The Easter bunny walked around meeting the kids prior to the hunt as all the children eagerly awaited the Easter egg hunt to begin. Afterward he could be found inside the Syracuse Community Center taking pictures with the kids and handing out suckers.

SYRACUSE—A wealth of excitement awaited children who ventured out on the sunny Saturday morning, April 8, for the Syracuse Parks and Recreation Easter egg hunt.

Eggs were hidden throughout Lakeside Park with areas roped off with caution tape for the various age groups. This included three golden eggs for each age group which earned the finder a special prize. Children were split up into three groups: ages 0-3, ages 4-6 and ages 7-10. The younger kids had eggs hidden directly in front of the community center while the two older groups had separate sections of Lakeside Park to hunt.

Kids began lining up well before the Easter egg hunt began and, at 10:30 a.m., they were let loose to search the park for the hidden eggs. The portion of the road containing Lakeside Park and the Easter egg hunt was also blocked off from incoming traffic during this time to make traveling between the park and community center simpler and safer. Age made no difference in the amount of time it took to hunt for the Easter eggs and all eggs were found in less than five minutes.

Children and families then were invited inside the community center to trade in eggs for money. A long table was set up with multiple money counters that would collect the children’s Easter eggs, count them and give them a small goodie bag and the appropriate amount of money in return. For each egg the child collected they earned one dime. Most children earned over one dollar from their short search.

Those who were lucky enough to find the golden eggs brought them to a separate table to the side. Here they were able to pick out a bucket of toys or stuffed animal, depending on their age group, and one large toy. These large toys included a Nerf football, trucks and Barbies.

Families were then treated to a lunch, which included hot dogs, as well as some games and activities. Kids were able to color pictures, have a balloon animal or hat made by the two clowns in attendance, play ring toss or bean bag toss, get a picture with giant Easter eggs or get their very own picture sitting on the Easter bunny’s lap.