It had rained pretty hard all morning April 20 and still was sprinkling by the time the Six-Fourteen Church Easter egg hunt was supposed to go off outdoors at Brookfield schools.
The church, though, had a second option: moving it inside the gym.
More than 160 children, plus their parents and grandparents, filled the middle school gym for what was more of a grab than a hunt.
“Not bad, for an ugly, rainy day,” event coordinator Bridgette Bratton said of the turnout.
“I thought it was great, absolutely, considering the weather,” added church Outreach Director Nikki Jervis.
More than 20,000 eggs were scattered on the gym floor, and children stuffed baskets, buckets, bags and mom purses with eggs filled with candy. Some eggs included tickets that the kids could turn in for decorated baskets, balls and bicycles.
The Easter bunny handed out candy and posed for photos, and the kids could get their faces painted.
It takes about a month for church members to prepare for the egg hunt, Bratton said.
“We love the egg hunt,” she said. “It’s an awesome opportunity to just shake hands with the community.”
The egg hunt, which is in its third or fourth year, has already become a tradition, Jervis said.
“I think the community expects it, which is good,” she said.
While church members handle all the funding and labor for the hunt, Bratton said it wouldn’t be the success it is without the cooperation of Brookfield schools.
“We’re really thankful for the school to help us out and allow us to use their space,” she said. “We don’t have the parking down at the church.”
