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An Easter egg hunt at an Ohio mall over the weekend was so chaotic that officials had to apologize for the event.
On Sunday (April 2), The Green Town Center, and outdoor mall near Dayton, put on its Easter egg hunt aimed at young children but the event quickly devolved into chaos as adults got involved, per KOMO News. Some adults even reportedly pushed children down to collect eggs themselves, all in the name of winning a prize. The mall acknowledged that many people were upset with the turn of events, including the organizers who helped plan it.
The mall said in a post on Facebook on Monday that the event "did not turn out as we had hoped and planned for, due to several factors" and that the people who helped plan it were "very upset with the outcome of the Egg Hunt, and the way they were treated by community members at the conclusion of the event." They said they had a difficult time controlling the crowd and keeping people way from the center court area, despite repeated requests.
Organizers reportedly spent an hour and a half explaining the rules of the hunt, which would allow the youngest kids participating a head start, but some adults in the crowd disregarded instructions and picked up eggs even though they weren't allowed.
"Adults were not permitted to pick up eggs, yet we saw so many doing so, which resulted in some children leaving empty handed. We had over 2,000 eggs hidden, with 100 prizes to give away, and it is a shame that so many still left disappointed," the post stated, adding, "This is absolutely unacceptable behavior, and we apologize to anyone that was affected by these actions."
It is unclear if the mall will host another Easter egg hunt next year.