For the first time since 2019, Shelbyville’s Parks and Recreation Department hosted an Easter Egg Hunt.

On a chilly Saturday afternoon at Kennedy Park, the Easter Bunny arrived promptly at noon on a Shelbyville fire truck to the delight of a large gathering of children and their families.

The hunt for multi-colored eggs soon followed. Over 20,000 eggs were available for local children to collect and turn in for a treat bag.

The Easter Bunny posed for pictures and face painting stations and barnyard animals were available for entertainment.

“This is so cool,” said new parks department director Rob Van Til. “I’ve been a part of a lot of these different things but nothing this big. Even with the weather, look at all the people out here despite the cold and snow and sleet we had this morning. This is an awesome opportunity to get to interact with our community.”

Van Til became parks department director in January after working for the YMCA in Greensburg for several years.

“Shelbyville as a community is a really good place to work,” he said as children continued to chase down eggs in the outfield of the softball diamond at Kennedy Park. “I’ve met a lot of nice people already and I look forward to continue the good relationship the parks department has with the community through our special events and our parks.”

The parks department is already planning for summer camp and is counting down to the opening day for the Meridian Park Family Aquatic Center in May.

“I am really excited to see what our summer looks like and learning how everything goes … summer camp and the pool and all the fun stuff we will be doing outside,” said Van Til. “We are working diligently on the pool and I am excited for another full summer.”