Dash for egg stash
Kids got the chance to hippity-hop to a sugar high at two Fox Valley Easter egg hunts Saturday.
Because of cold weather concerns, the Dundee Township Park District moved their annual hunt from Randall Oaks Park in West Dundee to nearby Liberty Elementary in Carpentersville.
About 350 youngsters spent their Saturday morning checking out a dozen stations set up in the school's gymnasium.
In addition to the candy-filled egg hunt, events included a petting zoo, a raffle, games, and visits with Lollipop the Clown and Mr. and Mrs. Easter Bunny.
"They do such an awesome job," said Nikki Sherwin of Algonquin, who brought 2-year-old daughter Kiana to the hunt. "There are hundreds of kids in here but it's totally organized."
Helen Shumate, the park district's marketing director, has helped organize the event for over a decade.
"It's always so much fun to watch the kids interact with the Easter Bunny - they either love him or they start crying," she said.
At 1:30 p.m., the Hampshire-Burlington Jaycees hosted their third annual Spring Faire at St. John's Lutheran Church in Hampshire.
Nearly 120 children waited in anticipation to hunt for the 4,200 eggs stuffed with candy and prizes earlier that morning by Jaycee members.
"That was a lot of eggs to stuff," Michelle Kollins, one of the organizers, joked.
Despite Easter's early arrival this year, "the turnout's been great," she said.
Kirkland resident Adrienne Truan said daughters Alexis, 4, and Avie, 5, love coming to the hunt every year. "They just couldn't wait for this," she said.