City of Pikeville celebrates Easter with sensory-safe egg hunt

PIKEVILLE, Ky. (WYMT) - Communities across the country are celebrating Easter this weekend, but the city of Pikeville held an egg hunt aiming to be more inclusive to those who may be prone to sensory overload.

“It’s kind of remote from everything, it’s at Bob Amos Park on the turf football field in a zone that’s quieter, more park like than something downtown,” said Pikeville city manager Philip Elswick.

The event allowed children or adults who may suffer from overstimulation to enjoy spring and hunt some eggs without the fear of too many noises, lights or other triggers.

“It’s a little bit different where we have spaced out areas for them to hunt eggs and kind of be isolated in a way just to where they feel a bit more comfortable, so I’ve used the entire football field here,” said Pikeville Fire Department PIO Nicholas Fleming.

Local first responders and the University of Pikeville football team were also in attendance to help out with the event and interact with the kids and their community.

“You know, it feels kind of great,” said UPIKE student athlete Tyrese Christian, “because knowing that they look up to us, so it feels like a role model and sometimes you don’t have the right role models in your life, so I feel like I can like be that, I feel like we can beat that as a unit.”

Elswick added this event was all in the name of inclusiveness and allowing those who may be overstimulated to enjoy time with their family and their community.

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