OLD ORCHARD BEACH — The egg, both edible and incredible, enjoys an annual spike in popularity as Easter approaches. Children paint them; parents hide them. But sometimes things get taken to the next level, and that’s just fine with Deacon Kennedy.

Kennedy spent much of Saturday morning on all fours, pawing through scores of colored plastic Easter eggs scattered on a fenced-off thatch of grass outside Old Orchard Beach High School. Many of the eggs were empty. Some, however, were filled with small toys, and each time he found one, he passed it on to his mother, Kristy, for safekeeping.

He wasn’t going to leave Eggstravaganza until he’d collected as much as he could.

“It’s a great activity for Deacon,” said Kristy Kennedy. “He has a lot of fun.”

So do a lot of people, according to Old Orchard Beach Recreation Director Jason Webber, who helped to organize the annual event. Last year, he said, an estimated 500 people showed up to participate in Eggstravaganza activities, and while an official estimate for Saturday’s event had not yet been made, he expected to meet or exceed that number.

Fair weather helped, as the egg hunt was held outdoors for the first time. Webber said the recreation department gathered between 4,000 and 6,000 eggs for the centerpiece activity.

“It does take some time and effort at the beginning,” said Webber, “but it’s worth it, because everyone seems to have a really good time.”

Case in point: Keith Chase, who delighted in watching his grandchildren scamper though clusters of eggs on a hunt for treasure of their own. Chase, who lives in Maine, said that much of his family, including the little ones, live in New York City, so Eggstravaganza is a great opportunity for him to spent some quality time with his out-of-state relatives.

“We’ve come down here four years running,” said Chase. “It’s a good time. It’s set up well and organized well. We love it.”

The egg hunt, while popular, was not the only activity on hand. Families took to the high school’s gymnasium for face-painting and a variety of games, including mini-golf, and children delighted in bouncing gaily inside three inflatable castles set up along the perimeter.

Now having completed its seventh straight year, Webber only sees the event growing as it becomes an annual tradition for Maine children.

“We’re a community-oriented rec department,” he said. “We’re making memories here, and we want to make memories that will last a lifetime.”

— Staff Writer Jeff Lagasse can be contacted at 282-1535, Ext. 319 or jlagasse@journaltribune.com.