Annual City of Murrieta Egg Hunt a Hit

Ten thousand stuffed and colorful plastic eggs went quickly Saturday in Murrieta.

Between 9 a.m. and noon, children ages 2 to 10 took to hunting eggs during the city of Murrieta's annual Spring EGGstravaganza held at The hunt was organized by age group, requiring city staff and high school volunteers to restock the large roped-off grass area several times.

The city purchased about 5,000 pre-filled eggs, but the rest were stuffed by city staff and volunteers at the Murrieta Senior Center over the course of a month, according to Laura Frasso, special events coordinator for the city.

Amid the thousands of brightly-colored eggs hidden across the grass, 4-year-old Lily Komers of Murrieta was lucky enough to find one of a few prize ones. She quickly pulled her parents, Ward and Sarah Komers, along to claim her prize: a stuffed frog.

"It was fun," said Lily, holding up the shiny, pastel pink prize egg.

The excitement was a bit much for her little brother, 2-year-old Remy, who had better luck in a smaller area designated for children 2 and younger and those with special needs.

The same went for the Gutierrez family, who ventured down from South Corona to spend the day with family in Murrieta.

"This little area is awesome," said Kris Gutierrez, as he videoed his 1-year-old son and 2-year-old daughter searching for eggs. "It gives us an opportunity to take pictures and enjoy it."

Parents were handed bags of plastic eggs as they entered the smaller area, explained Tyler Hartsock, a recreation leader for the city's Community Services Department.

The Gutierrez family was headed over to visit the Easter Bunny next. The line to see the Bunny proved he was a popular addition to the event.

Boy Scout Crew No. 604 of Murrieta manned the Bunny booth. For a $5 donation, families could purchase photos with the Bunny, which were printed out on the spot.

"It's a good fund-raiser for us," said Beverly Gruendner, adviser for Crew 604. "This is our third year doing it."

Once the egg hunting and Easter Bunny visits were done, there was plenty more to do. A petting zoo and was set up, and a city Recreation Expo allowed families to talk with instructors who offer classes through the city. A 10-percent discount was offered for those who signed up for classes at the expo.

Murrieta City Councilman Randon Lane brings his two young sons to the event each year and was pleased once again with the turnout—both from families and volunteers. Lane said all three high schools—Vista Murrieta, Murrieta Mesa and Murrieta Valley—were represented by student volunteers on hand to help out.

"We have a great showing from our community and I like to be here so I can thank everyone for taking the time to come out and enjoy the event," Lane said.

"We've got a little more than 10,000 eggs and we have a lot of staff and volunteers who work on (filling the eggs). We love having this every year and we have great participation."