The Town of Kiowa, along with the Kiowa Merchants Association, is bringing back the longstanding tradition of the town’s annual Easter egg hunt, which was canceled last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The event will be at Fawn Valley Park at 11 a.m. on April 3, and the free event is open to all Elbert County residents.

“We’re excited to have the community together again,” said Maria Morales, Kiowa town administrator. “COVID is still a real thing, so we’ll still be taking some safety precautions like offering masks and having sanitizing stations.”

Elbert County is currently at level blue-cautious on the COVID dial, a level that allows for outdoor gatherings with no restrictions on size.

The day’s events will include the traditional Easter egg hunt for children, including an Easter egg roll for infants through 2 years, an egg hunt for children ages 3 through 5 and 6 through 8, and an Easter egg scramble for kids over 9 and older. More than 3,000 eggs, stuffed with toys and candy, were prepared by volunteers for the event.

Parents can enjoy games of cornhole and horseshoes, and a lunch of sloppy joes will be provided by Lifetime Properties for all attendees. The Pines and Plains Libraries staff will be manning an egg-dyeing station, and the Heritage Girls will provide face painting.

Debbie Ullom, owner of Lifetime Properties in Kiowa, said they hope to bring back another, lesser-known spring tradition — May Day.

“May Day was rooted in agriculture,” said Ullom. “You might remember as a child dancing around the May Day pole, or putting together a basket of treats or flowers, then leaving them on someone’s doorstep, ringing the doorbell and running away before they saw you.”

Ullom’s office will be offering May Day basket kits to attendees, with hopes they will revive the tradition of delivering the baskets to neighbors anonymously.

“Maybe it’s time we turn the clock back and do something silly like the knock and run tradition,” said Ullom. “May Day was always a celebration of springtime, and I think we all need someone to bring us good cheer.”

Donations will be accepted at the event, with donations going to Elbert County Coalition for Outreach. In the event of inclement weather, the Easter egg hunt will be held April 10.