It's time to get egg-cited for all things Easter

Hey kids, it's time to get your eagle-eyes focused, your fingers limber and your sweet tooth polished.

It's spring. And over the next two weekends, the Easter Bunny will hop into various local parks and playgrounds to hide his brightly colored chocolate treats and candy-filled containers.

He'll even drop off a few thousand eggs for those taking part in a different kind of egg-related event.

From South Elgin to Huntley, local children will have the opportunity to meet the bearer of hyperactivity-inducing goodies and stock up on the sweet stuff.

But there's more to a successful Easter Egg Hunt than simply finding an egg and throwing it in your basket or bag, egg hunt experts say.

The most common tip is to arrive at the location early.

"It's over very quickly," said Kim Wascher, South Elgin's superintendent of parks and recreation. "It will last maybe three minutes and they will be all gone."

That's fast considering the village will hide about 3,000 plastic eggs stuffed with prizes and candy, and another 5,000 chocolate eggs.

South Elgin will hold it's hunt March 22. The event is free but participants are asked to bring a canned food item to donate to the local food pantry.

The Easter Bunny will arrive at the Kenyon Woods Pasture at 10:30 a.m.

A petting zoo will keep the young ones occupied until the hunt begins sharply at noon.

Another important aspect of a successful hunt is having a large enough bag or basket to transport your loot.

"I wouldn't come with a small basket," said Sarah Stefan, recreation superintendent in Algonquin. "People leave with full baskets generally. We make sure there are plenty of eggs for everyone."

That they do.

This year, Algonquin is supplying over 15,000 eggs for participants to collect off the driving range at the Golf Club of Illinois. 1575 Edgewood Drive.

The hunt starts at 10 a.m., with brunch served from 10:15 to 11:30 a.m.

While all parents want to see their child succeed, many organizers say just let the kids run and enjoy themselves.

"Sometimes there are overzealous parents," said Rick Ferraro, recreation supervisor for the Huntley park district. "Let your kids have a great time finding their own eggs. We've never had a problem with people going home empty handed."

Huntley's hunt will take place 10 a.m. March 22 at Deicke Park.

The cost is $2. There will be candy, the Easter Bunny and special eggs stuffed with prizes like a summer family pass to Stingray Bay Aquatic Center.

With the frigid winter still pulling a punch, Ferraro said wardrobe choices are important this year.

"Bundle up, especially this year," he said.

The weather forced the Dundee Township Park District to move its annual Easter Egg Hunt indoors.

From 9 to 11 a.m. Friday, the park district will turn the Liberty Elementary School gymnasium into giant game room.

Instead of searching for eggs outside, children will participate in activities and games to score prizes.

"Honestly, parents are quite excited that it is inside and not outside," said the park district's director of marketing Helen Shumate. "If the ice and snow melts it will be a pool out there. We thought it would be safest for everyone to go inside."

The cost for park district residents is $8 and $10 for non-park district residents.