Kids hop on over to Easter Egg Hunt to haul in candy

By Kelly Terpstra, kterpstra@charlescitypress.com

Normally reserved for fast breaks or sets and spikes, the Comet Gym played host to another high-energy endeavor Saturday morning in Charles City.

Kids tried to pick up as much candy as they could as Hy-Vee hosted its third annual Easter egg hunt.

It was a sugar rush to the extreme.

Kids packed their baskets or sacks with their share of more than 2,100 eggs, 100 pounds of candy and 30 cases of soda pop that were strewn all over the Comet Gynasium’s floor.

The mad dash for candy took all of 10 minutes – the floor cleared of any and all candy bars, drinks or various other sweet treats that were provided by the many vendors that helped sponsor the event.

“You can’t show up late or you’ll miss out. It doesn’t take very long at all,” said Ryan Parker, Charles City Hy-Vee store director.

Parker said this is the second year the Easter egg hunt has been held inside. The first year Hy-Vee hosted the hunt it was held outdoors at Central Park.

“Bringing it inside was a good thing, I think,” said Parker. “It’s cleaner, it’s easier and faster. Parents like it better.”

With climate-controlled conditions, kids didn’t have to worry about unpredictable elements like rain, wind or mud that might impede their chances at a maximum haul of candy.

“It seems like it just works really well in the gym,” said Parker.

Parker’s son Max was there with his dad and he had one goal in mind.

“I want pop,” said Max.

The gym floor was broken down into sections so younger kids could have a better chance at taking home as much candy as they could grab.

“We have different age groups. There’s four squares out there and every square has a different age group so the kids aren’t competing with older kids to get candy,” said Parker. “Then at the end if there’s a square that’s not cleaned up, we’ll open it up to everybody.”

Parker said there were about 200 attendees of the event last year, but a soccer match that was going on the same time as the Easter egg hunt might have prevented more kids from attending the fun-filled morning.

“It’s a nice thing to be able to use the school gym,” said Parker. “I just want to thank the school for letting us have it here.”