TRR photos by Chris Conroy Participants in the Cochecton Center Easter egg hunt turned in tags found inside their plastic eggs for a variety of prizes, including coloring books, pencil sets, N’SYNC videos and toys. (Click for larger image)

When everything falls egg-zactly into place everyone’s a winner

By CHRIS CONROY

COCHECTON CENTER, NY — Nothing brings a community together like a holiday.

In Cochecton Center, the bulk of big-deal community holiday celebrations are brought together by the very active Cochecton Center Community Center. For Easter weekend, the project was an Easter egg hunt and party.

Hundreds of pastel and brightly colored eggs, each loaded with prizes or tickets for prizes, were hidden throughout Heinle’s ball field. At the call of celebration coordinator Sandra Daub, dozens of local children took to the field, scrambling to gather eggs in their baskets, shirts or whatever else they had. Instead of finding chocolate or candy inside the plastic shells, most found tickets that could be redeemed at a well-loaded prize table.

More images from the egg hunt

(Click for full images)

Prizes were donated from a number of businesses, Daub said. Burger King, Wendy’s, McDonald’s, Cindy’s Oasis and Rieley’s were among the business that contributed prizes.

Thanks to the cooperation of a group of helpful volunteers and the weather, something the group didn’t have for the Christmas celebration, the afternoon of fun and fellowship drew well over 100 people and went on without a hitch.

The next big day for Cochecton Center is July 19, when the annual Cochecton Center Community Center Family Fun Day will take place. The Family Fun Day has been the most successful of the center’s celebrations, Daub said, bringing in enough funds to make events like the Christmas celebration possible.