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community center to host local Easter egg hunt

Melissa Woodard

Certain community members in Oxford will be searching for a bit more Friday night than a good time.

Children in Oxford will hunt for prize-filled Easter eggs Friday evening outside the city's Talawanda Recreation Incorporated (TRI) Community Center.

Located on 6025 Fairfield Road, the egg hunt is set for grades four to eight from 9:30 p.m. to midnight, April 6.

Requiring bags and flashlights, children will participate in the two and a half hour hunt after the sun goes down. The event is hosted by the department of parks and recreation of the TRI Community Center.

Derek Greene, TRI Community Center special events coordinator, said prizes will include pencils, bubbles, stickers, coloring books, stuffed characters such as bunnies, and gift certificates to businesses in Oxford such United Dairy Farmers, Papa John's, Qdoba, Arby's and McDonalds.

"Every egg will either have candy or a prize in it, but everyone will at least get a candy-filled egg," Greene said.

This event is more than 15 years old and has consistently been well attended by the Oxford community, according to the department of parks and recreation, with the sponsors of the hunt including Moonshine Screen Printing, Inc. and the Kiwanis Club of Oxford.

Moonshine Screen Printing Owner John Brosier said the company is sponsoring the event in part because of the community involvement from such events.

"It's a community oriented thing," Brosier said. "We just try to have a community oriented business."

Brosier said Moonshine has been a sponsor of the egg hunt for many years. In addition, Brosier said he is excited because this year is the first year his children will be able to participate in the hunt.

Greene said he is thankful for the sponsorship and anticipates a positive event.

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"We're very grateful for their support and we can't wait for the people of the community to come out and have a good time," Greene said.

In addition, children grades one through three will have a daytime egg hunt at the Oxford Community Park at 10 a.m. April 7, which is also located on Fairfield Road.

Greene explained that there are two separate events because it allows the center to split up the ages and cater to the entertainment of each group of children. He further said this also helps the center, so there is not an overwhelming amount of children at one event.

"(It also) makes it a little more difficult and a little different for the older kids," Greene said.

In the event of rain or snow, the hunt will be rescheduled at 9:30 p.m. April 7. It will still take place at the TRI Community Center.