Our annual Easter Egg Hunt is a cherished tradition to the Goldstream Community and very near and dear to the hearts of our Lions.  When we realized that we couldn’t celebrate Easter in the same way due to Covid 19 we were saddened and began wondering if there was anything else we could safely do for kids and families on Easter under such restrictions.  Then something magical happened.

The Easter Bunny reached out to us saying that she wanted to still be there for Goldstream and find a way to make Easter special.  How could we say “no” to the Easter Bunny?!  After that call, Lions CJ, Dave C. and family started brainstorming how to safely celebrate with the families of Goldstream.  The Easter Bunny began coordinating a socially distant photo booth with Lion volunteers.  It all started coming together and everyone needed to work fast and carefully to pull it off.

On Easter Sunday the main building of the Ken Kunkel Community Center remained closed to the public, and there were no colorful eggs laying in the snow.  However, the parking lot was staged with a marked driving loop, a table with goodie bags (packed by Lions following all safety and sanitation measures), yellow-vested volunteers wearing masks and, of course, the Easter Bunny herself!

 

As families entered the lot festive Traffic Troops Don, Kevin, Tim, David, Phill and Elsie guided drivers safely along the loop.  First stop was the goodie table where Baggy Brigadiers Heidi, Christian, Leslie, Gretchen, Oliver and CJ handed out good cheer and paper sacks of fun for each child.  Next, families lined up to the photo spot where our beloved Easter Bunny posed with the smiling car-fulls and waved to the vehicles occupants.  Photo Phriends Felix, Silke and Scout took pictures and also contact info in order to send digital photos to each family.  Finally, kids were able to leave a note or drawing in a special mail box for the Easter Bunny to read later on.

At the end of the day we had dispersed 60 goodie bags and endless cheer to 25 carloads of Goldstreamers big and small.  It was a wonderful sight to see such ingenuity bringing a new life to our favorite annual event.

In addition to the festivities at the Ken Kunkel the Goldstream Lions had also challenged the community to create strange works of snow art for an “Odd Duck Hunt” that could serve as a self-guided driving tour on Easter Sunday.  The idea quickly spread to other neighborhoods and while the window for making and viewing was narrow the melting remains can be seen all over our edge of Fairbanks.  Thanks to everyone who participated!