Downtown easter egg hunt offers hopped up prizes, supports local business recovery

The Downtown District’s Egg-Cellent Adventure Easter Egg Hunt will run from March 26 through April 16 where 29 businesses throughout the Downtown area are participating to provide families with a fun spring activity and the chance to win fantastic prizes including the grand prize of a trip for four to Disneyland.

The Egg-Cellent Adventure Easter Egg Hunt was started in 2021 by Bayside Church and the Downtown Action Organization with the aim of introducing potential customers to local businesses in the Downtown area as they were recovering from the pandemic.

Bernie Schwartz, owner of California Luggage which has been Downtown for over 40 years had people come into his store that had never been there before. Schwartz remembered, “One of the Egg Hunt participants, a thirty-something guy, even said, ‘I had no idea that there was such a thing as a luggage store!’ and you just can’t buy that kind of awareness and publicity through advertising. We reached a whole new audience through participating in the Egg Hunt.”

The Downtown District brought similar opportunities to the community since the initial shutdown in March of 2020 including the Open & Out program, which brought an infusion of art and outdoor dining opportunities, Movie Nights on the Square, and Fall Fun Fest trick or treating and costume contest. This year’s Egg Hunt event seeks to build on that momentum of recovery as the first event of the season.

“We already have dozens of spring, summer, and fall events planned for Downtown Santa Rosa and Old Courthouse Square in 2022,” said Cadance Hinkle Allinson, Executive Director of the Downtown District. “The District wants to do everything it can to support our business and property owners as well as bring our community Downtown and remind them that Courthouse Square is a place for everyone.”

Families can start and finish their adventure at any point from March 26 through April 16 and are encouraged to share photos of their hunt with @downtownsantarosa on Instagram.

To join the adventure, egg hunters will grab a passport, map and clues to identify and visit 29 businesses in Downtown Santa Rosa. Participating businesses will have a large egg poster in the window and DowntownSantaRosa.org/egghunt will provide families with clues and a map to guide them to each business. Hunters will collect a sticker from each business to complete their passport and enter to win prizes.

Amateur egg hunters (under 10 years old) can visit 10 businesses and collect an Easter Egg prize. The first three finishers to correctly identify and collect all 29 stickers for the participating businesses will win prizes. All other finishers will be entered to win raffle baskets including $1,500 in gift cards and merchandise from Downtown businesses and the grand prize of a family trip for four to Disneyland, complete with transportation, two-day park hopper tickets and three nights at the Grand Legacy Hotel.

Downtown parking garages currently offer free parking for the first hour, on the weekends and on weekdays after 5pm, making it very easy for families to get Downtown, find free parking and visit the participating businesses.

More information on how to get started, maps and clues available at downtownsantarosa.org/egghunt.