It’s the time of year again when Easter eggs flood Grays Harbor County.

The 19th annual Easter Egg Hunt sponsored by the Grays Harbor County Fairgrounds and the Elma VFW Auxiliary is set to take place Saturday, April 15, at the fairgrounds in Elma.

The hunt has attracted more than 750 kids in each of the last five years, a number that should be easily attainable again this year according to organizer Pete Wickwire.

Children will be divided into five groups. Ages 1 and younger will have the fewest eggs, totaling about 1,500, with 40 of those eggs containing prizes. The age groups of 2- to 3-year-olds and 6- to 7-year-olds will each have about 2,500 eggs placed at the fairgrounds, including 50 prize eggs.

Ages 8 through 10 will have some 3,500 eggs placed, 70 of which will contain prizes. Each egg will have something for kids, whether that be candy or prize tickets. Prizes will consist of bicycles, riding toys and Easter baskets.

While it takes a while to fill the eggs and prepare the field, the action is short lived.

“It only takes five minutes for the field to be cleared,” Wickwire said.

In the past the Elma VFW Auxiliary has held “stuffing parties” where volunteers could congregate to fill eggs with candy. This year, however, no such event will take place as volunteers are well on their way to completing the task.

Setup for the hunt will begin at 10 a.m. Friday, April 14, and volunteers can assist with the preparations.

Wickwire says that there are usually about 20 volunteers on the day of the hunt, but the more volunteers the better.

“It’s a lot of fun for everyone,” Wickwire said.

Annual Resurrection Easter Egg Hunt

The hunt at the fairgrounds will not be the only Easter Egg Hunt taking place April 15. The Annual Resurrection Easter Egg Hunt at Beerbower Park in McCleary hosted by the McCleary Community Church will begin at 11 a.m.

The event is free, and lunch will be served at around 11:30 a.m., or as soon as the first age group collects their eggs.

The hunt will consist of about 800-1,000 eggs, and children will be broken into three groups. Children from infant to 4 will hunt first, followed by children ages 5-8 and finally children ages 9-12.

“We hope to have around 100 kids, but it all depends on the weather,” McCleary Community Church pastor Joe Beard said.

Children will have the opportunity to win “big basket” prizes by finding one of four special eggs within each age group. The baskets will consist of candy and toys. Door prizes also will be available courtesy of local McCleary businesses.

Some 15 volunteers help with the event, and Beard says that with much of the preparation work completed additional volunteers are not needed.

“It’s very family oriented, and it’s a good time for the community,” Beard said.