With her 8-year-old daughter disappointed there would be no Valentine’s Day card exchange in school due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Christina Forde decided to organize a public “Take One, Leave One” event for people. But she thought up the idea too close to Feb. 14 and it failed to gain much traction.
Regardless, those who were involved suggested a similar event for the spring. So Easter eggs will be the substitute for Valentine’s Day cards in a community egg hunt scheduled for 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday.
“We have 34 stops, mostly in Greenfield and Turners Falls,” she said, adding that there are also some in Sunderland, Whately, Northfield and Orange. The hunt will be held rain or shine.
Anyone is welcome to join and participate. The plan is for volunteer-designated residencies and businesses to place plastic eggs filled with goodies in a basket or hidden around the front of the property. Hunters can visit the addresses on the map and take one egg — they are encouraged to replace it with one, though this is not a requirement. Eggs may be filled with items like candy, a friendly note, stickers and temporary tattoos, though people are advised to be mindful of potential allergies.
Anyone interested in hosting a stop can contact Forde at Chreme08@gmail.com or through the “Franklin County ‘Take one, leave one’ egg hunt” Facebook group. For privacy reasons, hosts are allowed to list only their town and street name if they wish, though they are asked to place something on the front door so hunters can know it is a stop. The map’s stops can be found in the Facebook group.
Hosts are asked to inform Forde of any special instructions or details, such as a steep driveway.
Reach Domenic Poli at: dpoli@recorder.com or 413-772-0261, ext. 262.