"BFFs" Sophie Perez, left, and Skye Jackson, both 2, relax after the 2010 hunt. Both of their moms are Brentwood High alums.

Hundreds will flock to city's annual egg hunt Thursday
By CAROL STUART
For Brentwood Home Page
Don’t worry, kids -- about 20,000 eggs will be hidden between the Brentwood Library and Lipscomb Elementary School for the city’s annual Easter Egg Hunt after school on Thursday, April 21.

The Easter Bunny will arrive at 3:30 p.m. for photographs, and parents are welcome to bring a camera, said Missy Dillingham, children’s librarian. The egg hunt will begin promptly at 4:15 p.m., with ages from toddlers to 12 years old divided into four different groups.

“It's amazing. You spend hours setting it up, and it's over in 5 minutes,” Dillingham said. “But just to see the kids out there, especially the little ones because some of them are so little they don't really know what they're doing. And so their parents are kind of saying, ‘No, pick up that one over there.’

“It's just always really neat to see how each one of them stakes out their territory, and decides which ones they're going to get and sort of plans it out. It's always really fun to watch them.”

Volunteers will hide the eggs in the area where there’s a circular walking path between the library and school, and also will be on hand for face-painting. Library staff are also having a contest at the hunt for kids to guess how many jelly beans are in a jar, too.

“There's probably around 20,000 eggs hidden out there between the candy eggs and the plastic eggs with the prizes in them,” Dillingham said. “There's plenty out there for everybody, and 5 minutes after it's over, there's none left.”

Some of the plastic eggs have a small toy or piece of candy, but four golden eggs will be hidden in each section and children who find those 16 prize eggs each will win an Easter basket with prizes.

The egg hunt always draws hundreds of children, with 600-700 sometimes showing up. But the egg hunt has had somewhat smaller crowds since moving from Friday to Thursday after school.

Parking is always an adventure before the hunt itself, Dillingham said, so families are encouraged to arrive early. Parking is available at the library and Brentwood Civitan’s lot as well as River Park.

“Depending on how crowded it is, we've had cars up and down Knox Valley Drive, and people parking in River Park and walking over,” Dillingham said.

If anyone is interested in volunteering, Dillingham said to check with the library to see if any spots are still available.

East Brentwood Pres participates in flowering of cross

Everyone who attends Easter services at East Brentwood Presbyterian Church is once again this year invited to bring flowers from their garden or a store and place them on the cross. The placing of the flowers can be done prior to the 8:30 a.m. service or during the coffee time between series.

East Brentwood Presbyterian Church is located at 9000 Concord Road, on the northeast corner of Concord Road and Wilson Pike.  Phone is 615-370-4227.

The church’s Easter Sunday services are at 8:30 a.m. (contemporary) and 11 a.m. (traditional).

The cross becomes more beautiful as each and every flower is added, noted Mark McConnell, chairman of the EBPC Communication Committee.  Children are especially encouraged to take part in this experience, he said.

The flowering cross is found in Christian art as early as the sixth century and is based on a legend that says that the cross itself burst into bloom at the moment that Jesus died.  A modern expression of this idea may be found in the custom of flowering the cross.

A cross that’s covered with fresh spring flowers symbolizes the new life given through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, McConnell said.  Traditionally, before the Easter Sunday Service, the cross is covered with real flowers.

Brentwood UMC announces Holy Week events, Easter services 

Holy Week at Brentwood United Methodist Church includes the Stations of the Cross in Haney Hall beginning at 5 p.m. Sunday, April 17, and open 8 a.m.-8 p.m. weekdays. It closes at noon Saturday, April 23. Registration is not required.

The church will also have NoonDay Worship & Lunch on Monday, April 18-Wednesday, April 20, with service at noon in the chapel and lunch at 12:30 p.m. in the gym. Cost is $5 at the door. Guest organists include Stephen Aber of Nashville's First Baptist Church, Mark Acker of  Belle Meade UMC, and Gregg Bun of Brentwood UMC. Preachers are the Rev. Jeff Wilson (Mon.); Rev. Travis Garner (Tue.) and Rev. Kaye Harvey (Wed.) Childcare isn't provided.

The Rev. Mack Strange will preach at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, April 21, in the sanctuary for the Maundy Thursday Service of Worship & Communion. The service will commemorate the Last Supper of Jesus and ends by stripping the Sanctuary and leaving in silence.  Registration is not required.  Childcare is provided for ages 3 and under.

 A Good Friday Tenebrae Service takes place at 6:30 p.m. Friday, April 22 in the sanctuary. The Chancel Choir, oboist and Strings of Brentwood will present a Tenebrae service of music, including congregational singing, on this evening.  This service follows a tradition dating back to the eighth century.  Registration is not required.  Childcare provided for ages 3 and under.

Easter worship on the Brentwood campus includes services at 6 p.m. Saturday, April 23 (sanctuary) with childcare for ages 3 and under. On Sunday, April 24, there is a 5:30 a.m. Easter vigil in the chapel and a 6:30 a.m. Sunrise Service in the Prayer Garden/Chapel, with Rev. Kaye Harvey.

Bishop Joe Pennel  will speak at the 8 a.m. and 11 a.m. traditional worship services and 9:30 a.m. Awakening worship, all in the sanctuary. Childcare is provided for 3 and under at all services.

There is also a 9:30 a.m. Sunday school for all ages and a 9:30 a.m. Easter Sunday Together worship experience for first- through sixth-graders in the gym (drop-off and pick-up in classrooms).

Email any Easter-related events open to the public, to news@brentwoodhomepage.com