Young’s Jersey Dairy’s 39th annual Easter Egg Hunt drew an estimated 1,500 to 2,000 kids and families who scoured the driving range grounds for colorful eggs to mark the first such event since 2019.
Children from age 10 down to toddlers getting their steps in with parents’ help showed up with Easter baskets, buckets in the shapes of characters like Spider-Man or the Easter Bunny, bags and even a bucket left over from Halloween. Some wore their running shoes and others sported their Sunday best.
It was a sight Young’s CEO Dan Young has longed to see after COVID safety concerns prevented the activity the past two years.
Credit: Bill Lackey
Credit: Bill Lackey
“It’s all for the families and kids to enjoy. There are a lot of memories and traditions made here,” Young said. “Some of the kids who first did this here are now bringing their kids.”
His crew has been busy this week, getting in the eggs and actually baking them in an oven as opposed to hard-boiling them, a trick he learned a few years ago. Young recalled in 2020 the eggs were already here and when the health restrictions didn’t allow the hunt, he was at first worried what to do with 10,000 extra.
He was pleasantly surprised when word got out on social media and people came in and bought up much of the stock for lowered prices, a tribute to people’s appreciation of Young’s.
People were prepared to get back out for the Easter tradition and were blessed with plenty of sunshine. Young would’ve liked the temperature, which was in the upper 40s, to have been about 10 degrees warmer, but he was glad nonetheless.
The hunts were divided into three age groups: 4 and under, 5-7 and 8-10. This was the first time for many, and several traveled from far outside the area.
Mom Ashley Carbenas went over the instructions with 3-year-old twins Zeke and Liliana, who came in from Dayton, awaiting the start. She’d heard of the event and wanted to give the twins a memorable time.
When asked who would get more eggs, each twin quickly shouted “me!” Neither cared when it was completed, choosing to admire the colors.
Credit: Bill Lackey
Credit: Bill Lackey
As the 4-and-under scramble began, Vera Cox only got a few yards before giving up on the idea. At 1 1/2 years old, she likely figured there will be plenty more opportunities, so she let older sister Quinn, 4, do the work.
Mom Erika Mullins brought the girls in from the Columbus area and made it a day by visiting family nearby. She’d visited Young’s many times growing up, although never participating in this tradition.
Monica and Uday Ambarapu had never been to Young’s and chose to bring 22-month-old Kairav for his first Easter Egg Hunt and to experience the Dairy’s activities, food and other amenities.
Kairav smiled with a toddler’s sense of accomplishment at the many eggs he gathered, and mom said he even knows his colors, blue being his favorite.
“We’d heard about this place, and when I was pregnant (with Kairav) I knew this was someplace I wanted to bring him,” Monica Ambarapu said.
The family hinted this may likely be an Easter tradition for years to come.
Credit: Bill Lackey
Credit: Bill Lackey