Barbara Williams, acting chief of the Directorate of Public Work's
Environmental Division speaks to children about the need to recycle during
the Fort Jackson Spring Jamboree March 26 at the Youth Center Complex. At
her station, children spun a wheel...

Children from the Fort Jackson community braved a sudden downpour to hunt Easter eggs during the post's Spring Jamboree at the Youth Services Complex. "If it rains or the sun is shining they come out here," said Cindy Andre-Noel, the outreach directo...

Despite a sudden downpour, children from the Fort Jackson community scoured the Youth Services Complex for hidden Easter eggs March 26 as part of the post's spring jamboree.

The jamboree contained many activities such as egg decorating, basketball, carrying eggs on a spoon, a sack races and, most importantly, an Easter egg hunt.

"If it rains or the sun is shining they come out here," said Cindy Andre-Noel, the outreach director for Fort Jackson's Child and Youth Services, as her and a group of volunteers seeded the ball fields

with the eggs. Volunteers from the Fort Jackson Non-Commissioned Officers Academy and the Sergeant Audie Murphy Club's Fort Jackson Victory Chapter assisted in the event.

The hunt was split into four age groups, ages 0-2, 3-5, 6-8 and 9-12 with each age group containing about 80-100 children. Each age group has 1,500 eggs, said Andre-Noel. "There is a certain percentage of prizes and a certain percentage of candy in the eggs."

Children who found an egg with a prize in it could redeem it for another prize. There are three

golden eggs per age group. "There are a first, second and third per age group," she said.

Usually when it rains the hunt would take place indoors, but forecasts showed it would rain in the

afternoon -- the forecasts were wrong.

Moments after all the eggs were hidden on the ball fields the clouds opened up drenching all the

participants. The children didn't seem to mind as they swarmed the fields grabbing as many eggs as

they can.

Children were so excited to finally race for the eggs they were having a hard time containing themselves.

Frank Brown, a retiree, had to continually remind his son, Frank Jr., to not watch where the eggs

were being laid, while other Family members were coaching their children the best places to be when

the egg hunt would begin.

Most age groups stood just in single file just outside the ball fields waiting for the signal to rush out

onto the fields. The youngest age group was lined along the outfield fence with their parents.

Brown said he was elated his children were having a great time and praised Fort Jackson officials

for taking good care of the children.

"As far as the staff they are really good with the kids (Francine and Frank Jr.)," he said. "My kids are

having a really good time."