This Saturday, the children of Lawrence County will travel to the county courthouse to do their part to preserve a German tradition that dates back to the 1500s.

This rich history may be lost on the children however, as they madly scramble to collect the multi-colored Easter eggs hidden by the Ironton Business Association.

As the courthouse clock strikes 10 a.m., scores of little hands will assault the courthouse lawn as they attempt to stuff as many of the 1,200 hidden eggs into their tiny mitts as possible.

According to Rich Patrick with the IBA, the candy-filled treats are provided annually as "a good will gesture to the community."

Last year, the eggs were gone in about 6 minutes, which means a relatively small return on the time investment the event requires, but Patrick and the others do not seem to mind.

Though one can imagine the difficulty in finding original hiding spots year after year at the same locale, Patrick said that an event of this size requires that he abandon artistry in favor of "scattershot" approach.

"You have 1,200 eggs in very limited space, so more or less, the kids are just running out there and getting them," Patrick said. "You're not really hiding them, it just looks like you've got a lawn full of colored eggs."

Should the event be delayed on account of rain, Bunny forbid, the Easter egg hunt (or, more accurately it seems, grab) will be delayed until the following Saturday.