Erica Huitt beamed with pride as she held up her golden Easter egg for everyone to see. The 6-year-old was thrilled with her find, but it wasn’t just the egg she was excited about &045;&045; it was the $50 prize that came with it.

Erica was one of more than 40 children who played among the grounds of the Vaughan-Smitherman Museum on Saturday during the annual Easter Egg Hunt hosted by the Selma chapter of Jack and Jill of America, Inc.

The organization had close to 200 hard-boiled, brightly dyed eggs hidden among the shrubbery and trees of the museum.

Only one of them contained the secret prize and Erica was the lucky girl to find it.

Erica said she had no idea what to do with her money, but is thinking about buying a trampoline.

Once the hunt was over, the children got to enjoy face painting, coloring, candy and numerous prizes.

They also participated in a mini-parade to show off their loot and learned to do the &uot;Bunny Hop&uot; dance.

Felisha Pettaway, president of the local Jack and Jill chapter, said every child probably came home with at least two dozen eggs in his or her basket.

Another Jack and Jill member, Claudia Wright, said it took the volunteers almost two weeks to prepare for the Easter Egg Hunt.

The Jack and Jill organization is designed to help mothers with children between the ages of 2 to 20.

Members focus on providing social, educational, cultural and service programs for disadvantaged youth. They also give grants to various children’s programs.

By the party’s end at 11 a.m., the children already seemed tuckered out and ready for an afternoon nap. Parents looked like they could have used one, too.