Easter bunny set to visit McBean Park for annual egg hunt

The Easter Bunny is headed to Lincoln on March 30 as part of a 65-year-old tradition. The Lincoln Lions Club is scheduled to host its annual egg hunt in McBean Park at 10 a.m. March 30. The event has been around since 1959. Lions club members will be busy preparing next week, said Past Lions President Kris Knutson, who is planning the event. Members will hard boil and dye 4,000 eggs for the annual Easter egg hunt, which is open to toddlers through third-graders. "Watching all the kids come to the event – they are all smiles as they are walking up," Knutson said. "When they are finished, they are still all smiles. It's fun to see them dressed up in their Sunday best." About 20 years ago, the club began inviting the Easter Bunny to the annual event, and Knutson said the pictures captured are on mantles in homes throughout Lincoln. "For a lot of people, this is their family picture for the year," he said. "It's very cool to be a part of that." Knutson recommended that families arrive on time because the hunt begins at 10 a.m. sharp. Preschool and toddler-age children will retrieve eggs at the Big Ball Diamond, kindergarten and first-grade children will gather eggs at the Little League diamond, and the second- and third-grade hunters will find eggs in the center of the park. Among the colored, hard-boiled eggs, the club has included plastic eggs which can be traded in for special Easter basket prizes. The event is free and open to the public and will be held rain or shine. If it is raining, Lions will hand out eggs at the McBean Park Pavilion. Families are asked to bring their own camera to take photos. For more information, visit lincolnlionsclub.org.