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By Kate Irelan

The traditional Easter egg hunt in downtown Hutchinson will be on Saturday, April 19 and will look a little different this year with eggs handed out by participating businesses along Main Street and not a hunt in George Pyle Park. The Easter Bunny will make an appearance for a photo shoot, and each business will have special giveaways and a golden egg prize for a lucky winner.

Sarah Diamond, Downtown Manager with Hutchinson/Reno County Chamber of Commerce said, “Hop on downtown this Saturday to gather eggs at participating Downtown Hutchinson shops. The Easter Bunny will be available for a photo at 14 North Main.”

Diamond said that the photo booth is provided by bEpic Events and As Designed Co.

Participating businesses are an “Egg Stop” and each will hand out Easter eggs and have activities and promotions from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Each business will have one golden egg with a prize for a random winner. Easter egg hunters can start their hunt at any participating business. The participating businesses are:

Reffners

Salt City Candle Works (Ave A & Main with photo op station)

Wildflower Boutique

Pools Plus

Sage River Market

WoodNWix

Toy Depot

Harley’s Bicycles

Holly’s Sweet Treats

Apron Strings

Board & Brush

Bin Collector

The event is planned for over the lunch hour, and Diamond encourages participants to also have lunch downtown. Some businesses are planning art activities or projects including Splinters-N-Rust with a $5 wind chime kit, Lit Studios Paint & Pottery with a $5 Ceramic Peep and egg painting, and Cotton & Birch with $5 DIY Silicone bead bookmarks, keychains, and pens. Cotton and Birch will also have sidewalk chalk art. These businesses are also egg stops.

Diamond said, “We’ve done an Easter egg hunt at George Pyle Park the last three years, and this year is the first time doing the eggs handed out by participating downtown businesses. It is similar to the Shop-and-Treat event we held in the Fall around Halloween. We wanted to try something new and help drive traffic and business downtown.”
For more information about the Hop your way through Downtown Hutch Easter event, email Sarah Diamond at sarahd@hutchchamber.com or call (620) 662-3391.

By Kate Irelan The traditional Easter egg hunt in downtown Hutchinson will be on Saturday, April 19 and will look a little different this year with eggs handed out by participating businesses along Main Street and not a hunt in George Pyle Park. The Easter Bunny

CAPTION: From left: Board Members Gleysha Mendez-Rosario, Tad Dower, Cheryl Thompson, Darcie Canfield-Riggs, Valarie Gibson-Smith, Lance Patterson and President Laura Corey. CREDIT USD 308

By Ainsley Trunkhill

The USD 308 Board of Education convened for a regular meeting on Tuesday, April 14. With a light agenda, the meeting focused on Reno County’s recognition of Week of the Young Child, a national event celebrating young children, parents, early learning and educators. 

Board Vice President Darcie Canfield-Riggs highlighted the ways that Reno County is celebrating Week of the Young Child through collaboration and community. The Cosmosphere, Hutchinson Public Library, Dillon Nature Center, Reno County Museum, Fox Theatre, and Hutchinson Zoo are just a few of the locations across the county that are hosting free activities and educational opportunities for young children this week. 

“I think that’s a great thing our community is involved in,” Canfield-Riggs said. 

Reno County recognizes the Week of the Young Child from April 14, 2025, to April 19, 2025. A full list of activities can be found on Reno County’s Facebook page.

During Tuesday’s meeting, the board also unanimously approved the superintendent consent agenda, which included an annual Skyward business agenda; account payment approvals; an agreement between Hutchinson Recreation Commission (Hutch Rec) and USD 308 for Graber Elementary’s “Summer Stay to Play” program; administrator, principal and director contract renewals for the 2025-2026 school year; and “Gift to Schools” packages. 

CAPTION: From left: Board Members Gleysha Mendez-Rosario, Tad Dower, Cheryl Thompson, Darcie Canfield-Riggs, Valarie Gibson-Smith, Lance Patterson and President Laura Corey. CREDIT USD 308 By Ainsley Trunkhill The USD 308 Board of Education convened for a regular meeting on Tuesday, April 14. With a light agenda, the

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By John Mesh The Hutchinson Community College Blue Dragon softball team swept a Palm Sunday doubleheader against Seward County Community College at Saints Field in Liberal. Hutchinson won the first game 8-4 and the second game 8-5. The Blue Dragons completed a regular-season sweep of the Seward County Saints

Wednesday Apr 16

  • “Librarians in the Limelight,” 5:15 p.m. in Meeting Room 1 at the Hutchinson Public LIbrary, 901 N Main Street. Free popcorn and beverages available in limited quantities. Movie rated PG-13

Thursday Apr 17

  • Third Thursday, 6-8 p.m. throughout Downtown Hutchinson
  • “Walk The Line,” part of the Fox Classic Film Series, 7 p.m. at the Fox Theatre, 18 E 1st Ave. Admission is $5. The Fox Film Series Passes are $45 and include 10 admissions and 5 small popcorns

Friday Apr 18

  • The Spotlight Sessions: A Musical Showcase – Theatre Production,” 7 p.m. at the Stringer Fine Arts Center. Doors open at 6:30. Tickets are $10 adults, $8 seniors, $5 students and free for HutchCC students and staff with college ID

Saturday Apr 19

  • Hop Your Way Through Downtown Hutch, in Downtown Hutchinson. Easter egg hunt and other activities. Follow Downtown Hutch on Facebook for updates
  • Party For The Planet, 10 – 4 at the Hutchinson Zoo
  • “Walk The Line,” part of the Fox Classic Film Series, 2 p.m. at the Fox Theatre, 18 E 1st Ave. Admission is $5. The Fox Film Series Passes are $45 and include 10 admissions and 5 small popcorns
  • Easter egg hunt at the Kansas State Fairgrounds, beginning at 3 p.m.
  • April Midway Movie Night “Hop,” beginning at 4 p.m. The Kanss State Fair Education Center on Bison Blvde will be open for kids crafts at 2 p.m. There will be an Easter egg hunt at 3. The Midway Movie will begin at 4
  • The Spotlight Sessions: A Musical Showcase – Theatre Production, 7 p.m. at the Stringer Fine Arts Center. Doors open at 6:30. Tickets are $10 adults, $8 seniors, $5 students and free for HutchCC students and staff with college ID
  • Shine at Stage 9! Local Playwright! 7:30 p.m. at Stage 9, 9 South Main Street. “Concrete Garden” by local playwright Nicholas Amezola. Doors open at 7. Admission is $8 at the door

Sunday Apr 20

  • EASTER SUNDAY

Wednesday Apr 16 “Librarians in the Limelight,” 5:15 p.m. in Meeting Room 1 at the Hutchinson Public LIbrary, 901 N Main Street. Free popcorn and beverages available in limited quantities. Movie rated PG-13 Thursday Apr 17 Third Thursday, 6-8 p.m. throughout Downtown Hutchinson “Walk The Line,” part of the

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CAPTION: Strataca Kansas Underground Salt Museum, located at 3650 East Ave G in Hutchinson. CREDIT MICHAEL GLENN/THE HUTCHINSON TRIBUNE By Michael Glenn The Sunflower Summer program is a program that allows families and school-aged children to visit over 200 attractions in Kansas with free admission.  The $3.5 million

By Gina Long

I apologize to those who have been forced to wait while I am invariably stuck at a train crossing, a more common phenomenon as the sleeping prairies awaken and we barrel into harvest.

Hutchinson’s lack of central overpasses contributes to the problem, and the Woodie Seat Freeway overpass demolition will soon lead to more congestion just off Main Street.

Most trains move along at a decent clip but not at full speed due to the numerous crossings, curves and the urban setting.

Some trains, however, screech to a halt, cutting Hutchinson in half for over a mile as train length continues to increase. Due to the laws of physics, trains take a long time and distance to stop and even longer to restart, which means a lengthy delay at crossings.

The city’s west side has two options: the Fourth Street bridge over Monroe Street to the K-14 highway.

The east side relies on K-61’s and Airport Road’s overpasses to overcome the barrier.

With the February gas explosion along South Main Street and the corridor’s six-week closure overlapping with the closure and demolition of the Woodie Seat overpass, I have often wondered how emergency vehicles navigate over the tracks when a long train is blocking multiple crossings and how that figures into response times.

The Hutchinson Fire Department has a station on Avenue E, allowing some trucks to arrive quickly even if backup units are delayed.

The Hutchinson Police Department has units constantly on patrol around town, which presumably only affects backup units’ response times.

My concern lies with ambulance response times. The Reno County Health Department on West Second Avenue is planning an expansion, displacing the existing ambulance bay. The plan is to move the ambulance station to West Fifth Avenue, south of Dillon’s. The relocation will place ambulance services closer to calls on the city’s west side, leaving the south side vulnerable to blocked train crossings.

The easiest solution would be to build a centrally-located overpass. However, finding a good location, purchasing property and building the structure would be cost-prohibitive for the City of Hutchinson, which is already dealing with repairing and placing aging water and sewer lines.

Train traffic is vital to the area’s and the nation’s economic health, and the current track routes support our salt mining, manufacturing and agricultural industries. We cannot simply ask the railroad companies to uproot and relocate the tracks, so we make do.

The train has passed, the lights are no longer flashing, the cross-arms are rising, and the dog is excited to go to the park.

Dogs don’t care if they’re late.

By Gina Long I apologize to those who have been forced to wait while I am invariably stuck at a train crossing, a more common phenomenon as the sleeping prairies awaken and we barrel into harvest. Hutchinson's lack of central overpasses contributes to the problem, and the