A sizable crowd of smiling youngsters made sure not to forget their baskets Saturday when they gathered at Wiese Park for the annual Easter Egg hunt sponsored by the Perry Parks and Recreation Department.
Several large sections were taped off and designated by age, allowing for a fair chance for all the eager hands to find plenty of bounty. The Easter Bunny himself made an appearance, with many children taking the opportunity to have a photo taken with the flop-eared bringer of goodies.
Volunteers spent over four hours assembling 2,000 plastic eggs. Most contained candy, but many had slips of paper inside with numbers that corresponded to a variety of prizes. The McCreary Community Building gave away 25 free Day Passes, with Ben’s Five-and-Dime providing 25 $1 off coupons good for anything in the store.
The event began with the arrival of the Easter Bunny at 10 a.m., with the hunt stating 30 minutes later.
Once the go-ahead was given the scene could have been described using the titles of recent films, as either “Fast and Furious” or “Gone in 60 Seconds” would have aptly named the rush to gather as many eggs as possible. Most estimates had the 2,000 eggs being scooped up in far less than a full minute, with laughs, giggles, smiles and joyful exclamations filling the air.
The Perry Chamber of Commerce, the Jr. and Adult Optimist Club of Perry, Ben’s Five-and-Dime, Casey’s, Hy-Vee and Tyson’s all contributed to the event.
