Steamboat Pilot & Today

STEAMBOAT SPRINGS

Finding Easter eggs wasn't easy this year, said 6-year-old Paige Eivins, after discovering seven eggs buried under the hay.

"They were buried pretty good," she said.

Hundreds of children searched through the hay for Easter eggs at the base of Howelsen Hill on Saturday for Steamboat Springs' 28th annual Easter Egg Hunt.

The event was co-sponsored by Steamboat Parks and Recreation and First Impressions of Routt County.

While the hunt began, the Easter Bunny rode down the chairlift to greet the young hunters. The bunny hid more than 200 eggs, said Christina Freeman, sports coordinator for Parks and Recreation. Freeman had a huge basket of candy for the children.

The youngsters ran to get in line to visit with the bunny and claim a handful of candy and one of the 200 balloons.

The children also visited with Pickles the Clown and her rabbit "Bunny My Honey" and watched an Easter puppet show. All were new additions this year.

"This is a pretty good turnout," Freeman said. "And, we're fortunate with this weather compared to yesterday."

Though there was snow Saturday, the sun broke through the clouds after lunch, and temperatures warmed.

While many children rummaged through the hay to find their eggs, Ellie Bender, 7, and Ellese, 5, decided to pool their efforts together. Together, they almost filled their Easter basket.

All the eggs were plastic, filled with either small toys or candy for extra incentive.

Similar Easter egg hunts were held Saturday in Hayden and Oak Creek.