photo by Marcus Frazier

Jada Kelly, 7, doesn’t waste time looking at the egg she’s got when there are more to scope out. Kelly was among a group of children hunting eggs at the annual Lizzie Shumaker Temple No. 1052 Easter egg hunt. The children filled the lawn next to the Angelethy House to grab their wares.

Hundreds come to egg hunt

By Adam Koob (Contact) | The Natchez Democrat

Published Sunday, March 23, 2008

By Adam Koob

The Natchez Democrat

NATCHEZ — In a scene that can best be described as pastel pandemonium the Miss-Lou Easter Egg Hunt kicked off with great success on Saturday morning.

Hundreds of children descended upon the baseball field in Duncan Park and collected 15,000 plastic prized-filled eggs in a matter of minutes.

Bob Ewing, the event’s coordinator since 1994, said he estimated between 600-700 people showed up for the event.

Photo by Marcus Frazier

Brandon Nicholson, 2, puts an egg in his bucket Saturday morning at the Miss-Lou Easter Egg Hunt in Duncan Park. The hunt was one of several going on Saturday in the Miss-Lou.

“This is a really good turnout,” he said.

Ewing’s wife, and co-coordinator, Millie Ewing said she was also pleased with the crowd.

“To see all their little faces is what makes all the hard work pay off,” she said. “They’re the cutest; they’re beautiful.”

Ewing said the event normally takes four months of preparation.

And all that work is undone in about five minutes.

When Ewing gave the word, children lined on the fence, sprinted to the egg-covered field, scooping each plastic gem they came to.

As Annyah Young, 4, dashed across the field, her basket was so filled with eggs, they eventually began to bounce out as she ran.

From the sidelines, Young’s father, Arthur, guided her in the direction of unseen clusters of eggs.

“This is a good time for the kids,” he said. “And all the parents love to watch too.”

And Arthur was not alone in cheering on his child.

Hundreds of parents lined the fence to support their kids as they scrambled across the baseball field.

Each of the eggs was filled with money, candy or a number that could be redeemed for a prize.

And Julian Womack, 4, won one of the most coveted prizes of all, a brand new bicycle.

As his mother tried to figure out how to fit the bike in the trunk, Womack tried to figure out where he would be riding his new bike.

After some thought, Womack said he would likely take his new bike on a trip to the movies.

As the event drew to a close, Ewing marked the end of another successful egg hunt.

But just how many years the event has been going on is a mystery.

This year’s hunt was believed to be the 43rd, however Ewing recently learned a miscount in the years puts the event at over 50 years running.

On Saturday he was still unsure of the event’s actual age.