Kids collect thousands of eggs

The sunshine warmed hundreds of eager young egg-hunters crowded into Creekside Park waiting in anticipation for the start of the 40th annual Sisters Easter Egg Hunt. The Park overflowed with 4,000 colorful plastic eggs hidden in the grass, behind trees, on rocks, and nestled in the pine needles.

Volunteers from Sisters-Camp Sherman and Cloverdale fire departments co-sponsored the Easter Egg Hunt and early on Easter morning they hid the eggs and divided the park into four areas, one for each age group.

This year Avery Duetz, first-year fire medic student, took charge as Easter Egg Hunt coordinator.

Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire Chief Roger Johnson was on hand to talk to The Nugget.

“I think this event is a great opportunity for the community to get together and have fun,” he said. “Plus, it’s an opportunity to share fire safety with kids, it’s a great connection for us,”

Tim Craig, deputy fire chief, added, “This event and events like this are one of the primary things we like to have with our community. It’s the engagement that we get within the fire district to interact with the community to spread our message of fire safety and general safety as well.”

The Easter Bunny arrived on the scene with his own basket of goodies, greeting the excited kids before the egg hunt began.

Sisters resident Spurge Cochran has portrayed the honorary Easter Bunny for 40 years.

Eggs in general are a traditional symbol of fertility and rebirth, and brightly colored eggs, Easter egg rolling, and Easter egg hunts have become integral to the celebration of Easter today. The custom of an Easter egg hunt began because children believed that the Easter hare laid eggs in the grass.

At 1 p.m. on the dot, the siren sounded and crowds of little egg-hunters holding their unique variety of baskets searched the grass and pine needles, scouring the grounds frantically picking up colored plastic eggs that held a prize inside. Families followed their ambitious youngsters, egging them on toward unnoticed

corners.

There was also a very friendly four-legged Easter bunny named Jesse that was posing with a few kids. Jessica Haury, Jesse’s pet parent, is a Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire District volunteer and is in a student program for paramedics.

Golden eggs were the special attraction, and any participant that found a golden egg brought it up to the big picnic table that held extra special prizes for them to pick

from.

Five-year-old Carolina Miranda-Castro from Sisters found the very first golden egg and got to choose from a huge array of prizes from bicycles to Barbie dolls.

Second and third generations — people who once came in as kids for the Easter egg hunt — are now bringing in their toddlers to the same event.

Stephanie Burke grew up in Sisters and remembers participating in Sisters Easter Egg Hunt when she was five years old.

Burke said, “Truly what I remember as a kid was excitement and laughter, and a true community gathering that you would go to with your friends and family and that I feel fortunate to now live in this community and share the same traditional events with my children, Emma (4) and Landon (1). My daughter loves the Easter egg hunt, it is definitely a highlight of our Easter festivities! We are grateful to the fire department for continuing the tradition!”

The sun was out for the entire egg hunt, and there were plenty of happy faces and full Easter baskets to see as the egg-stravaganza came to an end.