A Mad Dash For Colored Eggs

By MAGGIE MCMURRAY

Moapa Valley Progress

If there is one show in town that you never want to be late for, it’s got to be the annual Parks and Recreation-sponsored Spring Egg Hunt held at the Logandale Sports Complex. Hundreds of kids converge every year on the park, well in advance of the 10:00 am start time, to join in the fun of gathering from thousands of plastic eggs with surprises inside.

This year the hunt was held on Thursday, March 29 during spring break. As usual, there was great community support for the event.

Clark COunty Parks and Rec Specialist, Lauralyn Robison said that this is one of the staff’s favorite events to plan and carry out because it is just fun for everyone.
“It’s the perfect activity for spring break because the weather is beautiful and it gets people out into our parks where they can enjoy them,” Robison said. “It’s just a fun thing.”

Robison and other Parks and Rec staff begin planning for the event well in advance every year; ordering eggs and choosing prizes for lucky kids in each age group. Although this year they planned on about 200 kids, they estimate that the number in attendance far exceeded that. Even so, there was still plenty for everyone.

“This year we hid 8,000 eggs along with thirteen prize eggs for each age group,” Robison said. “We were a little trickier this year. We had plenty of eggs lying on the top of the grass, but we hid the prize eggs a little better in clumps of grass or clover so the kids really had to hunt for them, more like a traditional hunt.”

About twenty prizes were not claimed after most kids left. More than a half hour after the hunt began, dedicated hunters were still stomping the grass and searching for the prize eggs that many kids had skipped right over. In the end, all the eggs were accounted for and most of the diligent searchers were well rewarded for their dedication.

Those who attended agreed that it was a lot of fun.
Logandale resident Heidi Baker brought her kids to enjoy the event. “I think it’s a great tradition and I think it is awesome that we can have something like this here in town,” she said. “My kids love it every year.”

Age didn’t seem to matter. The bigger kids had just as much fun as the little ones. Jara Wheeler, 11, said, “I’m really enjoying today. It is a lot of fun to come and see my friends, pick up eggs, and get free candy.”
Monroe Lee, 10, said, “I came so I could collect eggs and have fun.”
But her brother Eric, 9, added what most kids were thinking. “I came because I like candy and there’s lots of candy here,” he said.

Clark County Parks and Rec employee Cristine Johnson explained that the event is a labor of love for the staff. “We really love putting this event on,” she said. “It’s fun for us to organize, fun for parents and grandparents to watch, and, of course, it’s great fun for the kids. We love seeing the looks on the kids faces and we always appreciate the positive response from the community.”

Parent Leslie Logue expressed appreciation to the Parks and Rec staff for putting on quality community events every year. “We really appreciate them for putting on great free activities like this,” she said. “It’s spring break and we have lots of kids to keep busy.”

In the end, the hunt had rave reviews from the kids who attended.
Ava Foulke, 5, said, “I like egg hunts and all the candy I get.”
Zachary Proffitt, 5, agreed, saying, “The hunt was fun. I really liked opening the eggs to see what is inside.”
Keshlyn Phillepenas, 8, said, “I got lots of eggs and even a prize egg that got me a really cute stuffed bunny. It was awesome!”

Robison was also pleased with how the event went. “I thought everything went fabulously,” she said. “The parents were amazing and supportive and the kids listened and followed the rules, which made for a positive experience for everyone.”