You gotta be fast.

That was the best piece of advice professional egg hunters had the afternoon of March 30, right before the gates were opened and they flooded the football field at Veterans Memorial Park to fill their Easter baskets with plastic eggs. Rain held off for the annual event, sponsored by KARE for Kids and Dawson County Parks & Rec.

I think it went really well, said KARE for Kids President Calvin Byrd, noting that the event seemed a little larger than in years past.

Around 2,000 plastic Easter eggs were strewn along the field, but they werent the only attraction at the event. Beginning at 11 a.m., guests could enjoy lunch, get their faces painted, treat themselves to cotton candy and enjoy a train ride around the field. The Easter Bunny himself even made an appearance to the delight of many.

But, of course, the main event was the hunt itself, with kids surrounding the field, eyeing what they most wanted to reach first. Dorothy Poe was one of the egg hunters this year. She hoped she would do better than a previous time she had been at the event. I didnt get any the first time, she said. No stuffed animals.

Marisa Shaunders had her strategy all worked out for the hunt. Go real fast, was her best piece of advice.

That was advice that most of the egg hunters followed, and the field was cleared in mere minutes after the signal was given to go. Maylee Waite, in a princess dress, got three toys, but how about eggs? I didnt get as much as I wanted, she said.

Byrd called the event a success. Weve got to give a lot of credit to the Dawson County Parks & Rec and their staff, and the War Hill Church and their volunteers, and, of course, KARE for Kids volunteers. The event went smoothly because of their hard work.