Children and parents in search of the full Easter egg experience need look no further than Dawson County this weekend.

The 24th Annual Community Easter Egg Hunt is set for 1 p.m. Saturday on the football field at Veterans Memorial Park.

Admission to the egg hunt, which begins at 4 p.m., is free. Volunteers plan to hide 15,000 plastic eggs.

Formerly known as the Moss Easter Egg Hunt, the annual event is one of the biggest of its kind in Georgia.

Proceeds from the sale of concessions Saturday will benefit KARE for Kids, a local organization that provides for Dawson County’s children in need.

KARE president Calvin Byrd said watching children find the multi-colored, plastic eggs is “pretty fun to watch.”

“All those eggs just get sucked up,” Byrd said. “It’s like a vacuum cleaner goes through there.”

Several dozen prize eggs will be hidden among the plastic ones. Children will be divided into separate age groups for the hunt.

Among the other activities, children can have their photo taken with the Easter Bunny, enjoy inflatable bounce houses, ride a train and get their faces painted.

Also returning this year is the hot dog-eating contest.

“We tried that out last year, and it went over really good,” Byrd said. “We’re going to try that again this year. That’s something the parents enjoy. It gives them some entertainment.”

Entry fee for the contest, which starts about 3 p.m., is $5.

The park is off Hwy. 9 North. For more information about KARE for Kids, visit www.kareforkids.us.