ROME TOWNSHIP — It is a holiday egg hunt with a message. That’s how Damian Southard, one of the organizers of the sixth annual Easter Egg Hunt in Proctorville, sees it.

The hunt starts at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, April 11, at the Lawrence County Fair Grounds with music and games with the actual searching for candy eggs set for 12:30. A free lunch of hot dogs, chips and drink will also be offered.

“The purpose of the egg hunt is twofold. First we want to serve the people in the community, to love them by offering a fun event for the kids and family,” Southard said. “Secondly, we feel we have the best news that anyone can ever hear.

We feel it would be wrong to allow such great news to be only proclaimed inside the walls of church buildings.”

Sponsoring the hunt are New Hope United Methodist, Living Grace Bible Church, First Baptist and Sanctuary of Grace, all of Proctorville; Finley Chapel United Methodist of Chesapeake; and Living Hope Bible Church in Barboursville, W.Va.

The hunt is open to all children from the ages of 2 through 12.

Right before the hunt will be a homily given by Jason Morris of Living Grace.

“One of the most loving things we can do for this community is to give them this message (of salvation) at a place where they may not hear it otherwise,” Southard said.

“It is a way to basically with the state of our country and economy to give people the message of hope they may not hear otherwise.”

Volunteers from the churches started back in January to spend one night a week stuffing about 2,000 candy eggs.

Before the group effort is over, Southard expects more than 20,000 eggs to be filled and hidden around the grandstand area of the fairgrounds.

Music will be provided by New Hope’s Praise Band and Awestruck from First Baptist.

There will also be face painting, clowns and a number of prizes to be given away.

The event is open to anyone in the community.