Volunteers fill over 8,000 eggs for annual Easter egg hunt at Ravalli County Fairgrounds

Over 50 volunteers filled more than 8,000 Easter eggs in the back room of the Hamilton Eagles Lodge in preparation for the annual Easter egg hunt at the Ravalli County Fairgrounds in Hamilton.

Volunteers got a special visit from the Easter Bunny who came to check on the progress and say hello to the kids who were helping fill the eggs.

The annual egg hunt will be at 1 p.m. on Easter Sunday, April 5, and the Easter Bunny will be coming early, around noon, to hang out with families before the event begins.

The Bitterroot Eagles Lodge hosts the Easter egg hunt every year at the Ravalli County Fairgrounds, Eagles Secretary Sarah Sutherland said. Throughout the year they raise money during the second bingo of the month for community projects focused on activities for kids.

"We do the 50-50 and so half of that money raised goes to our kids' account for the Easter egg hunt or Christmas party or fishing derby," Sutherland said.

She said there are not a lot of activities for kids in the community and an event like this is a great way to give families something to do and for kids to come have fun with other kids.

Even though it takes volunteers several hours to sort and fill the eggs, according to Sutherland, it only takes the kids at the Easter egg hunt three minutes to pick them all up.

The crowd of kids at the egg hunt is broken down into groups by age so the little kids don't get run over by bigger kids.

Besides hunting for Easter eggs there are prizes that can be won like gift baskets and bikes. The Eagles partner with Buck Acosta at Valley BMX who provides bikes. Sutherland says if the bike won doesn't fit the kid, Valley BMX is good about letting them exchange it for one that will work.

Sutherland said they are always looking for volunteers, not just to fill the eggs, but to come out to the fairgrounds on the morning of the egg hunt to distribute eggs.