Naperville kids dodge raindrops in hunt for 14,000 eggs

The Easter Bunny deserves a big round of applause for his efforts Saturday across DuPage County, and if he wants to lean back and put up his oversized feet, he's earned it.

Not only did he help the Naperville Jaycees hide more than 14,000 eggs over four ball fields at the Frontier Park Sports Complex, but he did so while battling the wind-whipped weather.

Kids hunting for those eggs in Naperville faced a slight challenge from the rain, too - although a downpour subsided a few minutes before the fields were transformed into prime egg-hunting grounds. During the search for treasure, only a drizzle endured.

Typically kids ages 2 through 8 run like crazy and scoop up all the prizes in five minutes or less. But this soggy year it took them another five minutes or so to rake in their haul.

And all the while, the Easter Bunny hung around for photos and merrymaking, his smile never fading.

As if that wasn't enough, everyone's favorite rabbit was spotted twice Saturday hippety-hopping across Elmhurst, once working with the park district to hide about 10,000 eggs for kids through age 10 to find in Wilder Park and then hiding even more eggs near the Spring Road gazebo and the Prairie Path.

There also were reports of a creature with long ears, a cottontail and some lengthy whiskers working with the Downtown Wheaton Association to hide 5,000 candy-filled eggs in Memorial Park.

So, yeah, the guy deserves a break on Easter and the chance to close his eyes and smile, knowing his really are lucky rabbit's feet.