Easter activities will have everyone jumping for joy
There’s no need for area residents to put all of their eggs in one basket this Easter weekend, with two free community events in store. So, gather up the family and hop on over to the Community Easter Picnic and the Mills Family’s Easter at Simkins Park to join in the holiday happenings and celebrate Easter in all its “egg-citement”.
The Community Easter Picnic
First up, on Saturday, April 4 is the Community Easter Picnic, hosted by the Pahrump Holiday Task Force and Pahrump Disability Outreach Program (PDOP).
“Preparations are going great,” Pahrump Holiday Task Force co-chair Linda Wright-Smith told the Pahrump Valley Times. “We have 22 organizations signed up for the Easter event but we always have room for more!”
The organizations that host booths at the Community Easter Picnic are an integral part of the event, as they handle the distribution of the candy-filled eggs. Rather than the traditional egg hunt, in what is termed the “Egg Scramble”, picnic-goers visit each of the booths set up around the park to receive their eggs. The booths also host various games for the kiddos and they can simultaneously raise awareness about their entities’ programs or services, making it a win-win for all. The deadline to sign up to host a booth at the Community Easter Picnic is Thursday, April 2.
When it comes to the eggs themselves, PDOP takes point in providing them but as Wright-Smith noted, anyone can donate. “We accept pre-filled plastic Easter eggs,” she added.
In addition to the Egg Scramble, there will be special Golden Easter Eggs handed out by none other than the Easter Bunny himself. PDOP will have its mechanical bull ride on scene, as well as its train that takes attendees on a jaunt through the park. Hamburgers and hot dogs will keep everyone full and there will be snow cones, kettle corn and cotton candy, too, all provided at no cost to attendees.
Volunteers are a large part of the event as well, helping to keep things running smoothly during, preparing beforehand and tearing down afterward. Anyone interested in volunteering or donating can contact PahrumpHolidayTaskForce@gmail.com
The Mills Family’s Easter at Simkins Park
On Easter Sunday, it’s the Mills family’s turn to host an event for their fellow community members and this one is particularly special in that it is held in memory of two of their own, the late Dan Mills and Cassandra Selbach.
“My dad started this tradition when Cassandra and I were kids in Amargosa. When she and I moved out here and had our own families, we decided to do something like Dad did, here in Pahrump,” D.J. Mills explained of the event’s history. “It began with just our friends and family but it’s grown into something for the whole community to celebrate together.”
Easter at Simkins Park is where families will find a large-scale, traditional egg hunt, with the youngsters divided up into groups by age to ensure maximum fun for each child.
“The youngest groups, ages one and under, and ages two to three, will be fully blocked off so they can safely participate and families can actually enjoy it and get some good photos,” Mills detailed. “We’ll also have worship music playing at the event, including some recordings from Cassandra, Wendy King and Bill Kerr, who were all a big part of this event from the beginning.”
The Pahrump Rotary Club will be hosting hot dogs and water and there will be photo opportunities, face painting, snow cones, crafts and picnic-style games, along with Golden Eggs with cash in them for all ages. “There will also be prize tickets mixed in with the 18,000 eggs that can be turned in for hundreds of prizes,” Mills enthused.
With so many plastic eggs to be stuffed in preparation for the big day, it’s a quite an undertaking, not only in terms of the effort but financially, as well. Donations toward the event are always appreciated and can be made by contacting Mills at 775-513-8394 or Ryan Muccio at 702-672-6559.
“The support from the community has always been huge,” Mills added. “People show up every year to donate, help stuff eggs and put in time to make this happen.”
The Community Easter Picnic will take place Saturday, April 4 at Petrack Park from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The Mills Family Easter at Simkins Park is set for Sunday, April 5 starting at 10:30 a.m., with the egg hunt to kick off at noon.
Contact reporter Robin Hebrock at rhebrock@pvtimes.com
Nevada Outreach highlighting Child Abuse Prevention Month
April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month and in honor of the occasion, Nevada Outreach Training Organization will be joining in the Community Easter Picnic with a booth dedicated to providing some fun along with educational materials on this important topic.
"There will be giveaways, we'll be doing face painting, games like cornhole, we'll have pinwheels, coloring. You name it, we're doing it," Nevada Outreach Training Organization Child and Family Advocate Jaimie Lowe explained. "We will also have a lot of Child Abuse Prevention swag to hand out, as well as information on the importance of Child Abuse Prevention Month. Make sure to stop by and see us!"
Look for additional details on Child Abuse Prevention Month in an upcoming edition of the Pahrump Valley Times.
