KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Many East Tennesseans spent their Saturday at free Easter events. The first annual Blount County Volunteer Festival was held in Maryville at the RIO East Church parking lot.
"The main purpose of the festival is to provide a space where volunteers who are looking for a place to volunteer in the community can find that place by coming around and talking to the 35 or so agencies that have set up tents here," Robert McClelland said. "So it's a place of connecting agencies."
The Alcoa Mayor agreed. The festival was meant to offer help.
"What other thing could we actually want to do than to help children who cannot help themselves, to help the senior citizens who need our help to provide what people need in their time of need and not make others feel ashamed," Alcoa Mayor Tanya Martin said. "But do it out of the goodness of our heart to do it out of our love for God."
The goal is to connect volunteer agencies to those in need and those who want to serve.
"I'm a single mom so it can get kind of tough but this right here helps inspire me that there is an awesome community here and try to really help each other out," April Matthews, a Blount County resident, said.
Various volunteers were at the event to help out including students at Maryville High School.
"We're here to get hours for Spanish honor society, and we just thought this would be a fun event, especially since Easter coming up and just the meaning behind Easter," Lily Brooks said. "We're supposed to be translators. So if anyone doesn't speak English as their first language, we're just here to translate and just kind of explain what goes on here and stuff. And then like the events going on, and how much fun it is. I think it's important so they're not lost while they're here that they can still have just as much fun as everyone else is here and they're still able to know what's going on and just have fun."
Event organizers said they want to continue to hold this event every year.
In Knox County, families were hopping around the Eggstravaganza at World's Fair Park on Saturday.
"It's so important to celebrate as a community, not only for our church but also churches all across this area, because the point is to celebrate Jesus Christ," Brent McDougal, senior pastor of First Baptist Church of Knoxville, said.
People were able to do egg hunts, face painting and so much more.
"Just to be in the community and participate in the Easter activities," McDougal said. "I think it really brings the community together. It shows how many people are actively coming out in Knoxville, just I think it's very neat to see all these people here."
