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Pastel eggs and a petting zoo: Several thousand flock to ONE* Church’s annual Easter carnival

Families with young children line up at the edge of a field liberally sprinkled with plastic eggs filled with candy at One* church in Spokane Valley, Saturday, Mar. 31, 2018. The church threw a large celebration with the egg hunt, bouncing castles, face painting and other activities. (Jesse Tinsley / The Spokesman-Review)
Families with young children line up at the edge of a field liberally sprinkled with plastic eggs filled with candy at One* church in Spokane Valley, Saturday, Mar. 31, 2018. The church threw a large celebration with the egg hunt, bouncing castles, face painting and other activities. (Jesse Tinsley / The Spokesman-Review)Buy a print of this photo
By Ryan Collingwood ryanc@spokesman.com(509) 459-5473

There were pictures with the Easter bunny, ducklings at the petting zoo and 90,000 plastic eggs filled with candy.

ONE* Church spent three months planning for its eighth-annual Easter egg hunt, which attracted several thousand kids and adults to the church’s Spokane Valley and north Spokane locations. They spent Saturday morning and afternoon searching for pastel-colored eggs under sunny skies.

Four-year-old Eli Talbert combed the grass for oval-shaped treasures, coming away pleased with his haul.

“I got 22 eggs!” Talbert said with a smile. That was just a portion of the boy’s fun.

The church’s Spokane Valley hunt was essentially an Easter carnival, offering a petting zoo, face-painting, bouncy castles, pictures with the Easter bunny and cotton candy. The North Side location offered much of the same, including children’s train rides.

The petting zoo featured plenty of critters, from ducklings and rabbits to chickens and turtles.

And it didn’t cost anyone a dime.

“Everything is free of charge,” said Lesley Yarnell, the event’s coordinator. “We try to make it better every year. This year, we designed zones to alleviate some of the congestion.”

Those zones were split up by age and attraction, and included an area for special needs children. The event also offered a “Lost Kids/First Aid” tent to help dispersed families reunite.

The church said the events require nearly 250 volunteers. This is the first year the North Side ONE* location offered a hunt.

“We want it to be a fun, safe environment for families,” said Corti Marrazzo, communications director at ONE* Church. “We’re kid-centered, and that’s why we do this.”

An Easter-themed Star Wars production entertained children and their parents. Teens participated in the show, which featured protagonist Rey battling the evil Kylo Ren. Children in the crowd were called to participate in the interactive play.

“We have a good team of people,” said Dylan Cochran, the production’s producer. “There is so much buy-in from the participants and it’s great getting the kids in the crowd involved.”

The Easter event is powered by a pair of annual fundraisers.

Nicole Talbert brought along three children, ages 3 to 14. “This is our fourth year in a row, and this year was the best,” she said.