Jason Futch
reporter2.riverbendnews@gmail.com
Hamilton County’s Easter Egg Hunt was held at Jasper City Park on Saturday, April 12, and it was a huge success according to the event’s coordinator, Sheena Rickerson. “We had a great turnout this year,” Rickerson said. The community and local vendors and agencies came out to a beautiful day packed with activities. The event also had a dunking booth, bounce houses courtesy of Vanderbilt Bounce Houses, and over 3,000 eggs were distributed all along the park so kids could go hunt for them during the event. Early in the planning, Rickerson said that there had been a slight concern about whether or not they would have the turnout or enough candy and egg donations. “At the last minute, Hamilton County pulled through like they always do,” she said. Donors provided plenty of candy for the Easter egg hunt, and a multitude of supporters showed up, including the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office and Jasper Police Department, which helped with some of the logistics of the event. During the event, the Easter Bunny also made an appearance, taking photos with the children that showed up for the Easter egg hunt. The funds raised from the event benefited the Chief Tony Rickerson Memorial Fund, named in memory of Rickerson’s late husband, which helps Hamilton County high schoolers and first responders enroll and attend Law Enforcement Academy at either North Florida College in Madison or Florida Gateway College in Lake City. The recipient must choose an agency operating in Hamilton County to work for following graduation from the academy. This year’s event has instilled hope for Rickerson that next year’s Easter egg hunt will also bring out more people and prove to be an even bigger success as the years go on. “Overall, it was a good day and a successful event,” Rickerson said. “It’s something I look forward to doing every year and something I take a lot of pride in.”