Egg hunts and services planned to celebrate Easter

If you’re looking for a way to celebrate Easter season, you’ll find plenty of options across the region.

There are fun events, such as Easter crafts and egg hunts, solemn Good Friday events and Easter service celebrations.

Here are few highlights from around the area covered by The Laker/Lutz News.

They are presented here, in chronological order.

• The Pioneer Florida Museum & Village, at 15602 Pioneer Museum Road in Dade City, has created a new event called the Jelly Bean Fling that will debut on April 8, and will run from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Admission is $5 for anyone over 5 years old, and parking is free.

The schedule begins with “Breakfast with Jasper, the Easter Bunny” at 9 a.m. A pancake breakfast, with bacon or sausage, will be served for $3 each. After breakfast, kids can make their own Easter bonnet, with hats provided to decorate, while supplies last. Then, they can march in the Easter Parade with Mr. Tommy.

There will be Easter egg hunts, with four different age groups, up to age 12, which will have staggered start times, beginning at noon.

Other highlights will include face painting, a petting zoo, touch a truck, a bounce house, a slide, train rides and many games to play. There also will be armbands for $5 each for unlimited selective activities. Individual pricing will be available as well.

Mr. Tommy will perform at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., at the Gazebo. The concession stand will be open with freshly made hamburgers and hot dogs. There also will be food trucks.

For information, call Brenda Minton at the Pioneer Florida Museum (352) 567-0262 or (352) 206-8889.

• First United Methodist Church, 38635 Fifth Ave., in Zephyrhills, invites children through fifth grade to a free Easter egg hunt on April 8, from 10 a.m. to noon. To maximize fun and fairness for all, four separate hunts will take place. The groups are: Infants to 2-year-olds; 3- and 4-year olds; kindergarten through second-graders; and, third- through fifth-graders.

Additional activities will include a petting zoo, pony ride, jumpy house, games with small prizes, snacks and crafts. All activities are free and there is no event admission.

• The San Antonio Farmers Market is offering a Spring Market on April 8, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., at San Antonio City Park, 12202 Main St., in San Antonio.

The market will feature a basket chance drawing, with more than a dozen baskets containing everything from gift certificates to chocolates to Irish Coffee ingredients.

Vendors will sell fresh produce, free-range brown eggs, jams and jellies, wine, organic plants and seeds, old-fashioned roses, dried herbs and herbal oils, honey, jewelry, woodwork, dog treats, and several types of yard art. Jim’s Hot Dogs will offer hot dogs, coffee and sodas for sale, and there will be free Easter crafts and games for the kids. The event is sponsored by the Rotary Club of San Antonio. For information about the Farmers Market or the Rotary Club of San Antonio, contact President Winnie Burke at (352) 437-5161 or .

• Saint Leo University’s Sigma Sigma Sigma sorority and the First Year Experience team are hosting Easter Eggstravaganza on April 9, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Children of all ages from the community, as well as faculty, staff, and students, are welcome to attend the free event, which will be in The Bowl, behind Saint Francis Hall and the Daniel A. Cannon Memorial Library. The university is at 33701 State Road 52. Take Exit 285 off Interstate 75 and go 4 miles east.

Activities will include an Easter egg hunt, egg toss, egg race, games, and more. Candy and snacks will be available. Tri Sigma also will have a tent where participants can make tie blankets for the March of Dimes. For information, contact .

• Grace Community Church, in Wesley Chapel, is inviting area residents to celebrate Palm Sunday on April 9 at 10:30 a.m. Plans include an outdoor worship service on the church property, 7107 Boyette Road, with a large shade tent and comfortable church chairs. There will also be a full-length Grace Harbor program for kids from newborns to fifth-graders. After the service, there will be a hot dog lunch, bounce house and an egg hunt. For information, visit ExploreGrace.com.
• The Tampa Bay Moms Group is hosting an Easter Egg Hunt and Craft event April 12, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., at Northdale Park, 15550 Spring Pine Drive in Tampa.
• Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, 20735 Leonard Road in Lutz, has scheduled Holy Week services, including Maundy Thursday on April 13 at 7 p.m.; Good Friday on April 14, at noon and 7 p.m.; and Easter Sunday on April 16, with a sunrise service at 7 a.m., and a worship service at 10 a.m. For information, call (813) 9494-7173, or visit HolyTrinityLutz.com.
• Harvester United Methodist Church, at 2432 Collier Parkway in Land O’ Lakes, has scheduled its Holy Week services, including Maundy Thursday on April 13 at 7 p.m.; Good Friday on April 14 at 7 p.m.; a community Easter egg hunt on April 15 from 10 a.m. until noon; and Easter services on April 16, at 7 a.m., 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. For information, call (813) 948-2311, or visit HarvesterUMC.com.
• Heritage Church, 1854 Oak Grove Blvd., in Lutz, has schedule Easter weekend services for April 15 at 6 p.m., and April 16, at 8:30 a.m., 10 a.m. and 11: 30 a.m. It will have a kids’ egg hunt after each service, so be sure to bring baskets for the kids. There also will be live music and a special message of “Hope and Purpose.” Also, there will be children’s classes for all ages. The atmosphere is casual, and there will be free refreshments. To find out more, call (813)909-4080, or visit YesHeritage.com.

Many area churches have special celebrations planned for Palm Sunday, Holy Week, Good Friday and Easter. Check their websites or church bulletins for more information.

Published April 5, 2017