Five thousand eggs captured in minutes

Warmly dressed in the shades of springtime, hundreds of children turned out for the annual Sisters Easter Egg Hunt on Sunday at Three Sisters Overnight Park.

Prior to the start, kids eagerly lined up over the Creekside City Park bridge and adjacent walkways, segregated into four quadrants of the campground, depending on their ages. They stood waiting with plastic pails, wicker baskets, grocery sacks and plastic bags tightly clutched in their hands, listening intently for the siren to sound, signaling them to launch into the mad rush of mayhem.

Dave Wheeler, fire marshal for Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire District, checked his smartphone for the correct time and scanned the surroundings.

"The Sisters-Camp Sherman and Cloverdale Fire Departments have been doing this hunt for over 30 years," he said. "The kids all seem to have a good time, but it's over in about five minutes. At one o'clock we blast the siren and by one-ten it's finished. They totally empty it of eggs. We usually get about 300 kids and it stays pretty steady every year."

Wheeler and his fire District crew set out close to 5,000 plastic eggs earlier in the day, hidden on the lawns, in shrubs, plants and bushes, some containing candy and toy prizes. A limited number of special "carrot" eggs were planted to be returned to the Easter Bunny in exchange for deluxe toy rewards. The entire task takes 18 volunteers about 45 minutes to accomplish, then they sit back and watch the fun begin.

As the clock struck one, a siren blared and the stampede of egg gatherers began, spreading out quickly over the lawns, grounds and trails of the campground with one thing on their minds, looking high and low for plastic eggs in every color of the rainbow.

Junior treasure hunters scoured the campground with feverish intent, plucking and grabbing eggs from their hiding places, some out in plain sight, others placed in a tuft of grass or camouflaged in a bed of pine needles.

Clusters of parents and spectators observed the free-for-all, directing their kids to overlooked corners or cheering them on with encouraging shouts. Some sprinted, many toddled on wobbly legs, others strolled, taking a cautious approach to not trample an innocent egg underfoot, and more herded together in happy packs, figuring there must be safety in numbers.

Spurge Cochran, now celebrating his 32nd year portraying the honorary Easter Bunny, proudly displayed his bright costume made by Miss Sew-It-All's Marsha Marr.

"The first 25 years I made my own bunny suit," he said. "Now the fire department has a special fund set up and bought me a new one this year. It's my anniversary present."

Egg hunt strategies varied as the race unfolded, with some children following the main stream and others branching out into territories unknown.

Bela Moon, 3, blonde hair flying in the wind as she trotted with her red "Elmo" Easter basket, was in fine form, having practiced at home earlier that morning with her mother. Moon employed an efficient "grab and go" method, zooming from egg to egg and piling them into her basket.

The revelry ended as fast as it began and while the squeals of excitement faded, kids tallied up their loot and surveyed the contents of their baskets or took turns taking pictures with the Easter Bunny. Everyone came away with something sugary and the fun memories of participating in an Easter tradition replicated around the world dating back nearly 2,000 years.

Coral Rodriguez, 4, and her sister Michaela, 8, sat atop a picnic bench counting their eggs and cracking them open to discover which contained candy. Michaela seemed slightly disappointed at her younger sister's more impressive haul, but smiled nevertheless.

"I was over there and got a later start," she said. "Some of my eggs I got from the firefighters. I had fun running around and looking down at the ground. Right now I'm just trying to find more candy in the eggs."