10,000 eggs not enough for Orange County's annual Easter egg hunt

About 2,000 parents and kids attended Orange County’s annual community Easter egg hunt in Hillsborough in hopes of grabbing some of the 10,000 scattered eggs Sunday.

“I don’t know anybody who doesn’t like a good egg hunt. Just to get out of the house, get a little exercise and have fun at a kid event,” Chapel Hill resident Shenandoah Nieuwsma said.

The egg hunt was originally scheduled for Saturday but was moved to Sunday because of the weather.

Nieuwsma said she looked for a local egg hunt event and found it on the town’s website.

She said she went to an egg hunt two years ago, but it was so competitive that even the parents seemed to be in a battle.

“I like that this year the egg hunt was collaborative,” Nieuwsma said. “People were really nice this year. Everybody got enough eggs.”

Shenandoah Nieuwsma’s 6-year-old daughter Allie Nieuwsma said she found about 20 eggs.

“I like picking up candy and eating it,” Allie Nieuwsma said.

Chapel Hill resident Yvonne Javorski said she brought her daughters to the event because it was a beautiful day and a good opportunity to engage with the community.

“It’s close to our house, and it’s free,” Javorski said.

One of Yvonne Javorski’s daughters, Ava Javorski, said she had fun because hunting eggs was more of a challenge for her this year than last year.

“There’s a lot more space than the one we went to last year, and last year a few eggs were just in front of me,” Ava Javorski said.

Ava Javorski said she gave a few eggs to a girl she just met.

“She didn’t have any. I want to give some to her. All the eggs are mostly gone,” she said.

Some of the eggs were golden or numbered, indicating that they contained special prizes. Ava Javorski’s 9-year-old sister, Bella Javorski, said she tried to find some special eggs.

“I like most just finding the eggs and trying to see if I get golden egg or any numbered eggs,” Bella Javorski said.

The egg hunt was hosted by the combined effort of the Chapel Hill, Carrboro and Orange County parks and recreation departments, said Amanda Fletcher, supervisor of festivals and community celebrations for the Chapel Hill Parks and Recreation Department.

“We all get together, and we rotate location each year,” Fletcher said. “The next year will be in Carrboro.”

The event costs $3,000, which is mostly used for buying eggs and prizes, Fletcher said. Ten thousand eggs were scattered today, which is twice as many as last year in Chapel Hill.

The parks and recreation departments might decide to look into different locations so they can host more people and provide more eggs in the future, Fletcher said.

“Some kids didn’t get any (eggs). I will definitely want to put out more,” she said.

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