By Laura French
ST. PETERS, Mo. — A Missouri fire department put a digital twist on its second annual Easter egg hunt to stay safe amidst COVID-19 while still celebrating with the community.
Central County Fire & Rescue hosted a virtual Easter egg hunt, inviting community members to use Facebook to guide a blindfolded firefighter to eggs hidden around the fire station. The live-streamed event, held Saturday morning, received about 3,300 views and 500 comments as viewers gave the firefighter instructions and hints to find the next egg.
“As firefighters, we are used to adapting and doing whatever it takes to get the job done. When we learned we would have to cancel this year’s Easter Egg Hunt, we knew we wanted to do something to still bring joy to our community,” Central County Fire & Rescue Battalion Chief Jason Meinershagen said in a statement. “We’re hoping that this online version of our popular Easter Egg hunt will provide some family fun during a stressful time.”
Several parents commented saying their kids enjoyed the event and had fun participating from home. The fire department also posted Easter-themed coloring pages for children to fill in and hosted another video showcasing some of the children’s artwork, followed by Meinershagen reading a storybook called “Tiny, the Missouri Easter Bunny.”
The Professional Firefighters of Central County Fire and Rescue have been hosting nightly virtual storytimes over the past few weeks to connect with their community while Missouri’s stay-at-home order is in effect.
“We want to connect with you guys, and we understand that ... it’s some crazy times that we’re living in, kids not being in school,” Meinershagen said in Facebook video Thursday. “We wanted to be able to connect with them and just provide an opportunity to just have a little fun, a little time away from the craziness.”