Arnold Chamber of Commerce executive director Stephanie Engle said she’s hoping for warm, calm weather conditions later this month, when the group holds its annual Easter egg hunt.
The chamber’s Eggstravaganza is set for 10:30 a.m. to noon Saturday, March 23, at the Fox High School stadium, 751 Jeffco Blvd., in Arnold.
Last year, the organization had to adjust its plans for the event because of strong winds.
“I’m staying very positive,” Engle said. “The recent wind has been concerning, but we are hoping to have better weather this year.”
Participation in the Eggstravaganza is free.
It is open to children 10 years and younger, and children will be divided by age groups for the hunt – 1-2 years old, 3-4, 5-6 and 7-10.
The chamber will spread about 20,000 eggs across the football field for children to collect. Most of the eggs will be filled with Easter candy and small toys, but more than 100 eggs will contain tickets that can be turned in for prizes, such as balls, sidewalk chalk, badminton sets and water guns.
Two eggs in each age group’s area will contain a ticket for a bicycle.
Last year, about 1,000 people, including about 200 children, attended the event. Because of the windy conditions last year, the eggs would not stay on the field, so children were asked to collect between 10 to 15 eggs, and no eggs with prize tickets were put out because they could not be sorted by age groups.
“It was cold and windy last year, but the kids loved it,” Engle said. “They loved chasing the eggs, and they all seemed to have a good time.”
For this year, the chamber has scheduled a makeup date for 10:30 a.m. Saturday, April 6, at Fox High.
“We will call it the rotten egg hunt,” Engle said. “Of course, the eggs are plastic, so they will not be rotten. We wanted to make sure we had a second date in case the weather is bad.”
Along with collecting eggs, children will have the chance to have their photos taken with the Easter bunny and its friend at the RE/MAX Best Choice table. The company is the event’s title sponsor.
“Everyone will need to take their own photo,” Engle said.
She also said more than 20 booths featuring community groups and nonprofit organizations that benefit children are expected to be on hand at the event. A 40-foot inflatable obstacle course also will be included.
“Two kids will race each other in the obstacle course,” Engle said. “We wanted to do that instead of a bounce house because more kids have the opportunity to filter through it.”
Engle said more people are expected to attend this year’s event, adding that in the past, up to 3,000 people with up to 800 children have taken part.
“I think the numbers will improve significantly if the weather is better this year,” she said. “We haven’t had a traditional egg hunt since 2019, and it is one of the bigger ones in the area. We are projecting a pretty high turnout.”
For more information about the Eggstravaganza, call Engle at 636-296-1910, email her at director@arnoldchamber.org or go to the chamber’s Facebook page or website, arnoldchamber.org.