All Children Invited to Ford City Easter Egg Hunt

by Jonathan Weaver

A five-decade old Ford City tradition will have children scrambling through the local park Saturday.

Ford City Park is expected to bring about 1,000 people to the area this weekend for the annual Easter Egg Hunt.

Started originally with the help of the Business Association but now hosted by the Ford City Lions Club, Lions Treasurer Tim Malec said eggs filled with candy, stuffed animals, coupons and gold coins are distributed in the park for four different age categories: newborn-2, 3-4, 5-6 and 7-10 year olds. Accommodations will also be made for those children with disabilities.

The family tradition continues after Malec’s father, Joseph, helped coordinate the hunt.

“My father and Roger Faulx were two Lions members and did this project for years. Back in the early `80’s, they went up to Toronto, Canada and bought
6-8,000 Easter eggs,” Malec said. “They worked on this project for years.”

However, Malec – a Lion for more than 15 years – purchased 8,000 new plastic eggs last year since eggs would get lost or broken. Old eggs were also purchased

“That should be good for the Lions club for my lifetime,” Malec said.

Toddlers will find softer candy, such as peanut butter eggs and Hershey kisses, in their Easter eggs.

“It’s harder every year to buy candy that will fit in an Easter egg,” Malec said. “Monday, I drove all the way down to Cranberry to find some. I bought candy at Walmart and other places, but it’s all chocolate and I can’t put chocolate in 3,800 eggs.”

Lions Club Member Gregg Hedglin has been promoting the Easter egg hunt throughout Lenape Elementary School where he teaches sixth grade.

Hedglin’s seven-year-old stepson, Alex, will be part of the search.

A math and science, Hedglin said any Kit-Kat bars were not put in royal-blue Easter eggs for fear of too much sunlight.
“We’re given clear instructions that the blue eggs must be placed in the shade – the royal-blue creates the highest internal temperature,” Hedglin said.

“We don’t put (chocolate) out until the very last minute so it doesn’t melt,” Malec added.

About 3,800 eggs were stuffed with candies such as Starburst, Skittles and Swedish Fish last night by Lions Club members and about a dozen Armstrong Junior/Senior High Leo Club students. Malec estimated Lions and Leos stuffed about 100 pounds of candy into eggs.

Leo Club Co-Presidents Taylor Relich and Katie Pyle remembered hunting for candy as children in Ford City Park.

Both students, however, wouldn’t wait long to eat their candy.

“I would wait until after the hunt – by the time I got home, I was ready to dive right in,” Relich said.

“I would always sit down in the middle of it and start eating my candy,” Pyle laughed. “I just kind-of wanted to sit down with the two eggs I had and eat my candy.”

King Lion Brad Baille praised the student leaders for their service. Students also were rewarded with pizza and pop after they were completed.

Malec estimated about $2,000 was spent for the Easter egg hunt, including about $1,000 in donations from the community.

“I had a guy from State College come in every year and he would make a donation because he would say ‘I’ve never seen an Easter egg hunt that’s open to the public as big as the one (Ford City Lions) puts on,’” Malec recalled.

“Everybody’s welcome.”

All children run to find eggs starting when Malec blows his whistle at 1PM.

The Easter Bunny will be available for photos as well.