Naperville's Easter egg hunt goes by fast

A group of Naperville Jaycees will gather early Saturday morning at Frontier Park on the city's south side to help the Easter Bunny sprinkle plastic eggs across four different ball fields.

The brightly colored, candy-filled eggs will be scattered in the outfields of Frontier's softball diamonds, where children can find them when the Jaycees Easter Egg Hunt commences precisely at 9 a.m. April 15 near 95th Street.

Egg hunt Chairman Andrew Lohse said he expects this year's egg hunt to play out similarly to past years.

As soon as the start is signaled with a loud whistle, the scramble is on and children rush to find their holiday treasures.

The whole thing takes about 15 minutes.

That's not much time for the successful retrieval of 15,000 eggs, unless the number of children hunting for them is taken into account. Lohse said each year roughly 3,500 children, accompanied by about 1,500 cheering parents, scour the fields with baskets in hand and do their best to pluck as many eggs as possible.

“It takes an hour to an hour and a half to set up and they're gone in about 15 minutes,” said Chad Pedigo, Jaycees board chairman. “But the joy on the kids' faces is a great thing to share with the community. It's one of our favorite ways to partner with the Naperville Park District.”

Lohse said the number of eggs has been increased from last year's total of 14,000.

Jaycees gathered a few weeks before the hunt to stuff about 3,000 of the eggs with candy and prizes; the other 12,000 eggs were filled with the help of local service groups and community volunteers.

Children participate in one of four age groups, each with its own turf to use as hunting grounds. There's a field for children up to 2 years old; another for children ages 3 and 4; a third for ages 5 and 6; and a fourth for ages 7 and 8.

Lohse said youngsters are separated by age group to make the hunt fairer.

He said the Easter Bunny will attend along with Frankie Fling, the hot dog mascot for the Last Fling festival, organized each year by the Jaycees for Labor Day weekend. This year's Fling is scheduled for Sept. 1-4.

Music will be provided at the hunt by 95.9-FM The River, he said.

There's no admission fee and no registration is required.

Participating families are encouraged to bring food items to donate to Loaves and Fishes Community Services, a Naperville-based organization that operates a food pantry, Lohse said. Among the most-needed items are low-sodium canned goods, fruit juices and whole grains.

Lohse said visitors should arrive early because the crowd is large and the hunt is over quickly. Families will want to leave time to find parking and arrive at the correct field before the hunt begins, he said.

Naperville Jaycees Easter Egg Hunt

<b>When:</b> 9 a.m. Saturday, April 15

<b>Where:</b> Frontier Park Sports Complex, 3380 Cedar Glade Road, Naperville

<b>Cost:</b> Free

<b>Info:</b> <a href="http://www.naperjaycees.org">naperjaycees.org</a>