More than 300 children and their families gathered at James W. Olley Park last Saturday, March 30 during the Village of Walden’s annual Easter Egg hunt, a fast and frantic contest where participants crammed as many eggs as possible into their baskets.

This eggtacular tradition has endured in Walden for over 30 years, thanks to the village’s recreation and parks department. The participants were split up into three different age groups and directed to their respective hunting grounds, each comprising a thousand eggs and a few special eggs. Around 10:10 a.m., the children took off after hearing their cue and clambered across their respective spaces, and after five minutes, they completely cleared the park of all eggs.

Near the park’s center, participants who collected golden and silver eggs won baskets full of goodies and fishing gear, the latter donated by Jimmy’s Helping Hands. The golden egg winners included Kaiden Duddy and Savannah Torn for the 0-4 age group; Austin Bliss, Summer Berstein, and Cadence Wilson for the 5-7 age group; and Mason Bliss and Hunter Bliss for the 8-11 age group. The silver egg winners included Harper Hoornbeck for the 0-4 age group, Clara Cooper for the 5-7 age group, and Jeremiah Racz for the 8-11 age group.

“It was quick,” said Clara Cooper, 6, who won a fishing kit.

“It was pretty decent,” said Mason Bliss, 10, who proudly held up his golden egg.

“It was really fun and crazy,” said Hunter Bliss, 11, who also snatched a golden egg.

“It was fun and chaotic,” said Jeremiah Racz, 11, who netted a fishing kit.

Whether they won or not, everyone had a great time hunting for eggs this year and made sure to take tons of pictures with the Easter Bunny.

“It’s been growing every year. It’s great seeing all the families come out and enjoy the activities,” said Michael Bliss, the recreation department’s coordinator.