With Easter barely a week away, it’s open season for Easter eggs and the Easter Bunny begins showing his ears around town.

Winchester’s Civitan Club will have its annual Easter egg hunt Saturday morning at College Park for children up to 12-years-old. Club member Alicia Mayabb said the club has hosted the hunt for more than 20 years. Preparations are well under way including about 1,000 eggs for children to find, she said.

A favorable weekend forecast should boost crowds from last year’s 100 or so who braved a cold, windy day in College Park, she said.

Children will hunt by age groups, she said, and things are frenetic.

“It usually goes pretty quickly,” Mayabb said, “so people need to be on time so they don’t miss their group.”

There will be prize eggs as well, she said, with first prize being a bicycle, an Easter basket for second place and a stuffed animal and DVD for third. The prize eggs will be scattered among the other eggs, she said.

Everyone will receive a treat bag, she said, so no one goes home empty handed.

The event begins at 2 p.m. Saturday, and children should bring their own basket. The Easter Bunny will also be on hand for photos, she said.

Later Saturday, the Easter Bunny will also be downtown for the Spring into Downtown event. More than 20 downtown businesses will have specials and other events to welcome the warmer temperatures of the season. There will also be a place on the high side of Main Street for children to color with sidewalk chalk, and the Easter Bunny will be available for photos as well.

Epperson First Church of God is also hosting an Easter egg hunt Sunday at 10:30 a.m. during its children’s church time. The public is welcome.