CAYUGA - The children watched in awe as a red fire engine, with its flashing lights, dropped the Easter Bunny off at the Cayuga Elementary School.
The children had been waiting patiently in the cold weather for the bunny to arrive to help them get started on their annual Easter egg hunt. The anticipation grew as parents tried to calm their restless children down; then suddenly the fire engine's siren came to life, signaling the beginning of the hunt.
With their bags, buckets and baskets in hand, around 100 children took off in their search for the elusive eggs, scooping them up as quickly as their little hands would let them.
Nestled in the grass, tucked behind bushes and laying under trees, more than 1,000 Easter eggs were picked up within five minutes.
Slowly, the children began to come back to the school, bragging about their spoils or trading their candy and chocolate amongst themselves.
But even the few children who did not manage to find an egg would not leave empty-handed. Instead of a grand prize, Hellen Day, the director of the Ladies Division of the Cayuga Fire Department, said everyone would at least be leaving with a gift bag full of things such as candy, plastic Slinkies and little Koosh balls.
“We don't want it to be a huge competition where a kid feels sad because they didn't get the bike,” Day said.
Day also said the children were broken up into three age groups, under 1-3, 4-6 and 7-10 years so the younger children were not run over by the older ones as they raced after the eggs.
As the event wound down, the children got a chance to meet the Easter Bunny and have their picture taken with him.
Now in its sixth year, the Easter egg hunt has grown from more than 20 children to nearly 100, Day said.
The hunts, which use to only be for Cayuga residents, are now open to anyone.
As the parents and their children began to head home after an exciting day, Day's husband, Jeff, a Cayuga volunteer firefighter, said his wife and the rest of the Ladies Division of the Cayuga Fire Department played a key roll in putting on such a successful event.
“(Helen) headed up the event since its conception nearly six years ago,” Jeff Day said. “We just bring the Easter Bunny down but the ladies set up the area with the help of some high school students, and they hid the eggs and oversaw the kids.”
Staff writer Nate Robson can be reached at 252-5311 ext. 248 or nathan.robson@lee.net
With their bags, buckets and baskets in hand, around 100 children took off in their search for the elusive eggs, scooping them up as quickly as their little hands would let them.
Nestled in the grass, tucked behind bushes and laying under trees, more than 1,000 Easter eggs were picked up within five minutes.
Slowly, the children began to come back to the school, bragging about their spoils or trading their candy and chocolate amongst themselves.
But even the few children who did not manage to find an egg would not leave empty-handed. Instead of a grand prize, Hellen Day, the director of the Ladies Division of the Cayuga Fire Department, said everyone would at least be leaving with a gift bag full of things such as candy, plastic Slinkies and little Koosh balls.
“We don't want it to be a huge competition where a kid feels sad because they didn't get the bike,” Day said.
Day also said the children were broken up into three age groups, under 1-3, 4-6 and 7-10 years so the younger children were not run over by the older ones as they raced after the eggs.
As the event wound down, the children got a chance to meet the Easter Bunny and have their picture taken with him.
Now in its sixth year, the Easter egg hunt has grown from more than 20 children to nearly 100, Day said.
The hunts, which use to only be for Cayuga residents, are now open to anyone.
As the parents and their children began to head home after an exciting day, Day's husband, Jeff, a Cayuga volunteer firefighter, said his wife and the rest of the Ladies Division of the Cayuga Fire Department played a key roll in putting on such a successful event.
“(Helen) headed up the event since its conception nearly six years ago,” Jeff Day said. “We just bring the Easter Bunny down but the ladies set up the area with the help of some high school students, and they hid the eggs and oversaw the kids.”
Staff writer Nate Robson can be reached at 252-5311 ext. 248 or nathan.robson@lee.net
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