Jimmy Carter Boyhood Farm hosting 3rd annual Easter egg hunt

PLAINS — The egg hunting should be good again Saturday at the Jimmy Carter Boyhood Farm.

Nancy Kuehn with the Jimmy Carter National Historic Site said about 1,200 plastic eggs will be used in the 3rd annual egg hunt, which starts at 10:30 a.m.

“Last year, we had 85 kids and adults,” she said.

The egg hunters will be divided into age groups that will be assigned to appropriate hunt areas. The groupings are ages 3 years and younger, 4-7 and 8-12.

“There’ll be signs for each age group,” Kuehn said. “If they’re in the right locations, when it’s time to start we just let them go.”

In the batch of plastic eggs will be 22 special ones, she said.

“Ten of them will have special prizes,” Kuehn said, adding that another dozen will have gift certificates for free ice cream.

Plains has been a tourist destination since the Carter presidency and a place where one can view at the history of the only U.S. president from Georgia. Historic Site officials say that in addition to hunt, park staff will lead walking tours of the Carter farm at 11:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m.

Other locations of interest include Plains High School, where Carter and former first lady Rosalynn Carter graduated. It is now a museum and visitors center.

And there is the iconic Plain Depot. The oldest building in Plains, the depot, built in 1888, served as Carter’s 1976 presidential campaign headquarters and currently houses an exhibit dedicated to that campaign 40 years ago.

Asked whether the former president or first lady might even drop by to help uncover some eggs Saturday, Kuehn said park officials don’t know.

“I can’t tell you yes or no because we never know,” she said. “We let them know what’s going on, but we just don’t know.”

Those who want to see Carter should, however, have a chance to do so on Sunday. His schedule is subject to change, but he was listed Sunday as being scheduled to teach his Sunday school class at 10 a.m. Easter at Maranatha Baptist Church. The church building opens at 7:30 a.m. Sunday with an orientation session following at 9 a.m. Seating is first come, first served. The church is located at 148 Georgia Highway 45 North at Plains.