain or cold will prompt the event to be moved to the inside of the elementary school.Something that will not change will be the availability of the Easter bunny for photographs with children.The Easter egg hunt will be a component of the city's newly launched fundraising platform, See My Legacy. The platform "allows individuals, families and businesses to support city-hosted events and initiatives that enhance community engagement and quality of life," according to a news release from the city.More information and contribution opportunities are available online at https://app.seemylegacy.com/community/2696.