The Village of New Hyde Park held its inaugural Easter egg hunt in Memorial Park Saturday, but the turnout proved to be greater than expected, leading to a shortage of eggs.
Hosted by the Village of New Hyde Park and Girl Scout Troop 1099, the event featured a number of colorful eggs hidden throughout the park, each filled with candy or small toys. A mini craft station and face painting booth also kept children entertained after the egg gathering had wrapped. Trustee Eve Sheikh joined the fun, offering her help with the face painting.
The event drew more than 300 attendees, many of whom arrived early to enjoy music, games and photos with the Easter Bunny.
Volunteers from Troop 1099 and village officials helped coordinate the hunt and guide families throughout the morning.
Linda Osiro, co-leader of Girl Scout Troop 1099, said the troop came up with the event as a way for the Girl Scouts to earn their Daisy petal badges for “using resources wisely” and “giving back to the community”.
The Girl Scouts were asked to collect egg cartons, which were decorated and handed out to families that didn’t bring a basket to collect the eggs. The girls were also in charge of spreading out and hiding the eggs on the playground for children to find, earning their community badge.
“It’s Easter and everybody is in the spirit,” said Osiro.
Village of New Hyde Park Mayor Christopher Devane said the turnout exceeded his expectations.
“We were here about an hour ago, and we were concerned that maybe nobody would show up,” said Devane. “The concerns now are just the opposite, about running out of eggs and having enough volunteers.”
The egg hunt was split into groups of 20 kids in hopes that everyone had a fair shot at collecting eggs. Children darted across the playground with baskets in hand as parents and volunteers cheered from the sidelines.
But halfway through the event, eggs were running low, and concerns grew about whether all children would be able to find some. Meanwhile, the line of kids waiting to participate continued to grow.
Some volunteers quickly left to buy more eggs to hide, while those that stayed had to manage with what they had left. Troop leaders were asking parents to limit their children to five eggs each to ensure everyone got an egg.
Despite the lack of eggs, parents weren’t too concerned. Some said they were just happy to have a reason to be out in the nice weather.
New Hyde Park resident Laura Jinete, said she thought there was a strong turnout.
“The kids are having fun, lots of activities and it’s a great opportunity for the community to come together,” Jinete said.
Mayor Devane said after every event, the town learns what is popular and what’s not.
“We’re going to make it even bigger and better next year and be more well-prepared next year,” said Devane.
