Discover why outer East Portland families feel welcomed to this traditional spring event, held at Oaks Amusement Park …
After spreading thousands of plastic Easter eggs in the event area at Oaks Amusement Park, volunteers – including the Easter Bunny him/herself – gather for a “team photo”.
Story and photos by David F. Ashton
At precisely 11 a.m. on Saturday, April 4, a crowd-chanted countdown sent hundreds of children sprinting across a grassy area of Oaks Amusement Park, as the Sellwood Moreland Improvement League (SMILE) Egg Hunt was underway.
For decades, the annual SMILE Egg Hunt has been a neighborhood tradition, once held at the south end of Westmoreland Park before moving to Oaks Amusement Park in recent years, when COVID-19 pandemic restrictions were lifted.
One of the many volunteers busily distributing eggs is Alex Rivelli-Keagbine.
This year’s hunt again unfolded in “Picnic Area 9”, a patch of lush green lawn west of the Oaks Park Train Station and south of the Outdoor Pavilion, ringed by stately oak trees that seemed to be standing guard over the festivities.
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This Egg Hunt will likely be the last public event held in this particular area, as The Oaks renovation project gets underway this summer with some big plans for this space.
But, on this bright spring morning, the focus was not on construction plans – but on plastic eggs, patient parents, and hundreds of excited kids. Families were streaming in by 10:30 a.m., staking out spots and lining the field’s edge for photos and front-row views.
Bullhorn in hand, SMILE President David Dugan greets the crowd, and prepares for the countdown to the egg hunt.
A tradition that still matters
Looking back on the 2026 SMILE Egg Hunt, SMILE President David Dugan said the reasons for putting on the event each year go well beyond candy and family photo opportunities.
“SMILE has a long history of presenting this family Egg Hunt – so tradition plays a strong role in holding it each year,” Dugan observed.
Handing out free baskets to kids needing them are Moreland Presbyterian Church Youth Volunteers Claudia and Annebelle — shown on either side of Irene Stafford, Family Ministry Director at Moreland Presbyterian Church.
“Our local community is important to us, and bringing residents together for the many events we hold each year is important – in addition to bringing the community together to address important local topics at our regular meetings,” he said.
Outer East Portland neighbors welcomed
“The Egg Hunt also brings families from across the Portland area to experience our Sellwood-Moreland neighborhoods – with the hope they’ll return to support our local businesses.”
If it looked like the grass was paved with colorful candy-filled shells – because it practically was. “We increased the number of eggs to approximately 8,000 this year, compared to 6,000 in 2025,” Dugan reported.
Volunteers complete scattering all the plastic eggs before the countdown begins.
Most of those eggs were filled with candy, of course – the currency of any successful springtime hunt – but a lucky few held toys as well, tucked in by volunteers ahead of time.
To keep the competition friendly – and to give the youngest egg-hunters a fair shot – SMILE volunteers divided the wide green field into four clear sections:
• Under 3
• Ages 3–5
• Ages 6–7
• Ages 8 and over
While the true number of participants is unknown, Dugan said it’s safe to say it was hundreds of children were there, with parents, grandparents, and neighbors filling the shade of the old oak trees with conversation, and camera phones ready to take photos and videos.
Kids line up, ready to begin the “hunt”.
Community partners behind the scenes
Behind the quick burst of activity on the grass lay a great many hours of planning, stuffing, and organizing – work shared by SMILE and a small roster of community partners.
In addition to SMILE, Moreland Presbyterian Church lent a major hand, as did the Sellwood Community House, Dugan told THE BEE. And The Oaks itself plays a key role in making the event feel special: “Oaks Park provides the space free of charge, and has again offered discounted ride bracelets to our participants so they can stay and enjoy the beautiful weather and rides.”
The countdown that makes it all worth it
For Dugan, the real payoff comes in the final seconds before 11 a.m. “I really enjoy the minutes leading up to the countdown,” he said.
“The children are so excited to get started, and the happiness on their faces makes all the effort by SMILE volunteers worth the effort each year,” Dugan observed.
And, they’re off, sprinting out to gather eggs.
Eight thousand eggs – gone in minutes
Bullhorn in hand, Dugan led the crowd in a ten–second countdown. As he neared “one”, a ripple of excitement moved through the throng.
A few kids couldn’t help edging forward early, but the mood remained more “eager youngsters” dashing than a “full-contact sport” as they fanned out across the grass, snatching up brightly colored plastic eggs.
Their hunt completed, the Pimentel family has the smile of success.
In less five minutes, the brief–yet–intense scramble had largely concluded. Baskets were full, grass was dotted with only a few overlooked eggs, and families drifted toward the shade of the oaks to compare treasures.
As some paused for photos with the Easter Bunny, and others headed out towards the rides at Oaks Park, another chapter of the SMILE Egg Hunt tradition quietly slipped into neighborhood history.
© 2026 David F. Ashton ~ East Portland News™
