The Annual Union County Easter Egg Hunt will feature a new location in 2026, to take place at the Union County Farmers Market this Saturday, March 21. The venue change happened after taking sports seasons into account at the former egg-hunting grounds of Meeks Park.
“In the past, we’ve had to cancel (activities) on the field because softball season has already started,” said Sandi Godfrey, one of the organizers. “And with Easter being so early this year and spring break, it just caused too many game cancellations. That’s the main reason, is field availability.”
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And scheduling the hunt two weeks out from Easter allows more time to have a rain date due to inclement weather; in that case, the hunt will be held on Saturday, March 28.
Although the Union County Recreation Department plays a large role in putting the hunt together, Godfrey and other organizers feel more comfortable referring to the event as a community effort due to the many people who help behind the scenes.
Preparations begin as early as December when it comes to organizing the event, which includes scheduling planning meetings, calling up vendors and ordering eggs and prizes. The morning of, setup begins around 7 a.m. This year, organizers plan to use Kubota tractors to spread the eggs.
The main event will be split into three “zones” based on age groupings: 2 to 5, 6 to 8, and 9 to 12. When families first walk up and check in, they will be given further instructions on where to go and when.
“We do one age group at a time. That way, if someone has three kids in their family, they can see all the different groups, and they may have to go to different zones,” Godfrey detailed.
In general, the fun will start at 10 a.m., with the hunt itself beginning around 11 a.m. or noon, leaving kids plenty of time to enjoy the other activities that will be available, such as face painting, pictures with the Easter Bunny and grabbing some popcorn from the concessions area.
Frequent attendees may recall that there’s usually a raffle after the egg hunt. This year, the eggs themselves will serve that purpose. Half of the eggs are filled with candy and half are filled with toys, but 10 eggs per age group will hold raffle tickets to allow the finders to win prizes.
That said, there will be one lucky winner per age group that will take home a Golden Raffle Ticket. Rather than golden eggs, Golden Raffle Tickets are tucked inside “regular” eggs and can be turned in at the Union County Commissioner’s Office for a $50 cash prize.
Due to safety concerns, organizers would prefer attendees to park at the Farmers Market Cannery and walk over the pedestrian bridge to access the field where the eggs will be laid.
“We just want families and kids to have a good time,” said Godfrey, with Farmers Market Manager Dustin “The Rog” Rogers adding, “It’s all about the kids.”
