Whitefish seniors celebrate with egg hunt

With Easter weekend approaching, kids are scouring the valley for Easter eggs filled with candy and toys, but kids aren’t the only ones taking part in the Easter fun.

On Saturday, 24 seniors gathered at the Whitefish Community Center for a morning of hunting for Easter eggs and other egg-related games to compete for prizes. Participants were instructed to bring their own baskets, and that the rest would be provided to them.

The Senior Easter Egg Hunt was put together by three members of the center, but Andrea Callaghan is credited with the idea.

“I never had kids, I missed out on the fun of doing an Easter egg hunt,” Callaghan said. “I looked at the group and decided we should be kids again.”

Kathy Cozad, the activities director for the center, said she, too, enjoyed the opportunity to be a kid again, adding that her favorite quote is, “You don’t quit playing when you grow old, you grow old when you quit playing.”

The Easter egg hunt started at 10 a.m., but didn’t last long, said Sandi Bellissimo.

“These people are professionals. It was over in a matter of minutes,” she said.

More than 70 eggs were hidden throughout the community center — inside books and behind cushions, on top of picture frames and in the piano — most of the eggs contained candy, but some had money or coupons, and among them were hard-boiled eggs as well.

Whitefish resident Ronnie Budge won the egg hunt with 20 eggs in her basket.

“I’ve not done this since I was a kid,” Budge said.

Budge also won the egg toss, and chose a ceramic bunny from the prize table. She plans to share some of her candy with her great-grandchildren when she sees them.

Bellissimo, Callaghan and Cozad hope to make the Easter egg hunt an annual event. The egg hunt was free and open to community members who were 55 or older.

“The first annual [senior] Easter egg hunt, what a kick in the pants,” Bellissimo said.

Reporter Alyssa Gray may be reached at 758-4433 or agray@dailyinterlake.com.