Community-wide Easter events to be held this weekend
<p class="p1">Easter is Sunday, and a wide variety of Easter egg hunts, Easter services and other events are planned around the county. We’ve compiled this list of some of them:</p><p class="p4"><strong>Easter egg hunts</strong></p><p class="p5"><strong>Gainesville First Christian Church -</strong> A community Easter egg hunt will be held at the Gainesville First Christian Church, on Highway 160 about a mile east of the square, at 10 a.m. Saturday, April 15. The hunt is free for toddler-aged children through fifth grade students. Those participating should bring a basket to collect eggs. The Easter bunny will be available so parents can snap photos with their own cameras. For more information, call the church at 679-3520.</p><p class="p2"><strong>Pontiac Easter egg hunt -</strong> An Easter egg hunt will be held at the Pontiac park at 10 a.m. Saturday, April 15. The event is free, and all children are welcome to attend. Organizers ask that parents who plan to bring their children donate 15 eggs per child filled with treats or toys by Friday, April 14. The donated eggs can be dropped off to Jabet Wade at Pontiac Cove Marina or Jessica Blackburn at Pointer Law Office on the Gainesville square. Muffins, juice and the Easter bunny will be available. For more information, call Wade at 417-989-0688.</p><p class="p6"><strong>Isabella VFW Post 5366 annual Easter egg hunt -</strong>VFW Post 5366 will host its annual Easter egg hunt at 10 a.m. Saturday, April 15, at the VFW on HH Highway just off Highway 160 in Isabella. The event is free for children ages 1 to 12. Sign-up will open at 9 a.m., and the hunt will kick off sharply at 10. The hunt will be separated into three age groups: children ages 1 to 5, 6 to 8 and 9 to 12. Each child who participates will be entered into a drawing for a bicycle, and one bicycle will be given away in each age group. All eggs will be filled with candy or quarters. Snacks, including cupcakes, popcorn, cookies, Kool-aid and sugar-free options will be available. Organizers say the Isabella VFW is one of only a handful that still put on an Easter egg hunt, and the Isabella post’s egg hunt was recently featured in the national VFW magazine. For more information call the VFW at 417-273-5008.</p><p class="p6"> <strong>Bakersfield Community Easter egg hunt -</strong>The Bakersfield Baptist Church is hosting a community Easter egg hunt at Bakers-field Pride Park on Highway 142 from 1 to 2 p.m. Saturday, April 15. The event, which is free and open to children in second grade and younger, will begin at 1 p.m. with a short talk on the meaning of Easter; the instructions and egg hunt will follow. About 900 eggs will be hidden in three areas by the ballparks, and each age group will be eligible for three special prizes for finding the most eggs, finding a golden egg and finding a silver egg. For more information, call the Bakersfield Baptist Church at 417-204-5390.</p><p class="p2"><strong> Music</strong></p><p class="p5"><strong>The Ozark County Community Choir</strong> will present two performances of “Jesus, Only Jesus,” a resurrection, praise and worship cantata. The first performance will be at 6:30 p.m. Friday, April 14, at the First Baptist Church in Gainesville. The second performance is scheduled for 6 p.m. Saturday, April 15, at Clear Springs Baptist Church at Dawt (take PP Highway from Highway 160 east of Lake Norfork). Refreshments will be served after each performance. For more information, call 679-0585. </p><p class="p7"><strong>Church Services </strong></p><p class="p5"><strong>Gainesville First Baptist Church -</strong>The Gainesville First Baptist Church, on Third Street in Gainesville, is hosting a Good Friday service at 6:30 p.m. Friday, April 14. The Ozark County Community Choir (see above) will perform. An Easter sunrise service will be held at 6:30 a.m. Sunday, April 16, at the Tecumseh Park on the shoreline of Lake Norfork. A free community breakfast will be held afterward at 9 a.m. The Easter morning service will begin at 10 a.m. with a program titled “Because He Lives” presented by the church’s kid zone worship team. The service will be a family service, and childcare will not be available.</p><p class="p5"><strong>Clear Springs Church –</strong> The Ozark County Community Choir (see above) will present its Easter cantata at 6 p.m. Saturday, April 15. Easter sunrise service will be held at 6:30 a.m. Sunday at the home of David and Lisa Evans on County Road 339 across from the church and then second drive on the left after the substation. Breakfast will be served at the church afterward. Easter service will be held at 11 a.m. Sunday at the church.</p><p class="p5"><strong>Frontier Baptist Church, Pontiac - </strong>Frontier Baptist Church in Pontiac is hosting Easter sunrise services led by Randy Dalton at 7 a.m. Sunday, April 16. Breakfast will be served in the fellowship hall afterward. Sunday school begins at 10 a.m., followed by the regular Sunday service at 10:45 a.m. Pastor Bruce DeWeese and the congregation invite everyone to attend.</p><p class="p6"><strong>Needmore Church of God, Dora -</strong> The Needmore Church of God, located about 3 miles north of Hodgson Mill on Highway 181 near Dora, will observe Holy Week beginning with the ordinances of communion and foot-washing at 6 p.m. today, April 12. A Resurrection Day celebration will begin with sunrise service at 7 a.m. Sunday, April 16, in the chapel of the church’s multi-purpose building. A breakfast will follow. Sunday school will begin at 9:45 a.m., and morning worship will start at 10:50 a.m.</p><p class="p5"><strong>Oak Grove Church, Wasola -</strong> The Oak Grove Church, located on Highway 5 in Wasola, will host Resurrection Sunday service on April 16. Sunday school will begin at 10 a.m., and worship service will be held at 11 a.m. The program is titled “The Power of the Resurrection of Christ.” A fellowship dinner will follow the worship service. The church encourages everyone to attend and to “come as you are – in jeans, T-shirts, coveralls, whatever.” For more information, contact Pastor Mike Vlad at 720-205-0790.</p>
<p class="p1">Esme Landry, 2, shows off the Easter egg tree she helped decorate in her grandmother’s yard last weekend. Esme is the granddaughter of Gainesville resident Carole Long.</p>
