OSAGE BEACH, Mo. -- Sixty thousand eggs were nestled in the grass on baseball and soccer fields Saturday morning at Osage Beach City Park. By 2:30 p.m., thousands of children had found every single one.
As the first Osage Beach Easter egg hunt opened at noon Saturday, families from across Mid-Missouri and beyond were walking the grounds, enjoying bounce houses, face painting, 4-H animal project showcases, concessions and much more.
The egg hunts were divided into three age divisions, with a couple of special eggs holding a golden ticket in each. Those children received a bicycle, donated by Surdyke Yamaha and Wobbly Boots Roadhouse.
The event, co-sponsored by First Family Church, was the first festival of the newly-formed Community Programs Committee for the city of Osage Beach.
The committee started as an idea to present more events and garner additional community involvement.
Officially starting Feb. 21 with a few meetings under its belt, the committee is made up of 12-14 Osage Beach city personnel. Osage Beach City Administrator Jeana Woods and newly-hired Assistant City Administrator Mike Welty hope more city departments get involved.
Welty said First Family Church staff was happy to assist the city in pursuing an Easter egg hunt with resources in eggs and supporters from its former event, Easter Egg-Mazing Race.
"We were very fortunate to have the church staff help and partner with us as advisor on this event," said Welty. "I can't say enough good stuff about the people from First Family Church. We are appreciative of their experience and have been extremely helpful during the planning stages of this event."
The Community Programs Committee is also looking at additional activities, including a summer event and bringing Santa Claus to an expanded Holiday Light Drive-Thru Park this year. They also recently posted a community survey on the city's website and links on their social media pages to help garner more ideas of what activities residents and visitors would like to see in Osage Beach.
Other Easter activities continue at the Lake
Easter activities continue today at Lake of the Ozarks with the "He is Risen" annual Easter performance. It will take place at 8:30 a.m. at Kent Memorial Lutheran Church in Sunrise Beach.
In its 46th performance, the production features 40 performers depicting the story of the Easter resurrection with music. It will be on the church grounds and is free to the public.
The City of Laurie Parks and Recreation Department will host its annual Easter Egg Hunt starting at 2 p.m. today at the Hillbilly Fairgrounds in Laurie. Children up to age 12 can search through the fairgrounds for more than 14,000 eggs.
Prizes will be available for every child. Also, come early at 1:30 p.m. to take a picture with the Easter Bunny.