This coming weekend, as well as next, will be a time of numerous Easter egg hunts and related activities, as that furry friend, the Easter Bunny, makes his visit this Eastertide. One of the most notable and biggest of these egg hunts will take place on the grounds of the Antioch Baptist Church, located at 514 High Street, Williamsport, On Sunday, April 14th, from 1:00-2:30 p.m.

Khamilia Baines, one of the organizers of the event said one of the unique features of the Hunt is that certain eggs will have slips attached to them that will entitle those who find the egg to a bicycle. She said these eggs should be especially highly sought after. In addition Lycoming Centre Presbyterian Church is assisting with the Egg Hunt. They are providing volunteers as well as 2,500 eggs.

There will also be face painting, and various food and refreshments. A number of contributors ranging from Celebrity Master P, Rennie Rodarmel Allstate, Webb Weekly, Bastian Tires Bike Blessing, Aaron’s Water Ice and The Cam Media Team and various other members of the Williamsport community helped make this event possible.

Isaiah Washington, an active member at Antioch is one of those coordinating the Antioch Easter Egg Hunt. He told Webb Weekly that the Lycoming Centre Presbyterian Church is also helping out in putting on this event.

“Kids are kids; and you have to do kids’ stuff in order to reach them. It’s a time we can remind church goers and non-church goers that Jesus paid the ultimate price for humanity,” Washington said.

He said the hunt and the gathering of massive amounts of people helps build a positive sense of the Williamsport community.

He continued, “What does it mean to us? Why do we do it? It provides a sense of fulfillment of Christ’s direction for us to reach out to the children amongst us. It provides us an opportunity to reach out, present, and show Christ in what can be seen in a non-traditional way.”

Antioch will be giving away over 115 bikes of all sizes and colors as part of the Easter Egg Hunt. They have received donated bikes from all over the area and, in some cases, across the country for the event. Local individuals and business alike have been donating bikes and Easter baskets for the past couple of weeks.

Darrick Rizzo has spearheaded a massive social media campaign to seek out the donations. He’s posted tons of live video requesting donations from all over the area. He is thankful to God and our community for stepping up to make this the biggest and best event for local kids that it can possibly be.

Yolanda Washington, Darrick’s wife and Pastor Sam Washington’s daughter is amazed at how the bike giveaway has expanded over the years. “My husband used social media to bring the whole community together. It’s awesome. We went from having a couple of bikes two years ago, to 70 last year, to over 100 this year.”

The social media response has been incredible. Posts have been liked, shared and commented on hundreds of times resulting in everyone in the area knowing about ‘Rizzo’ looking for bikes. The live videos have been viewed hundreds of times and have encouraged so many people to come out and make a donation to an amazing event.

So if your kiddies are looking for a wonderful Easter-related activity, then the Antioch Baptist Church Easter Egg Hunt should be the place for you.

Again, the Easter Egg Hunt takes place on Sunday from 1:00 p.m.-2:30 p.m. and is open to kids 2-14. Antioch also invites anyone to join them for their Sunday service at 10:45 a.m., where gospel singer Audrey Veitch will be performing.