Children race to gather eggs at the egg hunt at Valley Park.
Last Saturday, April 8, brought lots of sweet treats to Valley Park, with a fudge competition and an Easter egg hunt. For many years, children have enjoyed scrambling for candy-filled eggs during the annual Easter egg hunt, but this year featured the inaugural Fudge Off in addition to traditional Easter festivities.
The Fudge Off featured both amateur candymakers and local businesses, with nine different vendors participating. Visitors went around to each booth, sampling the fudge and then voting for their favorites. Winners of the Fudge Off were 1st Place – Jordan Ciarochi from Hurricane; 2nd Place – Ella Hutchison from Hurricane; and 3rd Place – Elizabeth Dolin – Ginny’s Homemade Fudge from St. Albans.
The Fudge Off was the brainchild of Hayden Erwin, event coordinator for Putnam County Parks and Recreation. After going to the Mac & Cheese Cook-Off in Charleston, he wanted to bring a unique food-related event to the Hurricane area. Rita Meadows of Putnam County Parks stated that they wanted to add more activities to the egg hunt and turn it into a larger event.
Besides the Fudge Off, Saturday’s activities also included face painting by Alto Design; a magic show with magician Joey Stepp; crafts by So-Kai Kidz Clubhouse; and a performance by local musician Travis Vandal.
