Children in Chestermere have surely eaten all their chocolate from last Easter’s egg hunt by now, but a local community event will satisfy any lingering cravings for finding hidden treats.
Macaroni Kid Chestermere will host its second annual Candy Cane Hunt Nov. 30 and Dec. 14 at the Chestermere Recreation Centre.
“It’s just a fun, low-cost family activity,” said Kim Soderberg McRae, the event’s organizer. “It’s another Christmas holiday event for families.”
The hunt will be held in conjunction with the Chestermere Regional Community Association’s (CRCA) 15th annual Christmas Marketplace Nov. 30, as well as the City of Chestermere’s Holiday Fun Day Dec. 14. On that day, CRCA will host its Family Christmas Party and Kids' Holiday Store, while the City’s Santa Fun Run takes place in the morning.
Soderberg McRae – publisher of Macaroni Kid Chestermere, an online community events directory – said 150 children were registered to take part in last year’s inaugural hunt, but due to adverse weather conditions, fewer than half showed up.
“It was a pretty snowy day, and cold,” she said. “It is an outdoor event. Everyone who did attend seemed to have fun trying to find the candy canes, because once people got running, the candy canes got buried in the snow a little bit.
“But the kids who were there got to find a lot more candy canes.”
To encourage all registrants to take part this year, Soderberg McRae said she implemented a small registration fee of $2, with proceeds going toward the City of Chestermere’s Gifts of Kindness Program. Formerly known as Christmas With Dignity, the Gifts of Kindness program is a charity initiative that helps families in Chestermere and southeast Rocky View County meet their basic needs.
There are two time slots for each day the hunt takes place, 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. As of Nov. 20, Soderberg McRae said, only the 2 p.m. slot for Dec. 14 is fully booked.
For the most eagle-eyed participants, she added, a handful of specially-marked candy canes will be included among the rest. If found, they can brought to the registration table where they will be exchanged for a bigger prize.
The maximum number of participants for each time slot is 30, according to Soderberg McRae.
“Everybody needs to be pre-registered so I can ensure I have enough candy canes on hand,” she said, adding each hunt will include roughly 300 candy canes for children to find.
To register, visit bit.ly/2QEziif
