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Neighbors | Abby Slanker.Children participating in the annual Canfield Dairy Queen Pumpkin Hunt searched through hay to find mini pumpkins and candy on Sept. 24.
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Neighbors | Abby Slanker.After searching through the hay, Kelly and Luke Kozlowski set out their pumpkins in hopes of winning a prize at the annual Canfield Dairy Queen Pumpkin Hunt on Sept. 24.
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Neighbors | Abby Slanker.Bella Brunk of Canfield was a lucky winner and claimed her prize at the annual Canfield Dairy Queen Pumpkin Hunt on Sept. 24. Brunk’s grandmother, Karen Hazel, accompanied her to the hunt.
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Neighbors | Abby Slanker.Jill Barton (left), pastor of Rush Church, served as master of ceremonies and was joined by Pastor Natalie (right), Rush Church children’s pastor, as they warmed up the children to start the annual Canfield Dairy Queen Pumpkin Hunt on Sept. 24.
By ABBY SLANKER
Making the most of a beautiful fall day, the Canfield Dairy Queen hosted its annual Pumpkin Hunt for children up to age 10 on Sept. 24. Approximately 150 children searched through the hay to find mini pumpkins and candy which had been hidden by Dairy Queen staffers and volunteers from Rush Church.
The 500 mini pumpkins were numbered and when the children were done sifting through the straw, they were asked to check their pumpkins, as corresponding numbers were chosen at random for prizes such as Halloween-themed buckets and gift certificates for Dairy Queen treats, such as Dilly Bars, Blizzards and ice cream cakes.
According to Pamela Simmons, Canfield Dairy Queen staff member in charge of marketing, the store has been having this event for more than 20 years.
To make it fair, and to break up the large crowd a bit, a section was set aside for children 4 and under. The other section was for children 5 and up. As a special treat, four golden spoons were hidden in the straw, two on each side. The child who found each spoon received a certificate for a Royal Blizzard.
Pastor Jill Barton of Rush Church emceed the event, including welcoming everyone and calling the winning numbers of the raffle tickets. Rush Church provided the sound system and volunteers from the Kids Ministry helped hand out coupons and bags and also helped the Dairy Queen staff clean up the straw after the event.
“Thank you, Dairy Queen, for sponsoring and hosting this Pumpkin Hunt and thank you, members of Rush Church, for helping with the event. OK. Are you ready? Let‘s start the countdown,” Barton said before she counted the time down to start the hunt.
Barton was joined by Pastor Natalie, Rush Church children’s pastor.
Dairy Queen staffers and volunteers from Rush Church worked together to put on the annual event.
“I would like to say thank you to Rush Church for all their involvement in this event. We could not do this without them. They have been so good to us. The event has grown each year with their help, and especially this year, they brought all kinds of games for the kids,” Simmons said.
The children could partake in a bounce around, a parachute game, corn hole and several other games provided by the church.
An adult raffle also took place for the parents and grandparents who brought their children to the Pumpkin Hunt.
“We wanted to have a raffle for the parents and offer them prizes such as a box of Dilly Bars and a Dairy Queen cake. We think they deserve to have a chance to win something today, too,” Simmons said.