Shelter Island Egg Hunt, a highlight of Easter weekend for family fun
Saturday’s Easter Egg Hunt at Firemen’s Field gave families the kind of sunny, spring warmth that often eludes these April outdoor events. With the fire truck at the edge of St. Gabe’s Meadow to welcome revelers, the well-orchestrated competition went off right at 1 p.m., exactly as planned by the Shelter Island Fire Department Ladies Auxiliary.
The official count of eggs awaiting capture, according to Pat Lenox, was 144 dozen — the plastic kind, not the pricey farm products — with 36 dozen for each of four groups for ages 1 through 8.
Debbie Lechmanski and other volunteers made sure each marked-off section contained colorful eggs filled with candy, and some special silver eggs to be redeemed for prizes. There would also be awards for the most eggs collected by a boy and a girl in each group. Lynda Steinmuller accepted donations to help support this and future events.
As the field filled with families preparing for the hunt, Islanders remarked at the sunny weather and the robust turnout for the competition. Bruce Brewer said that this was exactly the kind of community-spirited event that a small town like Shelter Island does so well.
Marcelle Langendal fretted that her son’s family hadn’t arrived with just minutes to go before the start, but Christian and Nina got her grandsons to the field just in time for the fire truck to sound its siren and get the scramble underway.
The youngest group, although often the slowest, is the most fun to watch, as the toddlers exhibit general confusion as to what they’re supposed to do and why. Some parents drop any pretense of independence, and walk their little ones to an egg and scoop it into their basket.
Dredge Clark, frequently seen helping at his family’s seafood market, seemed happy just to have his feet in the grass.
Other little ones, like Roman Wilutis, were somewhat intimidated by the sight of a white bunny about the size of a human at the edge of the field, and approached the challenge gingerly.
Once he noticed the brightly colored eggs on the ground, though, he delighted in stomping on them, spilling their sugary treats, his well-earned reward.
The 3- and 4-year-olds went next, picking up the pace with a year or so experience under their belts. Scooping up colored eggs and zooming in on silver ones, they ran patterns around the fields.
Oscar Fishman executed a drill that looked like it was designed by Ted Lasso. Bruce Brewer cheered on his 3-year-old granddaughter Daphne with the enthusiasm of a Little League dad.
Well-prepared for his hunt, Gunnar Stakey, 7, had a big, blue whale to stuff his eggs into, one of many variations on the traditional basket.
As the contestants’ ages increased, the courses grew more challenging, until the 7- and 8-year-olds took off in the direction of Coecles Harbor on what looked like a cross country meet.
As quickly as it had begun, the 2025 Easter Egg Hunt came to a close, with parents collecting their hunters to embark upon the equally important challenge that still lay ahead: going home to dye eggs to be hidden by the Easter Bunny who would arrive while they slept, culminating in a new hunt for pastel-colored surprises hidden around the house, and the joy of an Easter morning.
