Community Spotlight: Nevis Hosts 15th Annual Easter Egg Hunt

A weekend snowstorm didn’t stop Nevis from having their annual Easter egg hunt.

Mother Nature gave Northern Minnesota a pretty unfortunate forecast of low temperatures and chilling winds this past holiday weekend. While many chose to cancel Easter festivities, the city of Nevis said “bring it on.”

“We started the Easter egg hunt 15 years ago with just 1,000 eggs, and we’ve grown that to over 10,000 eggs. We give away 40 bicycles. We also have over 1,000 prizes that we give away,” says Brian Halak, who started the community egg hunt with his wife, Sara.

The egg hunt started with the Halak family, but it couldn’t be a big as it is today without a little help. Exactly 20 volunteers braved the snow to put the eggs out, not to mention the volunteers who helped stuff eggs beforehand. Local businesses also donated all of the prizes.

“It is sponsored by the Nevis Chamber of Commerce and the Nevis Fire Department, because without them, we could not have this event,” says Sara.

Over the years, the Nevis egg hunt has become a staple in the community, so canceling it was out of the question. One of the reasons it was started in the first place is because there was no other event like it in the area.

“Florida is where we came from, and we came up here and started a small hunt, and it’s grown into this big event. It’s super exciting to watch these kids come through and sweep through and pick up the eggs. It’s over in a matter of three minutes, and it’s just a wonderful time,” says Sara.

It doesn’t matter if it’s sunny, raining or snowing – the Nevis egg hunt has never been canceled. Even with the weather conditions, the egg usually sees about 1,000 kids each year.

“This has been the most snow we’ve ever had during an egg hunt. We’ve had snow one other year, but not as much and as cold as it is today,” says Sara.

One important thing for the Halak family was making sure the kids had a good time, and the ones who took the time to speak with Lakeland News said they did. Some of them even vowed to come back, no matter the weather.

“We just want to say ‘thank you’ to Nevis, and we had a lot of fun,” says mom Kylee, whose daughter, Klaire, participated in the egg hunt and even won a bike this year.

“I had really fun today and it was awesome. I’m kind of disappointed I didn’t get a bike, but I’ll probably get one next year,” says Owen, who also participated in the egg hunt with his family.

It’s a little too early to tell what the forecast will be for next year, but organizers say no matter what it is, the Saturday before Easter will always be home to the Nevis egg hunt.

“Our true enjoyment out of it is the smiles we see from each and every child. That’s the enjoyment that we get out of it,” says Brian.