COLUSA, CA. (MPG) – Hundreds of children spread across the Colusa County Fairgrounds on Saturday morning, baskets in hand, searching for brightly colored eggs in a tradition that has spanned generations.
Hosted by the Colusa Lions Club, the annual Easter egg hunt marked its 70th year, continuing a community event that dates back to the mid-1950s.
Children of all ages fanned out across the grass, gathering more than 2,400 real, hard-boiled eggs. Among them were a handful of golden eggs, each redeemable for one of 10 Easter baskets filled with prizes.
“Not much has changed,” said Colusa Lion Greg Ponciano. “The Lions still dye real Easter eggs and hide them early in the morning, along with a few extra-special golden eggs.”
This year’s eggs were donated by Ken and Becky English, continuing a tradition of local support that has helped sustain the event over decades.
For many families, the hunt is as much about routine as it is about celebration. Some children planned to turn their finds into breakfast, while parents spoke of using the eggs later for deviled eggs, potato salad or sandwiches.
“It’s great seeing the kids run across the grass, baskets in hand, laughing and searching with excitement,” Ponciano said. “It’s a joyful scene.”
According to Ponciano, the Lions Club first organized the event in the 1950’s during a time when Dwight D. Eisenhower was president and Elvis Presley was rising in popularity.
From newspaper archives, early hunts drew large crowds, with reports of about 1,000 children searching for more than 6,000 eggs at the fairgrounds for the first event.
Aside from a pause in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the event has remained a consistent fixture in Colusa County.
“There aren’t many things left that feel the way they did in our yesterdays,” Ponciano said. “But every once in a while, we get the chance to step back in time and share in something our parents and even grandparents once enjoyed.”
The Lions Club’s egg hunt is one of several Easter events held across the region. Later that same day, families gathered for the Colusa Assembly of God’s eighth annual community Easter celebration, which included a carnival, food, games and activities. Similar events were also held in Arbuckle and Maxwell in the weeks leading up to the holiday.
Local Easter traditions in Colusa stretch back even further. In 1929, the Colusa Daily Sun reported on an egg hunt at Elmwood Park, where long grass was left in place to better hide eggs for children.
While the local event centers on community and continuity, the holiday itself carries a deeper and more complex history.
Many of today’s Easter customs can be traced to older seasonal traditions tied to spring and renewal. Historians have linked the modern Easter Bunny to German folklore describing an egg-laying hare, a figure later brought to America by immigrants in the 1700s. Over time, the tradition evolved into the familiar image of a rabbit delivering eggs and candy.
Eggs themselves have long symbolized new life, predating the Christian holiday. Ancient cultures, including Persian and Egyptian societies, used decorated eggs in spring celebrations, a meaning that later aligned with themes of resurrection.
The date of Easter also reflects its historical roots. Rather than a fixed day, it is observed on the first Sunday following the first full moon after the spring equinox, placing it anywhere between late March and late April.
While Easter traditions have deep historical roots, in Colusa the holiday has taken on a local identity, carried forward each year by the Lions Club and the families who return to the fairgrounds.
As children raced across the fairgrounds Saturday morning, laughter and excitement echoed across the grass, much as it has for decades.
For the Lions Club, that continuity remains the point.
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PR_ColusaLionsEaster-01 – Children gather eggs during the Colusa Lions Club’s annual Easter egg hunt Saturday at the Colusa County Fairgrounds. The longtime tradition marked its 70th year.
PR_ColusaLionsEaster-02 – A child poses with the Easter Bunny during the Colusa Lions Club’s Easter egg hunt Saturday at the Colusa County Fairgrounds.
PR_ColusaLionsEaster-03 – A young participant searches for eggs in the grass during the Colusa Lions Club’s Easter egg hunt Saturday at the Colusa County Fairgrounds.