Chris Logan can imagine what it's like to be the Easter Bunny.
His work starts long before the holiday. He deals in high volume with a small team. He frets about the weather.
"There is no rain option," said Logan. "We are stuck with 30,000 eggs" if it rains.
Logan leads the efforts of the 100-member congregation at Highpoint Church on Bryan Avenue, which for the last few years has put on an Eggstravaganza at Lexington's Jacobson Park.
The celebration is one of dozens across Central Kentucky this weekend. The highlight for many families is the Easter Sunday worship service, but the number of egg hunts seems to be growing, said Rudy Cruse, marketing manager for Lexington-Fayette County Parks and Recreation.
Highpoint Church started about 10 years ago with "a modest effort," Logan said. There were a couple of hundred eggs with mostly families from the church in attendance.
Four years ago, they decided to make it a community-wide project. It grew steadily. Now groups gather in the church fellowship hall in the weeks before Easter to stuff 30,000 eggs with candy. In addition, members take home 1,000 eggs at a time to fill them there.
Another small congregation, True Life Church on Kingston Road, also pitches in, Logan said.
Planning for an Easter egg hunt is a little like preparing for the Kentucky Derby, said Lisa Deavers, western region recreation coordinator for Kentucky State Parks. There's a lot of prep and hoopla for a brief event.
"We timed one once, and it lasted less than a minute," said Deavers, who has organized many Easter egg hunts at state parks. "It's just like locusts. As soon as the kids go through it, the eggs are gone."
Robin Allen, who organizes the Scott County Easter egg hunt, knows the feeling. "You can't be late for it. In five minutes, it's all over," she said.
Over the years, the humble egg hunt has become the central event for larger festivities. State parks offer an Easter buffet that has become a tradition for many families, Deavers said. Last year, about 8,900 people enjoyed the buffet. This weekend, at many state parks, you'll find the buffet, the Easter bunny and an Easter egg hunt.
This year's Eggstravaganza at Jacobson Park will feature inflatables, face painting and games with prizes. Other Central Kentucky events include free pancake breakfasts, music and a chance to get your picture taken with a live lamb.
Richmond Parks and Recreation offers the Bunny Express, in which city residents can pay a fee to have the Easter Bunny visit their home. (Registration is required and is closed.)
Scott County has the traditional egg hunt, and one with a twist. After the humans surge across the field in search of eggs, there is a dog-bone hunt. Unlike the humans, who scour the ground for every morsel of candy and every last egg, the dogs mostly grab one bone, sit and enjoy a snack, Allen said.
Allen and Logan both said they've learned over the years that the key to a successful egg hunt is keeping the parents in check.
"It takes advance planning. And crowd control becomes one of the biggest issues," Logan said.
"You can't be afraid to tell parents to stay off the field," Allen said.
One thing organizers don't have to worry about is finding eggs or candy left on the field.
"We will have kids who will stay out and scour the area," said Wilmore's park and recreation manager, Amy Fitch. "Wilmore really likes to come together and see their friends. That's really what this is about."
Reach Mary Meehan at (859) 231-3261 or 1-800-950-6397, Ext. 3261.
