Photos by Lyndsie Ferrell Several local and visiting guests gathered at Rickel Park in South Fork on Saturday for their annual Easter Egg hunt and stayed to enjoy games and a kite fest later in the afternoon.

SOUTH FORK— Several residents and guests gathered in South Fork on Saturday, April 20 for the annual South Fork Easter Egg Hunt and Kite Fest. Children of all ages gathered at the entrance to the park, gazing out into the field at all of the colorful eggs laying on the ground, just waiting for little hands to come along and snatch them up.
The town, in partnership with the visitors center and local businesses has held the egg hunt for the past several years, bringing joy to children from around the Valley. This year’s hunt was made possible through the many donations made by South Fork Propane, Mountain Light House, Shampooch, Twin Pines Storage, 8200 Sports, Murphy Realty, Grandview RV and Cabins, Doc’s Sporting Goods, Steffens Realty, Hathorn Construction, Ramon’s Mexican Restaurant, South Fork Rio Grande Clinic and Network Funding of South Fork.
South Fork Visitor Center Director Mark Teders, with the help of several volunteers, filled over 1,500 eggs with sweet treats, raffle tickets for participants to win Easter baskets filled with toys and even some cash.
“If the little ones end up with eggs that have funny green pieces of paper in them and they want to trade it in for some candy, they can bring it to me and I’d be happy to make a trade,” joked Teders as he prepared to set the children free for the hunt. “We are thankful for the many donations that helped make this possible and hope everyone sticks around for fun and games afterwards.”
As the children raced to the eggs, Teders and other volunteers were on hand to help whenever possible. Everyone participating got their spoils and stayed throughout the morning to enjoy a bean bag toss, egg toss (with raw eggs, making for a fun and gooey endeavor) and later in the afternoon, the kite fest that filled the sky with an array of colorful kites.
The day was a huge success and marked the beginning of the fun-filled year yet to come with annual events like the youth fishing clinic, Third of July celebrations and much more. For more information and a schedule of upcoming events, please visit www.southfork.org.