Libby, Troy residents celebrate Easter with egg hunts
Four year old Heather Petitpas heads out with her new bike with a little help from her mother, Madison Reel, at Roosevelt Park in Troy. Bicycles were one of the possible grand prizes that could be claimed from a special egg in each age group egg hunt section. (Ben Kibbey/The Western News)
Nine year old Kale Hall heads off with his bike and a smile as one of the raffle winners at Libby Christian Church, March 31. (Ben Kibbey/The Western News)
One year old Jane Grossman lost her balance while gathering Easter eggs at Libby Christian Church, but kept going with the help of her mother Cassie, March 31. (Ben Kibbey/The Western News)
Katelynn Cratty (center) chases bubbles her mother, Ashley, is blowing, along with Hailee Lampton (right) while her mother, Terri, looks on at the Easter egg hunt at Roosevelt Park in Troy, March 31. (Ben Kibbey/The Western News)
Ariah and Oz Pennock tear off at the start of the Easter egg hunt for ages three to four at Roosevelt Park in Troy. (Ben Kibbey/The Western News)
Though Ava Tallmadge and Eva Holzer had never met before, the pair spent the entire Easter egg hunt in the 1-2 year old section adding eggs to each other’s baskets at the Roosevelt Park in Troy. (Ben Kibbey/The Western News)
Rocky Bothman helps his grandson, 11 month old Brooks Grotjohn, with the concept of Easter eggs at the Libby Christian Church March 31. (Ben Kibbey/The Western News)
In Libby and Troy, communities came together March 31 to celebrate Easter with egg hunts, giveaways and simply spending time with friends and family.
Sharon Brossman, the children’s minister at Libby Christian Church, said they prepared around 400 hot dogs and 10,000 eggs, and raffled a bicycle to a boy and girl in each of four age groups in a free raffle.
The bicycles come from Bad Medicine Bike Shop, she said, where a church member gives the church a deal on them, allowing them to buy higher-quality bikes.
She said there hadn’t been a count this year, but that the crowd appeared at least as big as last year, when 600 people attended the annual egg hunt.
“Our church loves this community, and we want to do fun things for them,” Brossman said. “We always want to present the love of God, that’s one of the main things, but we want to have a lot of fun.”
At Roosevelt Park in Troy, Barb Coldwell said that the Troy Community Baptist Church leads the egg hunt effort, but there are a lot of other people involved as well.
Door of Hope Church does face painting, Troy United Methodist provides space for putting together baskets, and Stein’s Family Foods donates hot dogs.
One goal is to make certain no one had to spend money at the event, Coldwell said.
“I don’t ask parents to volunteer, and I don’t ask active grandparents, because I think it’s important to spend time with your kids and grandkids on Easter,” she said.
Coldwell said she also doesn’t ask small businesses to donate, since they already have so many expenses, instead looking to companies such as Stein’s, Town Pump and Hecla Mining.
In each age group, there was a single egg with a ticket for a grand prize: bicycles for the older kids and wagons for the smaller ones. Hecla usually helps pay for the grand prizes, she said.
Coldwell said she also asks different groups from the community to help each year, such as the high schoolers and junior high students from Troy Public Schools who helped this year.