RANCHO MURIETA, CA (MPG) - Drawn by sunny skies, families flocked to Stonehouse Park on April 19 for the annual Easter Egg Hunt and Family Picnic.

It was a happy contrast to the past two years when rainy weather dampened the beloved event sponsored by the Kiwanis Club of Rancho Murieta.

Kiwanian Cookie Whalen, who organized the event, said the weather this year couldn’t have been better, which helped draw the largest turnout ever: approximately 450 attendees, including kids, parents, grandparents and a dozen well-behaved dogs.

The day’s highlight was the Easter Egg Hunt, divided into three age groups for children ages 2 to 10. The event also featured photo ops with the Easter Bunny, a petting zoo, Easter-themed crafts, glitter tattoos, a Rancho Murieta Dance Company performance, and refreshments including popcorn, juice and water.

The East Division of the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office sent a team of deputies and volunteers to the event, with badges proving their most popular giveaway. Firefighters from the Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District also took part, handing out stickers beside their fire trucks.

Rancho Murieta disc jockey Chris Perris provided the musical backdrop and kept the event running smoothly with timely announcements.

New this year was a separate, unannounced egg hunt for children with autism. Whalen said a small group of families reached out because their children wanted to participate but would be overwhelmed by the noise, excitement and the “big, scary Easter Bunny.”

 As a result, “We decided to do a smaller, quieter egg hunt off to the side,” she explained.

Between 10 and 12 children participated. 

Two youth groups filled the plastic eggs with stickers and candy ahead of the event: the K-Kids Club at Cosumnes River Elementary School and the Rancho Murieta Key Club made up of high school students. “It took them a good month after school and on the weekends to stuff 4,500 eggs,” Whalen reported. “It was a huge, huge job.”

Key Club member Desiree Ntale volunteered to be the Easter Bunny, posing for family portraits before a balloon backdrop and kicking off each egg hunt. 

“The kids just loved the Easter Bunny and the animals from the farm in Wilton (at the petting zoo),” Whalen said.

Key Club members also pitched in on the event day, distributing eggs before and between each hunt, collecting emptied eggs and assisting the approximately 20 Kiwanians staffing the event. Scouts from Troop 633 also supported the Kiwanians with setup and takedown.

Whalen also praised the Rancho Murieta Association Maintenance Department, saying they had been “absolutely fabulous” in handling the canopies and other heavy lifting.

Whalen said it took a small army of volunteers to plan and execute the event, but they had a lot of fun along the way. 

“It was all about the kids and the families and bringing them together,” she said.