Brief, yet intense! The Easter Egg Hunt thrills the crowd at Oaks Amusement Park

INCLUDES UltraHD 4K VIDEO | See why families come from all over outer East Portland – in fact, from towns farther than that – for this annual event …

As the throng of participants begin to arrive at the Egg Hunt, volunteers Caroline Schroeder and June Schroeder pause foe a photo while spreading the plastic Easter Eggs.

Story and photos by David F. Ashton

For decades, the traditional Egg Hunt put on by the Sellwood Moreland Improvement League (SMILE) neighborhood association on the day before Easter was a cozy affair, tucked away in the grass at the south end of Westmoreland Park.

But, when it was revived after the COVID-19 pandemic in 2022 – and then moved to historic, nonprofit Oaks Amusement Park – the number of families who came from all over the Portland metropolitan area dramatically swelled.

In our video, you’ll see how much fun was had by so many – in such a short duration of time!

This year’s celebration, held on April 19th at The Oaks, again brought out a large polite – but energetic – crowd. The kids were more than ready to hunt for candy-filled plastic eggs, and their parents were ready to take pictures.

Eagerly waiting for the Egg Hunt to begin are Zdenka Bleile, Philip Polansky, and Fiona.

“The Egg Hunt is a great way for our local families, and those who come from beyond our neighborhood, to learn about our neighborhood association,” SMILE President David Dugan remarked, as families were massing behind the bright orange tapes marking off the area in Picnic Area 9.

“We’re so glad that Oaks Park is one of our sponsors; the space they provide is ideal for this,” observed Dugan.

A burgeoning and merry throng of Easter Egg gatherers line up, in age groups, eagerly awaiting the countdown.

This year, some 75 volunteers from Moreland Presbyterian Church and Sellwood Community House gathered to stuff the 6,000 plastic eggs – all within about an hour.

Then, the day of the event, along with SMILE Board Members, distributed them throughout The Oaks near the outdoor Pavilion.

And off, they go, scooping up Easter eggs!

East Portland resident Kateland King has an eye on her son Evan – who is way too fully occupied picking up eggs to pose for any old BEE photos.

All the parents did a good job holding back their eager youngsters as 11 a.m. approached. Dugan picked up a bull-horn and counted down to the hunt’s start. A SMILE Board Member shared that the hunt was essentially over in only three and a half minutes this year!

Here’s the Ashmore family – they came to the Egg Hunt from Damascus – here, proudly showing off the result of their egg-gathering.

With the sun out, and spring in the air, many of the families who came for the egg hunt stayed on to enjoy the rides and atmosphere of the Oaks Amusement Park midway, on the east bank of the Willamette River.

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