FARMINGTON – Despite the snow this week, the annual Easter egg hunt will go on as planned Saturday in Farmington, said firefighter and event coordinator Peter Wade. It isn’t the first time eggs will be hidden in the snow, he said, adding that by Saturday, this newly fallen snow will settle some.

The egg hunt is planned for 9 a.m. Saturday at the Cascade Brook School and is for Farmington children, ages 2 to 10 years. All eggs are placed in the field at the school, he said.

Sponsored by the Farmington Fire Department Benevolent Association, the project requires many planning hours and personnel to make it successful, Wade said.

The firefighters will be shopping this week for a variety of prizes for different age groups. Fishing poles, he said, were popular last year but it could be any sports item, dolls, teddy bears, jump ropes or anything that children those ages would enjoy.

The department usually buys 100 prizes at a cost of $800 to $1,000, Wade said.

The firefighters’ auxiliary fills the eggs with candy, he said. Then the eggs are turned in for a prize.

Along with the egg prizes, children’s names are drawn for the larger items. Four bicycles will be given out this year, as well as a $50 savings bond and five $10 gift cards from Wal-Mart.

One special prize to be raffled this year, he said, is a parent-and-child ride on the department’s new tower ladder truck during the July 4 parade. The truck is expected to arrive during the second week of May.

A fraternal organization at the University of Maine usually donates a couple of bikes, he said, and for the last four years they have had someone there dressed as the Easter bunny for photos.

Children ages 2 to 6 are allowed to go look for an egg, he said, and then ages 7 to 10 are given a chance to hunt.

Some gifts and cash are donated, Wade said, but the association is asking for help through funds donated to help with the day’s expenses. The expenses include prizes for the found eggs, as well as some of the refreshments provided in the cafeteria at the school.

Anyone who would like to help with a donation is asked to make it payable to the Farmington Fire Department Benevolent Association, Greg Roux, treasurer. Donations may be mailed to the Farmington Fire Department, 153 Farmington Falls Road, Farmington, ME 04938. For more information about the event, call Wade at 778-4868 or 491-1122.