A sizable crowd bottlenecked into the Paulus Park barn on April 3 for the village of Lake Zurich’s brand new Nitelite Egg Hunt.
Lake Zurich’s Park and Recreation Department didn’t anticipate just how big of a hit the event would be — the number of kids that turned out for the event was definitely more than the 150 that registered in advance, according to recreation manager Bonnie Caputo.
The Nitelite Egg Hunt was the village’s attempt to appeal to kids ages 9 to 12 that get left out of the traditional egg hunt, which is marketed to families with kids ages 2 to 10.
At this egg hunt, kids were encouraged to bring flashlights to search for treat-filled eggs hidden around the park, as well as bring their appetites for food and dance for afterward.
Apparently, the need for more pre-teen-centered Easter egg hunts extended beyond the village.
Connie Papadatos drove from Tinley Park to take her 10-year-old son to the event. Her sister and sister’s kids lived in Lake Zurich and suggested they come along.
Papadatos almost didn’t come because of the traffic, until she saw how sad her son was when she mentioned it.
“They try to hold onto these types of events, no matter how old they are,” Papadatos said.
Twelve-year-olds Samantha Sanchez and Maya Mancuso came from Schaumburg and Huntley for the event. They thought that hunting for eggs in the dark with flashlights was a cool idea.
“It’s fun because I get to hunt for eggs and hang out with my friends,” said 12-year-old Alyson Kee of Hawthorn Woods.
After registering or verifying their registration in the barn, kids headed outside behind the barn with flashlights strapped to their heads and in their hands, ready to hunt for nearly 3,000 eggs. The kids screamed with glee as DJ Dave Potash played popular tunes and sent them off on their hunt. After chowing down on pizza and cake inside the barn, the kids ran back outside to dance.
Kids who found the golden eggs received either a $50 American Express gift card, two $25 gift cards to AMC theatres, as well as other gift cards for Subway and McDonald’s.
Due to the success of the event, Caputo said that the department plans to make the Nitelite hunt a recurring, annual event.
Laura Pavin is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
