03/14/2026
Founded in 2023, Bourne’s town-wide Character Scavenger Easter Egg Hunt by Buzzards Bay residents Shelbi and Rich Palmer, brings hundreds of families together for a free, joyful community tradition.
The scavenger hunt stretches across Bourne’s 7 villages:
·Bourne Village – the town’s main village center with shops, restaurants, and cultural attractions
·Buzzards Bay – known for its beaches and recreational activities
·Pocasset – a quieter village rich in history
·Cataumet – celebrated for scenic views and outdoor adventures
·Monument Beach – a beachfront village with full facilities and stunning views
·Gray Gables – a historic village known for its railroad station and as the summer home of President Grover Cleveland
·Sagamore – a Victorian village on the north side of the Cape Cod Canal.
What began as a single handmade decoration, quickly turned into something much bigger.
Christmas 2022, Rich asked Shelbi to create a wooden cutout of the Grinch—classically posed in a Santa suit sneaking away with stolen Christmas lights; not just any Grinch though; he wanted it six feet tall. Shelbi went to work, built it from wood, painted it by hand, and then kept going. Soon there was a tree, Whoville characters, and eventually an entire Whoville display outside their home.
That Christmas, they hosted a small event, giving out hot chocolate and gifts to visitors.
The response was overwhelming; encouraged by the community’s excitement, Shelbi kept creating more characters—each one handcrafted with care and precision. Every character takes nearly two full days to complete, involving cutting the wood with a jigsaw, sanding, painting three to four coats of each color, finishing the back, and sealing everything with a clear coat.
What started as a hobby quickly became a labor of love that felt closer to a profession.
When Christmas ended, Shelbi faced a new question in spring 2023: What do we do with all these characters? She hated the idea of storing them away in a basement until the next Christmas, so she posted a simple message on social media asking if anyone would be willing to host a character, and help turn it into a town-wide scavenger hunt.The response was instant — everyone wanted to help.
Addresses were collected, maps were created, and eggs were assembled. That first year featured 72 characters, including SpongeBob, Chip from Beauty and the Beast, Dumbo, Paw Patrol characters, Bluey, Elmo, Mickey and Minnie Mouse, and many more.
By 2025, the event had grown to an incredible scale:
·36,000 eggs
·120 Characters
·300 eggs at each location
·Every stop featuring a different surprise item
We have also built an amazing volunteer team to help make it all possible.
A key part of that team is Lauren DeGregorio, from Oplaysis, my “second-hand rock,” who helps coordinate and support the event every step of the way.
The scavenger hunt begins at O’playsis, the official starting location, where families can enjoy:
·Cookie decorating
·Easter crafts
·Photos with the Easter Bunny and Chicken
·A petting zoo
·Face painting
·Balloon animals, and so much more.
Families pick up their maps, enjoy the festivities, and then head out across Bourne to find
the characters and collect eggs. Some families select a few destinations, while others have completed the entire route, spending up to eight hours enjoying the experience together. That’s the beauty of it, the choice is yours.
Please continue to send your pictures to Shelbi through Facebook or text message
to keep these beautiful memories alive.
This event is free to the public, though it is made possible with cash donations and support from the community via an Amazon wish list shared throughout the year.
The cost is significant—over $40,000
in toys and candy alone, not including expenses at the starting location.
What makes this event truly special is the community behind it. From hosts who open their homes, to volunteers, donors, and families who participate year after year; Bourne comes together to make this magical tradition possible.
Thank you to everyone who supports, donates, hosts, and believes in this event.
You are the reason it continues to grow and bring joy to hundreds of families every year.
Your story is already powerful and heartfelt. I cleaned up the flow, corrected grammar, and made it read more like an official story for a website, program, or press release while keeping your voice and message the same.
Founded in 2023, Bourne’s town-wide Character Scavenger Easter Egg Hunt, created by Buzzards Bay residents Shelbi and Rich Palmer, brings hundreds of families together each year for a free, joyful community tradition.
The scavenger hunt stretches across Bourne’s seven villages:
Bourne Village – the town’s main village center with shops, restaurants, and cultural attractions
Buzzards Bay – known for its beaches and recreational activities
Pocasset – a quieter village rich in history
Cataumet – celebrated for scenic views and outdoor adventures
Monument Beach – a beachfront village with full facilities and stunning views
Gray Gables – a historic village known for its railroad station and as the summer home of President Grover Cleveland
Sagamore – a Victorian village on the north side of the Cape Cod Canal
What began as a single handmade decoration quickly turned into something much bigger.
In Christmas 2022, Rich asked Shelbi to create a wooden cutout of the Grinch—classically posed in a Santa suit sneaking away with stolen Christmas lights. But not just any Grinch… he wanted it six feet tall.
Shelbi got to work, building it from wood and painting it entirely by hand. But she didn’t stop there. Soon there was a Christmas tree, Whoville characters, and eventually an entire Whoville display outside their home.
That Christmas, they hosted a small event, offering visitors hot chocolate and gifts. The response from the community was overwhelming.
Encouraged by the excitement, Shelbi continued creating more characters—each one handcrafted with care and precision. Every character takes nearly two full days to complete, involving cutting the wood with a jigsaw, sanding, painting three to four coats of each color, finishing the back, and sealing everything with a clear coat.
What started as a hobby quickly became a labor of love that felt closer to a profession.
When Christmas ended, Shelbi faced a new question in the spring of 2023:
What do we do with all these characters?
She hated the idea of storing them away in a basement until the next Christmas. So she posted a simple message on social media asking if anyone would be willing to host a character and help turn it into a town-wide scavenger hunt.
The response was instant—everyone wanted to help.
Addresses were collected, maps were created, and eggs were assembled.
That first year featured 72 characters, including SpongeBob, Chip from Beauty and the Beast, Dumbo, Paw Patrol characters, Bluey, Elmo, Mickey and Minnie Mouse, and many more.
By 2025, the event had grown to an incredible scale:
36,000 eggs
120 characters
300 eggs at each location
Every stop featuring a different surprise item
An amazing volunteer team has also formed to help make it all possible.
A key part of that team is Lauren DeGregorio from O’playsis, Shelbi’s “second-hand rock,” who helps coordinate and support the event every step of the way.
The scavenger hunt begins at O’playsis, the official starting location, where families can enjoy:
Cookie decorating
Easter crafts
Photos with the Easter Bunny and Chicken
A petting zoo
Face painting
Balloon animals
And so much more
Families pick up their maps, enjoy the festivities, and then head out across Bourne to find the characters and collect eggs.
Some families choose a few destinations, while others complete the entire route—spending up to eight hours enjoying the experience together. That’s the beauty of the event: the choice is yours.
Please continue to send your pictures to Shelbi through Facebook or text message to help keep these beautiful memories alive.
This event is free to the public, though it is made possible through cash donations and support from the community, including contributions through an Amazon wish list shared throughout the year.
The cost is significant—over $40,000 in toys and candy alone, not including expenses at the starting location.
What makes this event truly special is the community behind it. From hosts who open their homes, to volunteers, donors, and families who participate year after year—Bourne comes together to make this magical tradition possible.
Thank you to everyone who supports, donates, hosts, and believes in this event. You are the reason it continues to grow and bring joy to hundreds of families every year.
