Knightdale — First there was the countdown…three, two, one, and they were off. Toddlers scrambled, preschoolers hustled, and the six-to-eight-year-old crowd ran with the assurance that comes with experience to scoop up lawns full of Easter eggs.

This was an Easter egg hunt, Parks and Recreation-style last Saturday at Harper Park in downtown Knightdale.

“It starts at 11 o’clock and ends at 11 o’clock and three seconds," said Knightdale Parks and Recreation Director Tina Cheek. “It’s one of our easiest events to plan.”

Actually, there are some organizational hurdles. The plastic eggs were filled with candy or tickets that could be redeemed at a table of staffers for a variety of toys. They were placed at three separate roped off areas at the park for the three aged groups.

“We’ve got stuffed ducks and bunnies to jelly Easter eggs to blow up Easter bunnies,’’ said Chris Roland, the Parks and Rec Track Out program director “This is something you can do with the little kids, and the older ones.”

The Simon family pulled up in the SUV with older kid Quentin, 7, and was first in the parking lot about 10:30 a.m.

“We thought it started a ten,” said Pansy Simon, with a lap full of breakfast from Hardee’s where the family headed after they realized their mistake.

“He brought a flier home from school (Forestville Elementary),” she said. “He said he wanted to do it so we decided to bring him.”

It was a maiden run for Quentin at the town-planned event as it was with Mala Strayhorn, 5.

“I knew my son would enjoy it,” said Mia Harris, Strayhorn’s mother. “We’ve done this with out family. But this is his first big one.”

After the Easter egg scramble where hundreds of kids dashed from egg to egg dropping them in their baskets, the children descended on the table full of toys. An Easter bunny was there to hug and entertain them as they waited with their parents to get their loot.

Lacey Gibbs, 7, held her clutch of stuffed Easter prizes as she walked back to the family car with her parents Jennifer and Keith Gibbs of Knightdale.

“That was a lot of fun,” said her father. “We had a strategy and they almost adhered to it.”