An East Meadow holiday tradition that continues to grow

Diane Radtke began an Easter tradition at her Albermarle Avenue home with six of her nieces and nephews and 300 eggs. Fourteen years later, the Easter Egg Hunt transformed into an annual event that includes about 50 children and 2,300 prize-filled toy eggs. Children who have outgrown the event still return to help out. 

“After the first year, I invited some friends and it got bigger and bigger each year,” Radtke said. 

The hunt is more than just fun for the children. It also serves as a food collection for families in need in the community. Bags of donated food were delivered to St. Raphael’s R.C. Church in East Meadow for its food pantry. 

Radtke said plans to continue this tradition for years to come, as she is already preparing for next year’s event. It already took her about two months to fill each egg with candy, a toy or money. Now she puts the eggs, many halved and out of order, back together to be used again for next year’s hunt. 

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