Invitation Team
Whispering Pines Campground was filled with laughter and community spirit during the annual Egg-a-Palooza on Saturday, March 28. Families arrived to a warm welcome of picnic-style lunch, coffee, and cookies before the festivities began.
The excitement kicked off when the Easter Bunny appeared and led all the wonderful children to the baseball field for an egg hunt filled with hundreds of eggs. A few lucky kids even discovered a special surprise - a half dollar tucked inside!
After the hunt, everyone headed to the carnival area where the kids enjoyed games and activities including Plinko, Pin the Tail on the Bunny, fishing for ducks, a prize table, face painting, coloring, egg dying, and the always entertaining dancing donuts. Egg races kept the fun going until it was time for one of the most anticipated and newly added tradition - the deviled egg contest. This year's first-place winner was Dean Speer with his creative and delicious mango "angeled" eggs.
The day ended with a meaningful and memorable dinner theater when Mary and Tom Halverson shared a play about the Resurrection. Adults narrated the story while children joyfully acted it out, reminding everyone of the true meaning of the season.
A special thank you goes out to the many people who help make this camp such a welcoming and joyful place. Mary and Chad Jendrey are always ready to lend a hand and do it with a smile. Galen Worthington is endlessly supportive, knows the Easter Bunny personally, and makes some fantastic deviled eggs. Kevin Harper contributes so much behind the scenes and helps ensure camp is always an amazing experience. Kyle Harper is incredibly invitational and supportive and is often our go-to guy when help is needed. Paul Williams generously creates our web pages, Hailey Austen is always a wonderful support and resource. Caitlyn and Noah and their amazing children are always there to keep it fun and help with set up. A special thank you as well to Dean Speer for coming, being so incredibly helpful, and for the kindness and enthusiasm he always shows the kids. Egg-a-Palooza once again brought the Whispering Pines community together for a day of fun and celebration. Events like this are made possible by volunteers, and we would love to see even more members of the community join the planning committee. New ideas, helping hands, and willing hearts are always welcome as we work together to make each year's celebration even more special!
With gratitude,
Chrissie Ehrlich
Director, Egg-a-Palooza and Carnival Face Painter
Tucson Community of Christ
Greetings to all our wonderful Community of Christ members!
I’m Chrissie from Tucson, and I had the joy of serving as this year’s Creepy Campground Organizer at Whispering Pines. I’m thrilled to share that this year’s event was our best ever! We welcomed 90 participants, and it truly was a spooktacular event to remember.
This year, we were blessed with many amazing volunteers of all ages who helped bring the campground to life with carnival games, haunted cabins, and scarecrows galore. Thank you to each and every person who gave their time and talents to make this incredible event happen. You have truly lived out God’s calling from Galatians 5:13 — “Serve one another humbly in love.”
As members arrived, we enjoyed a picnic lunch, followed by an afternoon filled with games, crafts, face painting, and haunted classrooms—complete with a fortune teller ! Later, we gathered in the chapel for the costume contest, where trophies were awarded to winners in each age group.
The fun continued with trunk-or-treating, where kids proudly paraded their spooky and creative costumes for all to enjoy. Kevin Harper led a thrilling haunted hike through the “cemetery,” which added just the right amount of chills! Travis Reese, our Western Field young adult leader, joined us to connect with our young adults, and many joined in for our annual chili cook-off. It was a tough decision, but Matt Halvorson took home the title of Best Chili this year.
We also held a 50/50 raffle, with Scott Sloan as our lucky winner. The evening wrapped up around the campfire, where people of all ages gathered to share songs, laughter, and fun under the stars.
This was my first year enjoying Creepy Campground in the new dining hall, and it truly showed what an amazing camp we have. We are so blessed to be part of such a loving, supportive, and joy-filled community.
Thank you again to everyone who participated and helped make this year’s Creepy Campground such a success. I can’t wait to see what next year brings!
With love and gratitude,
Chrissie Ehrlich
