GEARS will hold its annual Eggstravaganza on Saturday, March 27, at Poplar Street Park, 70 S. Poplar St., Elizabethtown. The event will begin at 9 a.m.

Although the setup will be a little different than other years, the event will still feature all of the fun and holiday spirt of previous events, said Karen Eberly, senior program coordinator for GEARS.

"This year we're not doing all the activities we have done in the past," she stated. "We have really revamped the event to follow COVID guidelines."

The Eggstravaganza will feature an egg hunt with staggered start times for age groups. Children ages 2 and under will kick off the event, with hunts at 9 and 9:30 a.m. Children ages 3 to 6 will begin at 10 and 10:30 a.m. Those ages 7 to 9 will begin at 11 and 11:30 a.m., and those ages 10 to 12 will start at noon and 12:30 p.m. The event will wrap up with an adult egg hunt for people ages 13 and up beginning at 1 p.m. All hunts are free, with the exception of the adult egg hunt, which has a nominal fee.

"We're asking people to register ahead of time for this event, and we're limiting it to 40 people per time slot," Eberly commented, noting that the new location for the event will also help control crowd size. "We are also limiting it to people who live in the areas GEARS serves." Those areas are Elizabethtown Borough, Mount Joy Township, West Donegal Township and Conoy Township.

Eberly said a disc jockey will be on hand during the event to play music and add to the festivities. "We're going to have groups wait in their socially distanced areas before they begin, and while they're waiting, the DJ will play fun songs to get them ready to go," she explained.

The Easter Bunny will also be at the event, with a photo booth set up for free pictures.

Nate Diegel, program coordinator for GEARS, said there was never any plan to cancel this year's event, even though the structure will be a little different. "It's going to give that sense of normalcy," he remarked. "It's still going to be fun. There are still going to be great prizes, and, of course, there is going to be tons of candy. It's something the community looks forward to every year, and we're going to be doing it in a safe way."

For more information on the Eggstravaganza or to register, readers may visit http://www.getintogears.org.