About 1,000 people attended the Arnold Chamber of Commerce’s annual Eggstravaganza on April 12 at Fox High School’s Gerald O’Connor Stadium, chamber executive director Stephanie Engle said.
“It was awesome,” she said. “The weather was so great. The families just came out.”
The event lasted approximately 90 minutes and culminated with an egg hunt for children 10 years old and younger. The kids were divided into four groups by age, and they sprinted onto the athletic field where together they collected about 20,000 eggs.
Most of the eggs were filled with traditional Easter candy and small toys, but more than 100 eggs contained tickets that could be turned in for prizes, such as balls, sidewalk chalk, badminton sets and water guns.
Two eggs in each age group’s area contained a ticket to win a bicycle.
“It was great,” Engle said of the hunt. “Everyone was screaming and yelling. It was awesome to see them out there.”
The Eggstravaganza offered plenty of activities before the egg hunt.
Silly Jilly the Clown entertained the crowd before the gates to the stadium opened and throughout the event. Jay the Magician made balloon creations, and people took photos with the Easter bunny.
“I liked that Silly Jilly was entertaining people prior to the gates opening, so that gave people something to do before it opened, and balloon animals are always a success,” Engle said.
About 15 local organizations and groups handed out candy and small toys. In addition, yard games were set up, and Kizer Academy, an Arnold day care center, provided crafts for children.
“It was just heartwarming to see so many kids so happy,” Engle said. “We received all kinds of positive feedback. It really was overwhelming.”
Children also had the chance to play in an inflatable bounce house, slide and obstacle course.
“The obstacle course wasn’t conducive to all ages, so that is why we had the bounce house for smaller children, the bigger slide and the obstacle course,” she said. “That seemed to really work out.”
Engle said the chamber takes pride in offering the Eggstravaganza for free to the community.
“It is a reminder of the power of the community,” she said. “We had a bunch of sponsors. Steve Reddy (a financial adviser with Edward Jones) was our gold sponsor. We received donated bikes and toys. When everybody comes together, these events can be great.”
The chamber will hold its sixth annual Arnold Chamber Golf Tournament at 7 a.m. June 13 at the Oak Valley Golf Course, 1230 Abby Lane, in Pevely. It costs $600 for a four-person team to play, and the tournament begins with a shotgun start at 8 a.m.
To register for the tournament, go to arnoldchamber.org. For information, call 636-296-1910 or email director@arnoldchamber.org.
Engle said proceeds from the tournament fund chamber community events, such as the Eggstravaganza and Trunk or Treat, and scholarships for area high school seniors.
The Rock Community Fire Protection District also held an egg hunt on April 12 at Rockport Elementary School in Arnold after delaying the event by a week due to inclement weather. Spokeswoman Alyson Rotter said about 100 children participated in the hunt, which included about 10,000 eggs.
“Everybody seemed to have a good time,” she said. “Three kids received bikes because they found the special eggs. We will likely hold the egg hunt again next year.”