It is an annual rite, one of the celebrations of spring.
Hundreds — sometimes even thousands — of brightly colored plastic eggs strewn across a field, some hidden, others in plain sight. Along the edges of the field, poised to spring into action, are generally dozens, even hundreds of youth, waiting. Someone gives the signal and those kids fan out across the field, scooping up eggs, clearing the meadow faster than a swarm of locust devouring a field of wheat.
And then, within minutes, it’s all over, the kids cracking open their toy eggs to see what prizes they may have one.
The event, of course, is an Easter egg hunt, a scene played out multiple times locally this month, thousands of times across the nation.
This year the United Fund of Surry is adding a twist — an adult Easter egg hunt, aimed at spreading some Easter cheer to those who are age 21 and older, as well as a new avenue for raising money for the United Fund and its partner agencies.
The hunt is set for Saturday, April 16, from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. at The Barn at Heritage Farms in Dobson.
The eggs haven’t been hidden in a way to make the hunt difficult enough to last three hours — part of the fun will be a simple time to socialize and enjoy the venue.
Tickets to the hunt — there is a strict limit of 150 to be sold — cost $40 in advance, $45 the day of the event if there are any left, and include a burlap basket for hunting eggs, a beverage from White Elephant Brewing company and a State of Graze charcuterie cup. All of the eggs will be filled with prizes, such as gift cards, t-shirts, and there will be a grand prize of a Blackstone grill given away to one of the participants. To order tickets, visit http://www.unitedfundofsurry.org/adult-easter-egg-hunt.
And no, there will not be a starter’s whistle followed by a free-for-all egg grab by those participating. Organizers are planning for a more orderly egg search.
“The hunt will be organized by egg color,” said Paul Hiatt, who serves as finance manager at the United Fund. “Each participant will find one egg of each color.” She said a full instruction sheet for participants will be provided at check-in on the day of the event.
“We are excited to offer a new event to our lineup of activities for the 2023 Campaign,” said Executive Director Melissa Hiatt. “Historically fundraising has not begun until August with our Downtown Rocks and Runs. This year we made the decision to add two new events to the lineup with the intent of cultivating more interest in the United Fund to better support our member agencies.”
For 65 years, the United Fund has used fundraisers, donations, corporate gifts, and workplace campaigns to support 26 member agencies in Surry County. The member agencies provide various services in this area, from Surry Medical Ministries, and Parenting Path to five rescue squads. These new events mark an effort to further engage the community while raising money for the United Fund’s efforts.
Hiatt said the idea for the event came from John and Jessica Jonzac, from The Barn at Heritage Farm. John Jonzac is a member of the United Fund board of directors, and the two brought the fundraising idea to the agency.
“The United Fund of Surry is excited about partnering with The Barn at Heritage Farm, John and Jessica Jonzac. Both State of Graze and White Elephant Brewing Company have been very supportive in planning this event as well as a large team of local businesses that have supported us by providing prizes for the eggs,” said Hiatt.
Source: https://www.mtairynews.com