As Easter Sunday approached, the City of Belmont organized the annual Easter Egg Hunt, a tradition that has taken place in Belmont for decades.
On April 20, children from the ages of 3 to 10 gathered at Twin Pines Park with their baskets in hand, eager to fill them up with as many chocolate-filled eggs they could find. A variety of summer camps set up booths, and an Easter bunny posed with children for photos.
“The event is greatly effective in bringing together the community. Just look at all of the people excited to be in the midst of Twin Pines Park, which is still rustic and a beautiful outdoors location,” said Davina Hurt, the mayor of Belmont.
The Belmont egg hunt was one of many in the Bay Area and was run by Belmont Parks and Recreation.
“The goal of the Parks and Recreation Department is to enhance the quality of life for the community. This is one of our many free events that we offer throughout the year,” said Michael Moran, the recreation supervisor for the City of Belmont.
To prepare for the event, volunteers hid eggs around the park. The children lined up, and at 10 a.m., there was a countdown. When the organizers said “go,” they all ran to find the eggs.
“To hide the eggs, it takes about 30 to 45 minutes, and when the kids go it takes about 30 seconds for them to find all of them,” Moran said.
This year, the event was the largest it has ever been. Parking was overflooded, and the park was crowded with people.
“We saw over 500 youth, and we offered 7,000 eggs. Our previous year we only offered 4,000 eggs,” Moran said.
Teens also played a role in the organization of the event. Kaila Mccord, a junior at Carlmont High School, worked as a volunteer in setting up for the hunt.
“This is my second time volunteering, and I used to come as a kid, so it was fun to watch the children having a lot of fun,” Mccord said.
Belmont succeeded in creating an event that was fun for the children and continues to improve it each year.
“We [Belmont] have many great events. The Easter Egg Hunt is definitely one that is very family-friendly, and every year we do something bigger and better and prove it. It’s definitely a good time for all the kids. You see all the smiles,” Hurt said.
