The hunt is on in Washougal

When the COVID-19 pandemic canceled several springtime Washougal events, including the popular Washougal Easter Egg Hunt and Eggstravaganza, local officials started to get creative about how they could still pull the community together during a public health crisis that has quashed public gatherings.

“One of the things that we’re working on is increasing community engagement,” administrative assistant Rose Jewell said recently. “At first, we thought the pandemic was going to be short-lived, but then we realized that it’s going to be with us for a while, and we can’t not engage our citizens. So (city communications specialist) Michele Loftus, (Washougal School District communications specialist) Rene Carroll and I had conversations about what we could do virtually.”