A lot of egg-cited youngsters got eggs-actly (okay, we`ll stop) what they wanted last week at the Gurnee Park District`s annual Easter egg hunt. Hundreds of eager, enthusiastic egg hunters joined the festivities last weekend, and no one went away empty-handed.
Hundreds of colored plastic eggs were scattered across three grassy areas at Viking Park, and the youngsters were divided into three groups, by age.
The eggs contained candy, food coupons redeemable at local restaurants or numbered paper slips that could be exchanged for prizes, including a grand prize bicycle. Rather than take a chance on an unknown prize, however, at least two enterprising youngsters bypassed the eggs in favor of the bags of jelly beans and candy rabbits also scattered across the lawn.
”Never mind those. Get the candy!” one young boy instructed his younger companion.
More Top Picks Ladder Tosssssss
Although paper bags were distributed to help the hunters collect their booty, several youngsters came armed with their own Easter baskets. ”I didn`t know if they would have anything here, so, at the last minute, I decided to bring a basket,” explained Carol Germann. Her son, A.J., put the basket to good use, managing to half fill it with the plastic eggs.
One tiny girl lost some of her haul when her paper bag, dampened by contact with the wet grass, developed a leak. Before she knew what had happened, several other youngsters had snatched up the colored eggs she had dropped in a trail behind her.
Although the traditional Easter rabbit was missing from the festivities, Great America`s own Bugs Bunny stopped by for a visit after the scramble for the eggs. After weeks of planning, the egg hunt was finished in a matter of seconds. ”It always amazes me how much time we can spend getting ready and how quickly it`s all over,” reflected Claudia Petrusky, the park district`s supervisor of recreation.