Spring Shop Hop in town this week

The Shop Hop is back!

After taking a year off, The New Rockford Area Chamber of Commerce is planning a return of New Rockford's Spring Shop Hop this week, offering residents a way to buy local, take advantage of great deals and maybe win a few chamber bucks.

This year's shop hop will begin today (Monday, March 11), and run throughout the week until Sunday, March 17, and here's how it works:

1) Pick up a shopping card at any participating business.

2) Make a purchase of $5 or more at any participating local businesses throughout the week.

3) With each purchase of $5 or more, have the clerk stamp one of the flowers on your Spring Shop Hop card.

4) Return the filled card to the New Rockford Transcript office by noon on Monday, March 18.

On March 18, a drawing will be held at the Transcript, and three winners will receive $50 each in Chamber Bucks.

Businesses participating this year include Central Pharmacy, Flair Boutique & Coffee, the New Rockford Transcript, Miller's Fresh Foods, NAPA Auto Parts, Rockford Café, New Rockford Eagles Club, Bakers Dozen, Do it Best Hardware, Hideaway Hair Salon, Flower Scent’R and the New Rockford Golf Course.

All participating businesses will have a poster in their store window/door so you know where to go to get great deals.

Be sure to get around town this week to take advantage of the opportunity to support local businesses, and keep an eye out for special deals and offers throughout the week.

There's no limit to the number of Spring Shop Hop cards you can fill, so the more you shop locally this week, the better chance you have to win a $50 prize!

Meanwhile, as spring gets underway, the Easter Bunny is also getting out and about, and it won't be long before New Rockford's youth can start looking for all the Easter eggs he's hiding around town.

New this year will be a community-wide Easter egg hunt put together by Mindy's Clubhouse and Wonder Lanes bowling alley, to take place at 1 p.m. on Saturday, March 30.

The event will be a "free for all" for children ages 1-12, and will take place at the Gazebo in Centennial Park, between 1st Avenue North and Central Avenue in New Rockford.

Children and their parents will be able to race to find out who can collect the most Easter eggs, and of course, each egg will be packed with treats for kids to enjoy.

Participation in the event is completely free of charge, and all are welcome to attend.

The event's organizers are asking for the community's support to make this event happen.

Anyone willing to donate plastic eggs, candy and/or make a monetary contribution can drop off their donation at Mindy's Clubhouse between the hours of 7 a.m. and 5:30 p.m.

Anyone interested in helping with this event is also encouraged to reach out.

For more information or to volunteer, contact Mindy Skjerva at (701) 302-0201, or Savana Nystrom at (701) 399-6108. Those interested can also send a message to Mindy's Clubhouse or Wonder Lanes bowling alley on their Facebook pages.