Hundreds of youth had a sweet start to Easter weekend thanks to numerous Easter candy hunts in quick succession. The Iola Recreation Department kicked things off at 9 a.m. with 74 boxes of chocolates, courtesy of Russell Stover. The lucky discoverers of 24 golden eggs won a prize from the Iola Rec Department.
An hour later, the action continued on Iola’s square, seen above. The Iola Area Chamber of Commerce and Russell Stover teamed up with the Easter bunny for more fun. An estimated 3,000 lbs. of candy was strewn across the square’s lawn, along with hundreds of boxes of Easter chocolates.
Austin Cooper, left, and brother Bradley gather up as much chocolate as they can.
Photo by Tim Stauffer / Iola Register
Front from left, Alex, Alison and Nelly Ramirez wait for the Easter egg hunt to begin at Riverside Park with their parents, Cecilia and Cesar Ramirez.
Elyana Whiting, Ava Booth and Cash Stoy take their marks Saturday morning at Iola’s Riverside Park.
Heyleigh Herfurth, age 4, delights in picking up chocolate with mom Hannah Herfurth of Humboldt.
Photo by Tim Stauffer / Iola Register
From left, Blane, 7, Brooklyn, 8, and Beau Yocham, 5, pose with the Easter bunny Saturday morning on Iola’s square.
Danika Hill, left, helps Imberlee Brown, age 3, fill her bucket Saturday morning.
From left, Raina Borjas, 10, Rylee Weast, 10, and Zethearin Miller, 11, wait patiently for the Easter egg hunt on Iola’s square to begin Saturday morning.
Big brother Jesse Hodge takes an Easter photo with Talon Lew, age 2, and the Easter bunny on the square’s bandstand.
That afternoon at LaHarpe, middle photo, more than 230 youngsters, from toddlers to 12-year-olds, flocked to the City Park for its annual Easter hunt Saturday. The turnout was the largest since LaHarpe PRIDE began hosting the Easter hunts more than a decade ago.
