On Saturday, March 24, hundreds of eager children scrambled for thousands of eggs during Easter egg hunts at four area venues.

Hunts were held in Syracuse, North Webster, at Camp Quaker Haven on Dewart Lake and on the grounds of Fulton County REMC west of Rochester.

The first of the day’s events took place at the North Webster Community Center, where 1,500 candy-filled plastic eggs were strewn about the premises for three swarms of kids divided into age groups, 0-3, 4-7 and 8-11. Eight eggs in each age groups contained tickets for special prizes.

The community center was also filled with a variety of other activities, including a breakfast served by volunteers of North Webster United Methodist Church, children’s games and a visit by the Easter bunny.

The breakfast and first egg hunt, for children 0-3 years old, kicked off at 9 a.m. The staggered times for the two other hunts were 9:20 a.m. for 4-7 years and 9:40 a.m. for those 8-11.

Photos From North Webster:

 

The Syracuse egg hunt commenced at 10:30 a.m. with a shotgun start for its three age groups. The 2,400 eggs were distributed about evenly among the age groups and were located on the front lawn of the Syracuse Community Center and across the street in Lakeside Park.

After the hunt, the children and their parents were treated to free hot dogs, chips, cookies and drinks in the fellowship hall.

Some children had their photos taken with the Easter bunny and two clowns from North Manchester, Clarabelle and Pipsqueak, made balloon animals and other creations for the lineup of kids.

Children could return their empty plastic eggs for a dime apiece, or elect to forgo the cash and take the eggs home. Each child received a bag of candy for their participation.

The event was sponsored by the Syracuse Parks and Recreation Department with donations from local businesses.

Photos From Syracuse

 

Dewart Lake Friends Community Church hosted an Egg-stravaganza from 10 a.m. to noon at Quaker Haven Camp a few miles south of Syracuse.

The activities started with four age-determined hunts for the 2,277 plastic eggs prepared by church members, followed by several activities in the basement recreation rooms at the camp’s dining hall.

In one activity room, children made wooden tic-tac-toe boards. In another, kids enjoyed a bounce house, tried their hand at making soap, created chocolate nests, crafted cards and listened to stories.

Later in the morning another Easter egg hunt was held for the adults. After that, the kids launched raw eggs, wrapped in insulated envelopes, from the dining hall balcony, to see whether their egg would remain unbroken upon impact.

Photos From Dewart Lake:

This was the first year for the Fulton County REMC Easter egg hunt. About 125 children registered for the event, which took place in three areas of the REMC property according to age.

All groups started simultaneously while 10 registration cards were being drawn at random by volunteers for extra prizes. One golden egg in each age group yielded a $5 cash prize for its finder.

Visits with the Easter bunny, played by REMC CEO Joe Koch, started at 12:15 p.m. for early arrivals.

Photos From Rochester:

The hunts were indeed fleeting affairs. Every one of them ended less than three minutes after it started.

But the memories shared will have a lingering joyous effect on child and parent alike.