Saturday, the first annual Pier Park Easter Egg Hunt attracted hundreds of kids and parents to enjoy beautiful weather, the furry Easter Bunny and tons and tons of candy.  The first three rounds of egg hunts were for the kids and the fourth and final round was all for the parents, no kids allowed.

“There were 7,000 total filled eggs layed out today,” said Felecia Cook, Director of Marketing for Pier Park in Panama City Beach.  The hunt took place in the festivity grounds or the grassy area in between the sand volleyball court and Buffalo Wild Wings.

The first age group sent for the hunt included kids 2 to 3 years of age.  When Cook said go, it was a mini stampede across the grass in a scramble to collect as many eggs as possible. It was less of a hunt and more of a race to collect the most, but it was apparently fun for all as parents hurried to keep up with their kids.

The last round, reserved for “parents only” included candy-filled eggs mixed with prize-filled eggs from the retailers in Pier Park.  Prizes included anything from charms from Shimmering Seas to free t-shirts from various retailers to soccer balls, volleyballs, pizzas and other foods.  When Cook said go for the parent’s round, the crowd went wild, literally and scurried to their hands and knees to collect as many eggs as possible.

The weather was perfect, the turnout phenomenal and the energy high.  I talked to my buddy at the new carousel and they had droves of kids riding most of the day.