Spring is here, and one of the major Christian holidays celebrated at the start of spring is Easter.

Easter is important as it celebrates the resurrection of Jesus three days after his burial following his crucifixion. Many Christians celebrate Easter by attending special worship services at their churches.

This is also a time when many families with young children color and decorate hard-boiled eggs or purchase plastic, colored eggs and fill them with candy and treats for Easter egg hunts. Over the years, egg hunts have become an annual tradition.

According to Britannica.com, “First Lady Lucy Hayes, wife of President Rutherford B. Hayes, is often credited with sponsoring the first Easter egg roll (an event where children and their parents were invited to roll their eggs on the Monday following Easter) on the White House lawn, in 1878.”

This year, many local municipalities, churches and organizations will be offering both traditional and nontraditional egg hunts and events for youngsters.

Those holding traditional egg hunts include the following.

• Catasauqua Firefighters’ annual Easter egg hunt will be held 2 p.m. April 2 at the borough playground, 501 American St.

• Coplay Fire Department will have its egg hunt for infants to age 11 noon April 1 at Saylor Field, next to Giant Food Store at Second and Keefer streets.

• Northampton Borough will hold an egg hunt 11 a.m. April 1 at Municipal Park, Smith Lane and Laubach Avenue.

• Laurys Station Volunteer Fire Company egg hunt for kids ages 1 to 12 will take place 1 p.m. April 8, rain or shine, at 5314 Egypt Road, Laurys Station.

• The Kiwanis Club of Emmaus will have its egg hunt for kids ages 1 to 10 beginning 1 p.m. April 8 at Emmaus Community Park, 1330 Chestnut St., rain or shine.

Those offering nontraditional egg hunts or events include the following.

• Upper Macungie Township, in partnership with Bears Repeating, will host a Bunny Hop trunk hunt 1-4 p.m. April 1 at Grange Park, 360 Grange Road, Allentown. Rain date is April 8. For more information, go to uppermac.org.

• The WK&S Railroad Easter Bunny Express train will depart every hour on the hour 1-4 p.m. April 1 and 2 from the station at 42 Community Drive, Kempton. Registration is required. To register, go to kemptontrain.com.

• The Pennsylvania German Cultural Heritage Center, 22 Luckenbill Road, Kutztown, will celebrate its Easter on the Farm event 11 a.m.-4 p.m. April 1. There will be egg hunts starting 12:30 p.m. and 2 p.m. For more information, go to kutztown.edu/pgchc.

• Hawk Mountain Sanctuary, 1700 Mountain Road, Kempton, will have a raptor egg hunt for kids ages 4-6 planned for 10 a.m. and ages 7-10 set for noon, both April 8. Registration is required. To register, go to hawkmountain.org.

• Wildlands Conservancy, 3701 Orchid Place, Emmaus, will host its “wild” egg hunt 10 a.m.-noon and again 1-3 p.m., both April 1. Registration is required. To register, go to wildlandspa.org.

• Macungie Memorial Park, 50 N. Poplar St., Macungie, will host its second annual Easter festival 3:30-7 p.m. April 2. It will also hold an egg hunt 4-5 p.m. for infants to age 10.

Wishing a happy Easter to all.

Susan Bryant

editorial assistant

Parkland Press

Northwestern Press