Whether they’re a fresh-faced neophyte or grizzled veteran in the fast-paced world of Easter egg hunting, there’s a lot new in store for children stopping by downtown Saturday morning.

The Greater Dowagiac Chamber of Commerce’s 15th annual Easter Eggstravaganza returns to Beckwith Park this weekend, with a variety of new and returning outdoor activities, beginning at 10:30 a.m. and capped off with the Easter egg hunt at noon. Once again sponsoring the hunt is Honor Credit Union, whose employees have helped plan and organize the springtime event for the last six years.

As in previous years, the main draw on Saturday will be the egg hunt itself, where the children, separated into two groups depending on their age, will seek out 4,000 candy and trinket filled eggs surrounding the Beckwith Park area. The duties of filling the plastic shells with the 8,000 pieces of sweets were again bestowed on the employees of the Dowagiac Honor Credit Union branch, though they received a helping hand from the staff at the Decatur branch, said Dowagiac manager Janie Reifenberg.

“It was fun, because a lot of our members saw the eggs laying on tables whenever they came in,” Reifenberg said. “It created a lot of buzz, with visitors asking questions about what the eggs were for, or if they could have a piece of candy. We’re real happy about that.”

Organizers have made several big changes to this year’s event, based on feedback they received from members and others throughout the community, Reifenberg said. One of these changes is starting the festivities later in the morning, at 10:30 a.m., in hopes that the temperature will be a little warmer by the time kids arrive this year.

The Easter Bunny will be returning to visit with kids, but will be stationed inside the Beckwith Park gazebo beginning at 10:30 a.m. Joining the mascot to greet young visitors will be the Miss Dowagiac Court of Honor and other costumed characters.

Several new activities will also take place throughout the park that morning, including face painting, cookie decorating and a bounce house, provided by Judd Lumber Company.

“We’re excited that everything is taking place outside, in a nice, centralized area,” Reifenberg said.

Also returning from prior events is the “Be a Bunny” costume contest, which takes place at 11:45 a.m. in the gazebo. Children who dress in bunny outfits can participate in the contest, with prizes awarded to the best overall, most colorful and most original outfits.

The entire credit union is stepping up to support this year’s event, Reifenberg said. Besides receiving help from the Decatur office with the eggs, employees from branches in St. Joseph, Benton Harbor and Berrien Springs will be helping out volunteers from Dowagiac to make sure things run smoothly on Saturday.

“We’ve been working on the Eggstravaganza since last year, tweeting and planning to step it up,” Reifenberg said. “We’re excited to see it all come fruition.”