Hiding something in plain sight
By Staff
Jason Cannon Publisher
Easter was one of my favorite holidays when I was a child. It was Sunday so we didn't have to go to school, which was always a bonus, and the Easter bunny was always good for a few hunks of candy.
Aside from the candy, good ol' Peter Cottontail would scatter a few eggs here and there.
When I was a kid, we didn't hide the plastic Easter eggs you see today. We boiled and dyed our own eggs and we'd use crayons to mark off the places we didn't want the dye to soak into which created a design on the final egg.
Most often, my dad would sneak a few of the boiled eggs before we dyed them. Instead of dye, he'd throw a little salt and pepper on them and hide them for good.
Hiding Easter Eggs has a long tradition, one that began long before Jesus was born and resurrected.
Ancient Egyptians and Persians colored eggs during their spring festivals for centuries before Christianity existed.
In the early days of the church, eggs were forbidden during Lent, which may have goaded the tradition of exchanging them on Easter.
It likely also led to the tradition of hiding the eggs. If you found the egg, you got to eat it – your first egg in 40 days.
I used to love hiding the eggs. It was like a badge of honor if you could hide at least one that no one could find.
As I grew up, I got a little more crafty. Once, I remember hiding an egg under the grass in my cousin's Easter basket. She never thought to look there.
And now, 20-some-odd years later, I still enjoy hiding eggs.
As some of you may have noticed in the ad that's ran in the Franklin County Times the last few days, there's riches to be had somewhere in Franklin County.
In the past three editions of your Franklin County Times, I hope you've noticed the hints that will lead you right to a $200 savings bond. If not please see inside today's edition for hint number three.
The hints are given in a series. If you keep up with all the hints, finding the egg will be much easier.
As much as I would have liked to have hidden a real egg, we settled for a silver plastic one.
For those of you who chose to read this column, I'll give you a bonus hint as my appreciation: If you'll look back at the hints we've given you so far – Friday, Sunday and today – you may notice a pattern.
Study each page closely. The location of the egg could be staring you right in the face.
Good luck and I promise, I didn't hide it under the grass in your Easter basket.
