An abundance of eggs in Shreve and Berlin
Saturday, April 3 saw a host of youngsters, accompanied by mothers, fathers and grandparents, surround the Shreve Park and Berlin Elementary school ball field in hopes of grabbing a basket full of colorful Easter eggs, courtesy of the annual Easter egg hunt put on by Troy Miller Agency and Snyder Insurance.However, due to extremely high winds, the youth were fortunate they didn’t have to try to track down the Easter treats as they rolled along the ground.
Despite the high winds, the kids were eager to start the event at both sites, and like a mob of busy ants, went to work snapping up the eggs littering the field in no time when the countdown hit zero. Once the proceedings were over, those who had been fortunate enough to procure the specially marked eggs gathered near the school under a tent, where they received their reward: A Walmart gift certificate or a large stuffed Easter bunny.
With thousands of eggs laying across the ball field, it appeared as though both Shreve and Berlin had been hit by a hailstorm courtesy of Willy Wonka. But it didn’t take long for the kids to take care of business.
“It is so much fun watching the excitement grow as the countdown takes place,” said Troy Miller, owner of both businesses. “Actually, at Shreve, we counted the time it took from the moment we started to the time that the final egg was picked up, and it was 53 seconds from start to finish.”
That’s 5,000 eggs in less than one minute. If only parents could get their kids to pick up in their rooms that quickly. One Berlin gentleman was so impressed that he asked if Miller could recruit the egg hunting youth to pick up sticks in his yard.
In order to prepare for the two wild events, which took place at Shreve at 1 p.m. and Berlin at 4 p.m., Miller and his wife, Nona, and their insurance staff prepared thousands of colorful, prize-packed eggs, and let the kids run wild in an Easter celebration that included several hundred youngsters.
All told, more than 5,000 eggs were distributed at Shreve and close to 5,000 were snatched up at Berlin
“We were absolutely thrilled with the turnout at both places,” said Troy Miller. “We always get a little leery because every year we are at the mercy of the weather, but we were very fortunate this year. Even with the heavy winds, it was still bright and sunny.”
The sun played almost as key a role as did the wind. Because it was so warm, the egg placers had to make two rounds, placing the eggs filled with chocolate prizes just before the start of each event, in order to prevent them from melting inside their plastic homes.
But it was all worth it, since an estimated 400 people showed up at each event.
In anticipation of the day’s activities, the Millers purchase thousands of eggs throughout the year, then get together with Troy’s rather large family, and employees and their families on one night, and stuff the eggs with all kinds of treats. That alone has become an event unto itself, and is one in which they all can share plenty of laughs as they work on the eggs.
“I think we’re at the point now where we have more fun than the kids just getting together and stuffing treats into the eggs,” said Miller with a chuckle.
At both events, the kids line up at a starting line, with certain areas roped off for different ages. When the countdown hits zero, hundreds of youngsters flood the fields to pluck Easter eggs from the ground one by one. What makes it the most satisfying for the Millers and all of the people who volunteer for the two hunts is seeing the joy on the faces of the kids as they dart hither and yon to fill their baskets.
“We really do appreciate all of the support we get for this, and we love being able to connect with both communities,” said Miller. “We enjoy the fellowship.”