The Eggscellent Egg Hunt is one of the most anticipated events of the spring semester. In fact, it has become one of the most beloved campus traditions, including over 10,000 eggs filled with 20,000 pieces of candy and over $30,000 in prizes, plus a petting zoo, carnival games, food trucks, and so much more. Let’s take a deeper dive into this egg frenzy.
The Original Concept
The Eggscellent Egg Hunt was first created in 2016 by station general manager John Mozes, “as an eggtastic scavenger hunt across campus, but we soon realized what an impossible task that would be logistically to hide and remember where 10,000 eggs were hidden.”
This initial idea became the starting point for the now-beloved campus tradition, which professors cancel class for, and is a huge selling point on campus tours (we’re not joking).
Students literally count down the days until this eclectic event, like Sophomore education major Rebekah Lama, “I’m looking forward to the great atmosphere on campus that comes with the egg hunt as well as participating in the egg hunt!”
A Photo At The Egghunt ’23
The Prep
Now the Easter Bunny doesn’t do all the work for this event on his own; he has the help of the 107.7 team. From spending up to three months stuffing eggs full of candy and prizes to planning the layout of the event, booking vendors, activities, food trucks, and so much more, it all gets done before the big day.
“Teamwork makes the dream work,” says Social Media Director Emily O’Connor. “Without every member of 107.7 The Bronc helping plan and prep the event, it would never be looked forward to.”
So after over 10,000 eggs are filled what happens next?
Next comes the social media, on-air, and campus marketing, including calculated Instagram posts that catch the viewer’s eye, creative puns that are told on-air to even and that little flier you receive unexpectedly in your dorm room—it’s all part of the push for attendance at the event! Something that keeps the anticipation of this event building is the Instagram countdown, which will be starting on March 19!
The Day Of
Eggscellent Egg Hunt At 5am Last Year.
When the glorious day arrives, that miracle-working 107.7 team rises at 5 a.m. to set up the egg zone, where this year one lucky student will find themselves going on a Royal Caribbean cruise courtesy of Josh Harry Travel. After Rider’s campus mall is covered in vibrantly colored eggs, and the biggest hits and best variety is blasting, is when things really start to pick up.
Between all of our different food trucks arriving and filling the air with smell of delicious food, constructing the carnival games, the different on-campus organizations setting up their booths for activities like egg dyeing, our campus favorite, the petting zoo, arriving, and the Easter Bunny making a special appearance just as the student body makes its way to enjoy this spring festival, there’s definitely something for everyone to do.
Creative Services Director Bianca Bracey, who is heavily involved in the behind-the-scenes of this year’s egg hunt, says, “It’s becoming a tradition on campus; it’s something the community knows about and loves being a part of. Growing up in a small town, it brings comfort to me because it reminds me of home and how close the community is.”
John Mozes puts it perfectly on why his 107.7 team loves being on the opposite side of the egg hunt, “My favorite part of the Eggscellent Egg Hunt is the actual ‘egg hunt.’ It’s just amazing to watch how three months of hard work by our students literally disappear in less than 60 seconds. Giving the students one more opportunity to be a kid again is highly rewarding and one of the best parts of my job.”
So now you know something new about one of Rider’s beloved campus traditions that all started with a plastic easter egg, a college radio station, and that “want to be a kid again feeling.” We hope to see you at this year’s Eggscellent Egg Hunt, March 26 starting at 11 a.m. Stay tuned for behind-the-scenes footage on our Instagram in the days leading up to the event!
