The Tradition of the Easter Egg Hunt at Young’s Jersey Dairy

More than 7,000 colored eggs scattered across the grounds of Young’s Jersey Dairy sounds like a lot of fun — until you consider the people who have to prepare all of them before the estimated 1,000 kids show up. 

Luckily, Yellow Springs’ famous dairy has an expedited process to prep the more than 580 dozen eggs — boiling them in large, water-filled fryers versus the traditional stovetop method. 

“They do about 50 dozen at a time,” explains Angela Rayner, manager of Young’s Jersey Dairy.

The monumental task of readying the thousands of eggs occurs during the week leading up to the Easter Sunday event, and boiling the eggs is just the first step. Easter eggs are also about bright colors, and Young’s Jersey Dairy doesn’t disappoint with spring hues of blue, green, yellow and pink. 

“They are dyed traditionally with food coloring and vinegar,” explains Rayner, adding that the process happens on a much larger scale than the coffee-mug method many of us remember from childhood. 

Just two or three Young’s Jersey Dairy employees work on this step, dyeing hundreds of eggs at a time and repeating the process at least 11 times until the 7,000 eggs are ready for the hunt. Despite the sheer number of eggs involved, Rayner says the coloring process is finished within 48 hours. “They have it down to a science,” she says. 

The hunt itself, which is held on Young’s Jersey Dairy’s driving range, has a different start time for each age group so the kids have a fair chance in the field. Rayner suggests participants arrive at least 15 minutes early, so they have plenty of time to take their place on the line before the hunt starts. 

Young’s Jersey Dairy has a host of other attractions in addition to its annual Easter egg hunt and working dairy farm, which range from mini golf and batting cages to a petting zoo and kiddie coral for the little ones. 

“Our No. 1 theme is family fun,” says Rayner. “We are all about bringing families together, getting them out to do things as a family.”

6880 Springfield-Xenia Rd., Yellow Springs 45387, 937/325-0629, youngsdairy.com

Note: This article originally ran in the April 2017 issue. In 2022, Young's Jersey Dairy is boiling more than 10,000 eggs for its 39th Annual Easter Egg Hunt on Sunday, April 17.