Children gather for annual egg hunt

Eggs rolled and children scrambled as about 2,000 Chapel Hill parents and children gathered to hunt for Easter eggs at Southern Community Park on Sunday.

Kids had photos taken with the Easter Bunny, played with hula hoops and jumped on inflatables while they waited for the main attraction to begin.

The egg hunts were divided by age group: 2- to 4-year-olds, 5- to 7-year-olds and 8- to 10-year-olds. Each hunt was scheduled 15 minutes apart.

“We’ve been doing it for a really long time, and it’s just a way for us to give back to the community,” Amanda Fletcher, supervisor of festivals and community celebrations for the Chapel Hill Department of Parks and Recreation, said.

Fletcher said the department put out about 12,000 eggs this year. After some egg hunt attendees last year didn’t get enough eggs, the department put out 2,000 more eggs than last year’s 10,000 egg total.

The egg hunt was originally scheduled for Saturday but was moved to Sunday due to inclement weather for the second year in a row.

Fletcher said she was surprised by how many families attended, despite the day’s colder temperatures.

Candy-filled pastel-colored eggs were scattered throughout the park, but each separate hunt had a single golden egg hidden among the others.

The lucky children who found the hunt’s three golden eggs each won a big Easter basket filled with goodies.

The first hunt started unexpectedly early after a few of the participants ran out onto the field without warning and started picking up eggs. With a premature start, technically the hunt was finished before it was supposed to begin.

The second hunt also got going before it was scheduled to when the host tried to start the wave with the crowd of kids and parents.

Instead of putting their arms up to wave, the kids sprinted onto the field and eagerly began collecting eggs.

Many families said they attended the Easter egg hunt because their children had never participated in the hunt before.

“I have a 5-year-old that wants to do the egg hunt,” Tracy Kasten said. “He’s really excited.”

Kasten said it was her son’s first time participating in an Easter egg hunt.

“It’s my daughter’s first Easter egg hunt, so we’re excited to see her run and get some eggs,” Kristis Cartozian said.

Another Chapel Hill resident, Kate Vessey, said her daughter is almost 5 years old and loves the Easter egg hunt.

“I live in Southern Village, and I think it’s a nice community event,” she said.

“I think it’s nice to see people from town with their little ones come out and celebrate Easter.”

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