By JEFF EPSTEIN
[email protected]
SPRINGFIELD, Vt. ― Several Easter egg events around the region were held over the weekend. Some outdoor events were postponed or canceled due to rain, but others carried on inside. Springfield’s egg hunt happened inside the gymnasium of Riverside Middle School on Saturday.
Hundreds of children attended the event, participating in egg pickup rounds organized by age-groups that spanned five years or so (the oldest and final group comprised of ages 18 to 100).
The format of the rounds was simple. The main floor was roped off and young volunteers hauled out tote boxes filled with plastic eggs containing candy. These were spread out all over the floor, while the participants in the age group lined up on one side outside the rope. Each held a plastic bag for collecting eggs.
At the signal, the roped dropped, and the kids surged in. They frantically scooped up all the eggs they could lay hands on as soon as they could. For the first 30 seconds or so it appeared to be a scene of wild, joyful chaos.
As the number of eggs on the floor diminished, each child had to scoop around a larger radius, trying to strategically nab an egg before someone else did. With bags full, some kids exited to find their families in the stands, while a few others doggedly hunted down every last egg until the floor was empty. Each round only took a few minutes to complete.
No scores were kept or points award. The point was to get candy fast.
The post-round candy treatment policy varied. Some kids opened their eggs and consumed the treats (tiny wrapped commercial candies) immediately. Some shared with siblings and some (whose brothers and sisters were about to get their own gathering opportunities in a few minutes) did not. Some bags were set aside to go home with, and a few parents ― presumably wanting to control the potential sugar loads ― unscrewed all the eggs and set the candy aside in a separate container.
The event was sponsored by Springfield area churches, which also held raffles for prizes contributed by sponsors and offered a barbecue lunch outside.
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