600 Hand-Blown Glass Eggs Hidden Across Iowa Town for Unique Easter Hunt

The colorful event combines art, community, and competition, with organizers hoping it becomes a new local tradition.

Apr. 3, 2026 at 9:03pm

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A grid of brightly colored, high-contrast silkscreen-style images of a single hand-blown glass Easter egg in various neon shades, conceptually representing the unique community event in Newton, Iowa.A community-wide Easter egg hunt featuring hundreds of hand-crafted glass eggs hidden across a small Iowa town brings together local businesses, artists, and residents in a celebration of art, tradition, and civic pride.Newton Today

More than 600 hand-blown glass Easter eggs have been hidden across the town of Newton, Iowa, by over 50 local businesses as part of a unique community event. The eggs, created by the owners of a local glassblowing studio, Fuego Hot Glass, will be the focus of an all-ages Easter egg hunt on Saturday, with hints about the egg locations posted online beforehand. The event aims to bring people together, spotlight local businesses, and potentially start a new annual tradition.

Why it matters

This creative Easter egg hunt showcases how small businesses and local artists can collaborate to build community spirit and drive foot traffic to participating shops. The event also highlights the growing popularity of unique, experiential activities that combine art, competition, and holiday traditions.

The details

John and Mary Curiel, the owners of Fuego Hot Glass, came up with the idea after seeing how quickly hand-made Christmas ornaments they had hidden around town were found last year. They decided to expand the concept for Easter, reaching out to over 50 local businesses to buy and hide the custom glass eggs. Each egg takes 5-7 minutes to make, with unique colors and designs for the participating businesses. Hints about the egg locations will be posted on Facebook, and one lucky hunter will find a golden egg redeemable for a $200 gift card to the glass studio.

  • The event will take place on Saturday, April 19, 2026.
  • Hints about the egg locations will be posted on Facebook at 11:45 a.m. on the day of the hunt.
  • The all-ages Easter egg hunt will begin at 12:00 p.m. on Saturday.

The players

John and Mary Curiel

The owners of Fuego Hot Glass, the local glassblowing studio that created the 600 hand-blown glass eggs for the event.

Jill Immel

The manager of Montana Mike's, one of the local businesses participating in the egg hunt by hiding custom glass eggs.

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What they’re saying

“We had hidden a few Christmas ornaments at the end of our season last year on Christmas Eve, and they were gobbled up within minutes. We were making some eggs, and we just said, 'Hey, let's hide a few of them.' And then we said, 'Hey, let's see if anyone else wants to hide a few of them.'”

— Mary Curiel, Co-owner, Fuego Hot Glass

“What a way to bring the community together and promote other businesses, you know, in the town that you may not even know exists.”

— Jill Immel, Manager, Montana Mike's

What’s next

Organizers hope the successful launch of the hand-blown glass Easter egg hunt will lead to it becoming an annual tradition in Newton, Iowa.

The takeaway

This unique Easter event showcases how small businesses and local artists can collaborate to create fun, community-building experiences that drive foot traffic and highlight the creativity and entrepreneurial spirit of a town. The combination of art, competition, and holiday tradition has the potential to become a beloved annual tradition.