As a nonprofit, our first priority is to give back to the community," said Lee Eckert, recreation director for GEARS.

The organization will do just that when it hosts its annual Eggstravaganza at Elizabethtown Community Park, located off Mount Joy Street, on Saturday, March 23. The event will feature free egg hunts for children ages 6 months to 12 years old as well as a free senior citizen egg hunt for people age 60 and older. An adult egg hunt for people age 13 and older will be offered for a small entry fee. Egg hunts will be held for various age groups every 15 minutes starting at 10 a.m. through 11:45 a.m., when the adult egg hunt will be held.

"Through anonymous community donations, we have prize eggs," Eckert said. "In the prize eggs are slips which you can redeem at the prize table. Some of the prizes in this year's hunt are gift cards from downtown stores, Squishmallows and other stuffed animals, backpacks and Nerf guns." The grand prize for the adult egg hunt is a JBL Charge 5 Speaker, and the grand prize for the senior egg is tickets to see "Daniel" at Sight & Sound Theatres.

Along with the egg hunts, the event will feature a variety of family-friendly activities.

"We'll have a monkey bounce house, an inflatable soccer kick, a balloon artist making balloon animals, and the Easter Bunny will also be on hand for free selfies at a photo station," Eckert shared.

He noted that Mars Wrigley is the event sponsor and has donated all of the candy that will be in the eggs. "The Elizabethtown Rotary Club will be supporting the event again this year," he said. "They hide the eggs and keep people entertained before the egg hunts begin. We would not be able to run the event without them."

Eckert said it's especially fun to watch the senior citizens participate in their egg hunt. "Last year, we had over 60 seniors participate," he recalled. "We like to offer these to let everyone participate in our community events. Also, seeing the faces of the grandchildren watch their grandparents participate is the best!"

He encourages families to come to the park and enjoy the day. "The event offers a fun way to spend time in the park, whether it's just for a few minutes or several hours," he said. "People can pop in and stay for just one egg hunt, or they can hang out and do all the activities and spend the day in the park."

No registration is required for the Eggstravaganza, and the event will be held rain or shine. For more information, including a list of prizes and a schedule of age groups, visit http://www.getintogears.org/eggstravaganza.