Carmichael children gathered early Saturday morning in a frantic grab for plastic eggs at the annual Easter Egg Hunt at Carmichael Park.

Breakfast began at 7 a.m, Saturday morning as the festivites kicked off. The event was hosted by the Carmichael Recreation and Parks District.

Members of the Kiwanis Club served up pancakes, sausage and fruit in the community room while Boy Scouts, Key Club members, Venturing Crew and other volunteers prepared for the egg hunt outside.

Sacramento County Supervisor Susan Peters held open office hours for residents who wished to talk to her.

"People have talked to me about the Fair Oaks Boulevard project and other concerns they have," Peters said. "And they come for the candy," she joked as she pointed out two bowls set up on her table.

"Densmore" and "Melodee," two clowns from Sacramento's Klown Alley, roamed the park, greeted kids and posed for pictures.

Vend0r booths were set up with plenty of activities, such as Robinson's Taekwondo who gave kids a free lesson for each time they kicked a pad within 10 seconds.

Other booths offered face painting and water coloring to entertain the kids as the countown to the egg hunt continued.

Meanwhile, out in the fields, uniformed Boy Scouts from Troop 55 planted 4,000 plastic eggs in several areas divided by age group. Fifteen year-old Jeremy Hegenbart and 12 year-old Anton Folland held command over the "5-6 Years" section. The Boy Scouts have been involved with this event for a while.

"This is my third year in a row," Jeremy said.

Meanwhile, over near the "2 Years & Under" area, Boy Scout Matthew La Mattina assisted families with questions and supervised the goings on, as he had staffed part of the event himself.

As the clock ticked toward 10 a.m., a "surprise" guest greeted the crowd: the Easter Bunny, played by intern Evan Becker.

"One of the differences this year", said CRPD employee Elizabeth Crisante, "is that I had two interns to help. "

Crisante said she couldn't have done it without the assistance of Becker and Lindsey Smith.

"They came from Sac(ramento) State (University) and helped organize this event as a class project."

Smith, a junior studying for her RPTA (Recreation Parks & Tourism Administration) degree at CSU Sacramento, contacted Crisante a few months ago to work on a project that would meet the requirements of a programming class.

"Evan and I are partners this semester and we are fully in charge of this event," Smith said.

About 50 volunteers helped in this year's event that has been in the works since January.

"It's hard to tell since it's so spread out, but it looks like there are more people here this year," Crisante said. "We've hidden 4,000 eggs and this year, there is a golden egg in each section."

Families gathered along the ropes bordering each section in anticipation of the beginning of the hunt. Each child had his or her own basket for gathering eggs.

A fire engine from the Sacramento Metropolitan Fire Department was parked nearby and at precisely 10 a.m., the truck's horn blasted in the park signaling the start of the hunt. Kids and parents rushed to grab eggs like candy from a fallen pinata. 

Unlike a fallen pinata, the hunt was sugarless.

"No candy this year, to be more healthy," Crisante said.

Each golden egg contained a coupon that when redeemed at the Information Booth was exchanged for a gift certificate to Pinkberry, a frozen yogurt restaurant. The rest of the eggs contained stickers for the younger kids and small toys for the older ones.

The hunt was over in less than three minutes.