Photos by Steve Ognibene
When members of the Kiwanis Club of Batavia say to be ready at 9 a.m. sharp in Centennial Park for the annual Easter Egg Hunt, they ain't kidding.
Hundreds of hours of work by volunteers with the club and the Key Club at Batavia High School are spent stuffing 5,000 plastic Easter eggs with 10,000 pieces of candy, which are collected in baskets by kids eager for sweet treats, prizes, and the thrill of the hunt in under 10 minutes.
"I look forward to it every year," said Matt Landers with the Kiwanis Club. "The Kiwanians look forward to it every year. The Key Club looks forward to it. It's a total team effort, and we all get into it. It's even better when we have a sunny day like it is today."
In the days leading up to the hunt, Landers and helpers put out a golden Easter egg in Centennial Park each day. The eggs enable the finder to redeem a coupon for a 12-inch chocolate bunny from Oliver's Candies. On the day of the hunt, there are nine more golden eggs laid out in the park -- three for each age group -- that also enable the finder to win a giant chocolate bunny.
The daily hunt for golden easter eggs started during the pandemic shutdown of group events and the Kiwanis Club decided to retain it even though in-person hunts are now possible.
That makes for a total of 16 12-inch chocolate bunnies given out to community children.
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