Sarah Culver, 7, plays a game during the Eggnormous Egg Hunt at Brown’s Chapel Park Saturday, March 31. Photo by Alex McVeigh.
Reston — As children ages 1 through 9 gathered at Brown’s Chapel Park in Reston Saturday morning, they separated themselves by age group and massed along the borders of several different roped off areas. The areas were filled with colored eggs, which meant that for many children, filling their baskets would come down to strategy.
"I headed straight for the back of the area, that’s where I got most of my eggs," said Veronica Johnson, 7. "I think it was a good strategy."
The hunt started at 10:30 a.m., and by 10:35 almost every egg was gone. Over the next half hour, a few determined children were able to find some unclaimed eggs that were camouflaged to look like their surroundings.
"We were on our way to the car when I thought I saw something," said Andy Benson, 5. "My sister said it was nothing, but I knew it might be something I missed, and I was right and rewarded with candy."
The annual Eggnormous Egg Hunt was hosted by the Reston Community Center. Though the eggs vanished quickly, families were able to stick around and enjoy a variety of moonbounces and other games.
"I really like that the games give us all a chance to hang out and spend some time with friends and neighbors after the chaos of the hunt itself," said Richard Juarez, who brought his two children to the hunt for the third year in a row. "The park is a great place to have a seat and sort through their bounty, and if I’m lucky, I’ll be able to sneak in a few pieces."
Though gray skies threatened to postpone the event for the second year in a row, the day remained dry to allow the hunt to go on as scheduled, which was a relief for some.
"Last year it got postponed until after Easter, which kind of takes it out of context for the kids," said Ellen Wilde of Reston. "I don’t think children will ever complain about an egg hunt, but it’s nice when it gets them fired up for Easter, rather than being sort of an afterthought. I’m glad the day stayed nice, and I’m glad we made it out for another year."