Bunny money
By Josh Ellerbrock
Published in News on April 18, 2014 1:46 PM
News-Argus/SETH MABRY
Egg-seekers scramble for treasure during the Easter Egg Hunt at Herman Park on Thursday. Bethel Church is scheduled to host another egg hunt at the park Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. if the skies stay clear.
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News-Argus/SETH MABRY
Kathleen Woodley, 5, and her sister, Bridgit, 7, count their eggs and check for goodies.
Tammy Greene, in front of a crowd of 150 excited children, outlined the objective of "The Bunny Egg Express."
Out of the hundreds of eggs spread across the Herman Park Center lawn, three were golden.
"That's your goal, your aim," she said to those who gathered at the park Thursday evening for an Easter egg hunt. "To find one of those golden eggs."
Sponsored by both the Goldsboro Parks and Recreation Department and the Mayor's Youth Council, the decades-old event has typically drawn crowds of excited children ready to start their Easter weekend with a hunt for brightly-colored plastic eggs.
This year, the golden eggs were an added prize.
Children who grab the shimmering ovoid win an Easter basket full of goodies. Overall, there's a chance for six winners -- three for the 4- to 8-year-olds' hunt and another three for the flashlight-guided 8- to 12-year-olds' hunt.
Kathleen Woodley was one of the lucky ones.
The 5-year-old was delighted by her basket full of treats and her success at the Easter egg hunt.
Her father, Jason, recounted the finding of the golden egg.
As the Woodleys -- Jason, sister Bridgit, mother Reba and Kathleen -- lined up to begin among the crowd, Kathleen's keen eye spotted the prize.
"She said, 'Look, Daddy!' and I said, 'As soon as we start, go and find it,'" Woodley said.
With the whistle, children ran forward, and Kathleen bee-lined it to the goal.
But the golden egg was not the only she found.
She proudly counted 16 others -- filled, this year, with tiny plastic figurines instead of candy.
Her sister, 7-year-old Bridgit, counted 10 eggs.
"It's something fun for the kids to do," Woodley said. "These things are great."
Other groups didn't have as much success.
A few children were more than upset, but the egg hunt wasn't the only draw to the event.
Daniel Johnson, or "Dan the Man," wowed the crowd with his antics and magic tricks before the egg hunt started. The clown had some children standing and yelling while he took misdirection from their suggestions.
The Easter Bunny also took part in the egg hunt and his added presence had children hugging and greeting the beloved mascot.
All children also received a lollipop for participating.
Azariah Armstrong, 4, really enjoyed hers -- but was too busy eating it to say much.
Azariah's mother, Jamesha, brought a group of four -- Azariah, Kenygel Bynum, Jabrion Bynum-Armstrong and De'Angello Gaines -- with her to the event.
And while none of them found a golden egg, the event was still a fun one.
"It gives the kids something to do," Mrs. Armstrong said. "They enjoy it."