Easter egg hunt brings children to Bloomington courthouse lawn

Children were bundled up tight for last Saturday’s Easter egg hunt in front of the Monroe County Courthouse. \n“I was telling them we should have had this thing yesterday,” said Richard Taylor, a father who has been bringing his children to the event for 10 years.\nBefore the annual hunt took place, the courthouse lawn was speckled with prizes and neon-colored eggs full of chocolate candies. More than 100 children attended the event.\n“We seem to have a good turnout despite the weather,” said Talisha Coppock, executive director of Downtown Bloomington Inc.\nMembers of Downtown Bloomington Inc. worked alongside Brownie Girl Scout Troop 982 as to prepare for the event, which catered to children 1 to 5 years old. \n“We filled over 1,200 eggs for over an hour and hid them this morning,” Brownie troop leader Chiara Perry said.\nDespite the cold weather, the young Brownies thoroughly enjoyed helping out with the Easter-egg hunt, Perry said. \nCaitlin Perry, member of Troop 982, was enthusiastic about taking part in the many activities and fun “stuff” while being a Girl Scout for three years. \n“My favorite part about the Easter egg hunt is stuffing the Easter eggs,” she said.\nOut of all 23 members, only five were able to make it to the actual egg hunt on Saturday, she said. \nCaitlin Perry also was bundled from head to toe, wearing a winter jacket. \n“It is really cold, but we are still having a lot of fun,” she said.\nThe Easter Bunny entered from the right side of the courthouse lawn and the children ran to hug him. The parents followed with their cameras ready to capture the once-a-year occurrence. \nCoppock led the Easter Bunny to the center of the lawn and began counting down from 10. When the Easter Bunny lowered his hands, the children took off in a racing speed to the neon-colored eggs that speckled the lawn. \n“The egg hunt only lasts for about two seconds,” Coppock said to an inquiring parent. \nOnce the eggs were gone and the candy was dumped out of the plastic eggs, the children raced to the prize table to receive brightly colored sugar cookies. \nJust as quickly as the eggs were gone, the crowd dispersed and left the lawn. The sidewalks became bare and the speckled neon lawn became a solid green once again.