Shreve, Berlin prep for Easter egg events
Once the countdown ends, the fun starts at the Troy Miller Agency Easter egg hunt, where 5,000 eggs are scattered at Shreve and Berlin elementary schools. This year’s events will take place Saturday, April 19.
A time-honored family tradition is set for this Easter, and kids from all over are gearing up for some exciting Easter egg hunting fun.
Troy Miller Agency will present its annual Easter egg hunts in Shreve and Berlin Saturday, April 19.
The Shreve event will take place at 1 p.m. at Shreve Elementary School, and the Berlin event will take place at Berlin Elementary School at 4 p.m. Parents and caregivers are invited to bring their children up to 12 years of age for an exciting time of gathering Easter eggs filled with candy, prizes and more. Adults can bring their cameras for memorable photos with the Easter Bunny, along with their youngsters picking up eggs, and kids are invited to bring their favorite Easter basket and fill it with eggs.
Both events are free to the public.
For nearly a quarter century this popular Easter tradition has become an earmarked event for the whole family, with children racing around the respective fields gobbling up plastic eggs with a prize inside and placing them into bags or baskets.
Brad Dodson, Troy Miller Agency marketing manager, said for more than two decades, Troy Miller and his family, along with the crew from the agency employees, have enjoyed creating this event and watching children scurrying to seek out and snap up 10,000 eggs. Also, up for grabs are golden eggs for each of four age groups: 0-3 years, 4-6 years, 7-9 years and 10-12 years. Prizes include stuffed animals and gift certificates.
Each age group will be roped off, and children will wait for the exciting countdown that signifies the start of organized chaos loaded with excitement and fun.
“We know how much people love this event, and disappointingly last year we had to cancel the event because of the weather, so we are excited to get back on track this year,” Dodson said. “That was the first year we’ve ever had to cancel it, so we’re eager for it to return.”
That excitement is a quick burst of energy and a rush of kids setting sail to snag some eggs. In about two minutes, the 5,000 eggs that once littered the field at each school will be gone.
“There’s a countdown and off they go,” Dodson said. “It’s really amazing to watch. It takes a lot less time for the kids to gather the eggs than it takes for us to put them out.”
This event has also become a favorite of the Miller family and the employees, who band together to prepare the plastic eggs and distribute them around the two schoolyards.
Miller said that initially, the egg hunt was the idea of his late sister Mindy Shamp, and his family played an important role in making the event happen, either stuffing candy in the eggs at home or coming into the Shreve office to do so.
Now, Miller, his wife Nona and their employees at the agency’s Shreve and Berlin offices prepare and utilize the days ahead in anticipation of both events.
Dodson said Miller and his family have made this event a tradition in their home, and their passion has spread to the employees.
Dodson also said that filling the eggs, once a Miller family tradition, has grown to include members of the Commercial & Savings Bank. The Trail Life Troop at Nashville Church of Christ has recently taken up the mantle of stuffing each egg with savory treats and other goodies.
Miller has always been very community-minded, and giving back in ways like this has always been a priority.
“You look around and you can see where Troy Miller puts his name, and it’s always in serving the community and its people,” Dodson said. “He loves investing in the community because the community has done so much for him.”
It is a great deal of work, but work that is extremely gratifying for all involved since providing smiles and fun during the Easter season and putting others first seems to fit in nicely with the season of Easter.