Nolan Kuick, 7, gave the Easter Bunny a big hug and then happily posed for a photo.

“He’s the best bunny in the whole world,” the South Elgin boy announced during South Elgin Parks and Recreation’s annual Glow-in-the-Dark Egg Hunt, held Thursday night at Jim Hansen Park.

Younger brother Luca, however, wasn’t feeling the love. The 3-year-old cried and squirmed in his mom’s arms the minute he laid eyes on the huge costumed character.

“He’s shy,” mom Mariah Kuick said.

Fortunately, the bunny was secondary to the big event — a chance to scoop up a few of the 7,000 eggs placed across the sports fields without the benefit of the sun to guide the way.

Mateo Aranda, gripping a blue basket, jumped around excitedly, his rain boots lighting up every time he hit the pavement.

“We’re gonna get eggs,” the 4-year-old said.

How just how many eggs did he hope to toss into the basket? “One, two, three, four, five” he counted out till he reached 12.

Leila Lerner, 3, was also decked out in rain boots, hers pink and covered in flowers. She took the time before the hunt to practice her long jump, encouraging her parents, Carolina and Will, to do the same. Leila then demonstrated how fast she planned to run when cued to hit the field.

She loves candy “a lot,” she said. Her mission was to make off with her fair share by grabbing up lots of the glowing plastic eggs filled with treats.

The hunt couldn’t begin until the lights were turned off, Parks and Rec Director Kim Wascher told families, urging the kids to “take your time.”Little chance that was going to happen. The lights went out, and the hunt was on.

No special skills were needed to locate the bounty given they were spread out across the grass in plain sight. The thrill of the rush is what got kids on the run as their parents tried to direct them to areas not yet excavated.

Domenic Derbak, 4, was particularly adept at filling his bag. With light-up bunny ears atop his head, he moved deftly around the field set up for toddlers. Later, his dad, Mark, had him put some back so his bounty could be shared with other children.

There was only one small a little glitch in the proceedings. A volunteer accidentally shut off the lights about 12 minutes earlier than the 8:15 p.m. start time. Because some families didn’t make it out onto the field in time, Wascher directed them to a nearby van in which hundreds of extra eggs were stored.

Because no registration was required this year for the first time and they weren’t sure how many kids to expect, staff prepared by readying about 4,000 more eggs than they had last year, Wascher said.

Gloria Casas is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.