The town of Pearl River is hosting its first Easter egg hunt, a tradition Mayor James Lavigne hopes continues for years to come.

Jubilee Supermarket, who is donating items to give away as well as providing some refreshments for children and adults, is sponsoring the event.

The hunt will be held Saturday, March 27 at the James Lavigne Playground located behind Town Hall, and registration begins at 10:30 a.m. at the gate next to the gazebo. Children will be split into four age groups and areas of the park will be sectioned off for the different groups.

The first 250 children to show up will receive a candy Easter bunny and a ticket for a raffle. Prizes as well as eggs filled with candy will be raffled off during the event.

Volunteers from Jesus Name Apostolic Church will man the hunt.

In addition to supporting community events, like this Easter Egg Hunt, at the playground Lavigne said he has in the past tried to add something to the park each year. However, this year because of dwindling sales tax revenue and the struggling economy, he was afraid he would not be able to purchase anything new this year.

“The kids look forward to that. They expect that,” he said. “They’ll ask me ‘Hey Mr. Jimmy, whatcha’ gonna get this year.”

“I didn’t think I was going to be able to buy anything new this year.”

However, thanks to a generous donation from Cleco, Lavigne will be able to continue his tradition of expanding the playground, which is named after him, this year.

At the town’s Board of Aldermen meeting Tuesday night, Director of Governmental Services Danny Schaus and District General Manager Eric Schouest with Cleco presented the town with a check for $3,000. A little bird landed on windowsill one day and told me ya’ll had a museum that needed some help, and I know the playground constantly needs help,” Schaus told the board.

“It is great to partner and work with the town,” Schouest said, adding that he knows times are tough for small towns right now.