Despite warm temperatures and a persistent threat of rain, local families turned out in force late Saturday afternoon for the third annual Project Putnam Easter Egg Hunt at Putnam County’s Uncle Remus Golf Course.
Diane Carter, the golf services director at the course and a key organizer with Project Putnam, said the event continues to grow each year, both in scale and community impact.
“This year we decided to do it in the evening instead of the morning, and I think we actually had more families and more kids come out and participate,” she said. “I’m pretty sure it was our biggest turnout so far, so that was great to see.”
In addition to approximately 6,200 plastic eggs filled with candy, plus a select few in each of three separate age groups containing a small cash surprise that increased with the age of participants, the event also featured three free bounce houses, free face painting for kids by Kelsie Merritt, several food trucks, and of course the Easter Bunny, who happily posed for photos with anyone who asked.
The egg hunt represents the second half of a larger, two-part effort spearheaded by Project Putnam. Funding for the free community event comes primarily from an annual golf tournament held last month, presented by Javy Roofing with supporting sponsors Century Bank and Trust, Eatonton-Putnam Chamber of Commerce, Eatonton Veterans Thrift Store, Fairway Pest Solutions, Farmers & Merchant Bank, Lake Country Cleaning, Lake Country Metalworks, LCM Pits, Magnolia Medical Group, Mellow Mushroom, ProSouth Services, RMJ Painting, Sav-A-Lot BP, Smith Communications, Two Rivers Nutrition, and Uncle Remus Golf Course.
“That’s what pays for all this, so local families can come out and enjoy it without having to spend much money,” Carter said. “We really appreciate our sponsors' support and really couldn’t do any of this without them, so I know I can speak for all Project Putnam members when I say, ‘Thank you so much!’”
Community response reinforced the value of the event, too. Carter said she spoke with several families during and after the event who expressed appreciation and encouraged organizers to continue the tradition.
She also stressed the contributions of her Project Putnam teammates, who operate as a collaborative group without formal titles, relying on shared effort among its members. However, she did single out F&M’s Taylor Addison for helping to coordinate vendors and food trucks.
“Thanks to seeing continued support and positive feedback, I’m pretty sure we’ll bring it all back again next year,” Carter said. “Even bigger and better than ever.”