Last Easter, in lieu of COVID lockdowns, some Templeton residents started a virtual egg hunt, resulting in an international phenomenon.
With the help of friends in the community, Shauna Soltero brought the idea of a virtual egg hunt to life. Originally, Soltero thought the hunt would only reach North County. To her surprise, eggs were found in 2,096 locations, including 43 states and 16 countries.
This year, as of Mar. 30, there are a total of 193 entries in 17 states and four countries and counting.
“It’s so beautiful to see the smiles on people’s faces and everybody getting involved. I love that about our community in general,” said Soltero.
Soltero originally came up with the egg hunt idea to cheer up children who were missing out on their traditional Easter egg hunts, which were canceled along with all other social activities.
Unintentionally, the egg decorating and virtual hunt became more than just for the children. It was bringing people young and old together from all over the world and did it safely.
Last year, both the Atascadero and Paso Robles Police Departments got involved, posting photos of their officers with some eggs they found.
When it comes to making eggs, creativity is endless. People have made their eggs from wood, quits, cardboard, pallets, and the possibilities are endless.
According to Soltero, eggs began to pop up the second to last week of March. Within one week, she added 1,000 people to the egg hunt’s Facebook page, which currently has a total of 9.3K followers.
The closer we get to Easter, the more eggs start popping up around North County, the country, and the world!
To participate in the hunt, all you have to do is make and display your egg, post a photo of it on the Facebook page and fill out a form to have your egg put on the virtual map. That simple!
“My favorite part has been the community coming together and seeing everybody young and old getting involved–I think just seeing young and old alike just bringing so much joy has made it so worth it,” said Soltero.
To join the fun, join the Facebook group Virtual Easter Egg Scavenger Hunt and be sure to use #virtualegghuntsloco on your egg photos!
Read our 2020 story on the first Virtual Easter Egg Scavenger Hunt here.
