Great Egg Scramble unites community, promotes local organizations
Mount Pleasant Parks and Recreation collaborated with 95.3 WCFX and Graff Chevrolet of Mount Pleasant to host the Great Egg Scramble in Finch Fieldhouse on March 24.
Festivities started at 12:30 p.m. when children ages two through 10 were divided into groups to scramble for plastic eggs. Along with the scramble, there were multiple booths provided by local organizations to entertain children of all ages.
Admission to the event was free, and canned goods were accepted as donations upon entry to benefit the Isabella Community Soup Kitchen.
Mount Pleasant Recreation Assistant Dalaina Neff said more than 6,000 eggs were stuffed in preparation for the event.
"It took us all week to set the eggs and put everything together," Neff said. "It's controlled chaos."
Children of all ages could be seen carrying colorful bags full of Easter-themed goodies alongside their parents who eagerly watched. Boxes full of chocolate, Skittles, Tootsie Rolls and lollipops donated by Sam's Club filled the far end of the fieldhouse in preparation for the massive turnout of children.
Organizations such as Cornerstone Church, DuHadway Dance Dimensions, Isabella County Bank, and Celebration Cinema by Studio C were present in support of the event. Each had a table where they passed out candy, hosted crafts and provided activities for the participants.
Peter Cottontail made an appearance as well, allowing children to sit on his lap to take pictures. Along with the photo opportunity, the bounce house and face painting stations were the most popular.
Floyd Evans, director of sales at WCFX, said the Great Egg Scramble is successful because it is a perfect fit for their audience.
"Our average listener is a mid-thirty female with a couple of kids at home, and this is a perfect attraction for (them)," Evans said. "We had (around) 1,200 kids last year."
The organizations who sponsor the event are what make it free for the community, he added.
Celebration Cinema Employee Cassandra Posey was part of the Easter celebration, where she passed out popcorn and juice boxes to hungry children and parents.
Posey said they ran out of 500 popcorn bags within the first hour of the event. She felt like superwoman trying to keep up with the demand, she added.
It was Central Michigan University graduate Lacey Burnham's second time attending the event, and she said that events like the scramble are a great way to get to know others in the community.
"Last year (my daughter) was really young, so I'm hoping she will make some new friends," she said. "I enjoy talking to other moms, too."
Along with entertaining the children, the Great Egg Scramble was also an opportunity to gain new customers for some businesses.
DuHadway Dance Dimensions Owner Jillian DuHadway was present with a booth promoting her studio in Alma. She was excited about seeing the children and marketing to possible students.
DuHadway's dancers were also able to take part in the celebration by performing for the children and their parents during a break.
"We have a child-friendly business, and that's one of our major target markets," DuHadway said. "It's (also) an outlet for us to do a community service performance which is one of the major missions of our studio."
Mount Pleasant Recreation and Event Coordinator Carol Moody said that can donations increased and the number of people in attendance was comparable in relation to last year's numbers.
"It was a fabulous turnout," Moody said. "The children don't even have to say thank you, they say it with their expressions."
