With Easter approaching, local municipalities and churches are hosting Easter-themed events and egg hunts.
Here is a list of 20 free events happening in Iredell County and surrounding areas over the next two weekends. There may be more events happening in the area than listed here.
McDowell County
March 28: The Marion East Community Forum, the McDowell Arts Council Association and other sponsors will host the Spring Egg Hunt on the Peavine Trail. The Easter Bunny will visit with candy and photo opportunities. The event will be held from 1-3 p.m. at the State Street Trailhead located at 200 State St. in Marion.
March 28: Fonta Flora Brewery will host an egg hunt at 11 a.m. at the Whippoorwill Farm. The Whippoorwill Farm is located at 6751 N.C. Highway 126 in Nebo. All ages are welcome.
March 28: First Baptist Church of Old Fort will host an Easter Matinee and Egg Hunt at 1 p.m. The event will feature a kidfriendly movie about the story of Easter. There will be snacks and an egg hunt for elementary school-aged children and younger. First Baptist Church of Old Fort is located at 203 E. Main St. in Old Fort.
April 4: Bethel Freewill Baptist Church will host an Easter egg hunt from noon to 3 p.m. The event will have food, crafts and games. Bethel Freewill Baptist Church is located at 1690 Old Highway 10 East in Marion.
Burke County
March 28: The city of Morganton Parks & Recreation will host the city’s annual egg hunt at Catawba Meadows Park. Story time and games will be at 10 a.m. The egg hunts will begin at 11 a.m. There will be hunts for four age groups: 2 and under, 3 to 4, 5 to 7 and 8 to 10. The park is at 701 Sanford Drive in Morganton.
March 28: The town of Hildebran is holding an Easter egg hunt at 2:30 p.m. at the Hildebran Community Park, located at 114 Main Ave. E, Hildebran. Egg hunts will be held for ages 0-3, 4-7 and 8-11.
March 28: Chesterfield Fire Rescue will be hosting an Easter event featuring the Easter Bunny, egg hunting, a spoon race, a cake walk and the Dum Dum Game. Registration is from 1:30-2 p.m. The egg hunts will begin at 2:15 p.m. for children ages 0 to 12. Chesterfield Fire Rescue is located at 2160 U.S. Highway 64/N.C. Highway 18 in Morganton.
March 30-2: The town of Rutherford College is holding a daily egg hunt on the greenway at 4 p.m. March 30 to April 2. The greenway is located at 980 Malcolm Boulevard, Rutherford College.
April 1: Drexel Memorial Baptist Church is hosting an Easter event at 6 p.m. featuring the Easter story, games, music egg decorating and food. Drexel Memorial Baptist Church is located at 403 N. Main St. in Drexel.
Catawba County
March 28: The city of Hickory Recreation & Sports Tourism Department will host the 39th annual Children’s Easter Egg Hunt at Henry Fork River Park. The event has four separate Easter egg hunts for different age groups, beginning at 6 p.m. All participants are encouraged to bring their own baskets to collect the eggs and a flashlight if participating in the hunt beginning at 8:15 p.m. The egg hunt for children 0-2 will be at 6 p.m., ages 3-4 at 6:30 p.m., ages 5-6 at 7 p.m. and 7-12 at 8:15 p.m.. The Easter Bunny will also be at the event along with other crafts and activities. Henry Fork River Park is located at 5655 Sweet Bay Lane in Hickory.
March 28: The city of Claremont is holding an Easter event with an egg hunt, food trucks, desserts, vendors, the Easter Bunny and more. The event will be held 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Claremont City Park, 3430 E. Main St, Claremont.
April 4: Holy Trinity Lutheran Church will host an Easter event featuring a petting zoo, egg hunt and food trucks. The event will be from 10 a.m. to noon. Holy Trinity Lutheran Church is located at 547 Sixth St. NW in Hickory.
April 4: The Claremont Neighborhood Association will host an Easter egg hunt at 10 a.m. at McComb Park, located at 421 5th Ave. Place NE, Hickory. The event is intended for children elementary school-age and younger, according to a flyer.
April 5: Unitarian Univer-salist Church of Catawba Valley will have an Easter church service followed by an egg hunt. The service will start at 10:30 a.m. The egg hunt will be at 11:30 a.m. Kids will get to choose an egg to keep and pick a seed to plant inside of the egg. Unitarian Univer-salist Church of Catawba Valley is located at 833 Fifth St. SE in Hickory.
Iredell County
March 31: The city of Statesville Recreation & Economic Vitality will have egg hunts for ages 10 and younger. Kids can play in inflatables at 4:30 p.m. and the egg hunts begin at 6 p.m. at the Statesville Park & Soccer Complex. The park is located at 2012 Simonton Road in Statesville.
April 1: Statesville Recreation & Economic Vitality Adaptive Egg Hunt. Games, crafts and egg hunting for individuals with special needs at the Martin Luther King Jr. Park located at 911 Lakewood Drive in Statesville. Event begins at 4:30 p.m. and egg hunt begins at 6 p.m.
April 2: Statesville Recreation & Economic Vitality will have egg hunts for ages 10 and younger. Kids can play in inflatables at 4:30 p.m. and the egg hunts begin at 6 p.m. at Harris Park located at 1345 Lerain Court in Statesville.
April 4: New Life Missionary Baptist Church will host an Easter event featuring an egg hunt, music, games, prizes and food. The event will be held 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. New Life Missionary Baptist Church is located at 571 S. Main St. in Troutman.
April 12: The Learning Village and Heartshine Behavioral Health will host a sensory-friendly Easter egg hunt from 2-4 p.m. The event will include a therapy dog, princesses and other sensory-friendly activities. The event will be held at 304 S. Main St. in Troutman.
Alexander County
March 28: Salem Lutheran Church LCMS will have an Easter event from 10 a.m. to noon. The event will feature an Easter story, crafts, an egg hunt, snacks and lunch. Salem Lutheran Church LCMS is located at 4005 N.C. Highway 16 North in Taylorsville.
March 28: Friendship Lutheran Church is hosting an Easter event from 1-3 p.m. The event will feature an egg hunt, games, snacks and prizes. Friendship Lutheran Church is located at 5300 Church Road in Taylorsville.
Caldwell County
March 28: Saint John’s Lutheran Church will have an Easter event, rain for shine, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The event will feature an egg hunt, a bounce house, face painting and games. The food will be hot dogs and pizza. Saint John’s Lutheran church is located at 1781 Taylorsville Road in Lenoir.
Sarah Johnson is the courts and breaking news reporter for the Hickory Daily Record.
