COEUR d’ALENE — The blessing wasn’t just that the sun came out on Easter Sunday, though that was a huge bonus to the large crowd that filed into the Kootenai County Fairgrounds for a community event held by The Cause Church in downtown Coeur d’Alene.

Between the worship and prizes hidden in eggs scattered around the fairgrounds, there was plenty for the masses to be thrilled about.

Egg hunts were split into three age groups — 3 and under, 4-6 and 7-12. Kids ran through designated areas at the fairgrounds looking for plastic eggs.

Some had candy in them. Others, well, had a lot more than that.

“They’re going to place the eggs with the prizes in them as far away from the kids as possible,” said Jacob Linck, 12, of Coeur d’Alene, who cracked an egg with a ticket for a new hoverboard. “You’ve just got to go around the border to find it.”

Other prizes ranged from toy sets to passes to Silverwood Theme Park in Athol.

“It’s the hopes of getting something good today,” Linck said. “It’s for the kids and for them to have a good day.”

And that’s exactly what The Cause Church Pastor Aaron Richner had in mind when his church, the sponsor of the event, opted to hold it at the fairgrounds.

“This is our very first year doing this at the fairgrounds,” Richner said. “We wanted to do something that’s free. Something that families can come to and that people can come to, and really just feel blessed.”

The Cause Church is located on Indiana Avenue in Coeur d’Alene.

“At the end of the day, we’re just pointing toward Jesus,” Richner said. “And really, trying to help people understand that with God, you don’t need to fix yourself up to come to church. But if you come to God, he can fix us up.”

An estimated crowd of 5,000 joined The Cause for the celebration, with a church worship experience following the hunts at the fairgrounds.

“I’m praising the lord for some good weather,” Richner said. “It was supposed to be rainy (Saturday) and tomorrow (Monday), but I’m thankful for the sunshine today. We did the best we could to let people know. Have an Easter egg hunt, come enjoy church with us.”

All of the prizes were donated by members of the church.

“We asked our members of the church to take an item and go shopping for a kid on Easter,” Richner said. “And they really stepped up. Within a couple of days, they came back with almost $3,000 worth of prizes. Everything was just amazing.”

And as far as Sunday’s turnout?

“It was insane,” Richner said. “It was really amazing. It was so cool to see so many people come out. I hope they feel blessed and loved and that they enjoy living in Coeur d’Alene. These kind of things are what families make memories of. I know when I look back, I remember these things and hope that they all feel loved.”