Laughter and squeals of excitement filled Jensen Farms as children played games and searched for candy-filled eggs during the second annual Easter Eggfest on April 8.   

The event was open to all ages with an admissions fee of $12 for children between the ages of 2 to 16, and $8 for adults.The entire event was organized by the owners of the farm with a few family friends helping out during the event.       

“Easter for me is a lot of fun because for new farmers it’s new crops, it’s baby animals,” event organizer Hilary Jensen said. “It’s just the celebration of the turn of the new season.” 

Jensen Farms 

Jensen Farms, also known by Ellensburg residents as the “pumpkin patch,” is home to many events and activities in the city. Jensen and her husband, John, have owned the farm for 11 years. 

According to Jensen, this year is their second time holding the Easter Eggfest since its conception last year. 

A large part of the farm’s purpose is creating memories, according to their website. Jensen explains that while traditional farms would simply grow crops and sell them off, a key aspect of Jensen Farms is agritourism.  

“Agritourism, which is what we are, part agricultural part tourism, involves the people by inviting them to the farm,” Jensen said. “So, for me, it’s all about the experience. I like building things that people can experience. It brings me a lot of joy to see people really enjoying something that I’ve built.”

Jensen also explained that the motivation behind hosting events catered to families stems from wishing she had more time to spend with her children before they grew older. 

“It’s really about the memories,” Jensen said. “If I can help families create more time while they still have it, to make those memories and spend time off the computer screens and outdoors and just experiencing things with their families, then that’s what we’re going to keep doing.”    

Easter Eggfest 

Egg hunts, a sliding mountain, swings and a wall maze game were a few of the many activities that were featured during Eggfest. 

According to Jensen, the egg hunt was divided into ages or time slots to let siblings participate at their own pace, which made for a fun experience for the kids.  

The farm’s main store and its Sips and Sweets coffee shop were open to attendees. The coffee shop was a popular stand at the event for snacks and beverages such as moon pies and Italian sodas.  

Items sold at the main store included plushies and farm-grown condiments and sauces. 

As the activities began, children eagerly ran into the fields searching for different colored eggs with candy while their parents took videos and pictures of them. 

One of the main challenges Jensen faced when organizing the event for the first time last year was the weather. Jensen explained the farm was covered in six inches of snow a day before last year’s event, which made it difficult to get the grounds set up. “Last year, it was snowing sideways for about the first 45 minutes of the event,” Jensen said.

Despite the rainy weather throughout the past week, the weather during this year’s event was fairly warm and favorable for outdoor activities. 

Parents who attended the event with their kids expressed that it was a great way to spend time with the family. “I feel that it’s definitely a meaningful time for the family,” Yakima School District employee Amanda Bravo said. “This is our second time at Jensen Farms, so they have a little of something for everybody.”

One parent expressed their appreciation for Jensen’s idea to let the kids hunt for eggs on their own time. “This is one of the best Easter egg hunt events we’ve ever attended,” community member Suzanne Delp said. “It’s nice that you can just show up and grab eggs when you want. So that’s a really nice feature of the event.”