They came wearing shorts, sweat suits, wind suits, T-shirts and tank tops.

They came in cars, pickup trucks and vans.

They came by the hundreds to Dan Nicholas Park Saturday morning for the annual Easter Egg Hunt. An estimated 2,000 parents and children were on hand for Egg Hunt 2000.

Dozens of cars lined up on Bringle Ferry Road at 11 a.m., waiting to get into the park.

Hundreds of children waited as the chilly wind whipped around the grass field under a Carolina blue sky.

Park workers quickly spread candy eggs, sealed in plastic, in clumps of grass across the field. Family and groups posed for pictures. Others captured every moment on video cameras.

This egg hunt welcomes family pets. With the Easter Bunny nowhere in sight, dogs ruled the scene, drawing attention from youngsters.

Park staffers spread eggs through three sections of grass, each for a different age group.

In the 0-3 section, parents swapped tips on the upcoming hunt.

Lisa Shuping of Faith brought her 2-year-old son, Logan. It was his second egg hunt in two days. He had found a few eggs at the St. James Lutheran Church hunt on Friday.

Logan quickly joined friends John and Alex Yang, sons of Steve and Lori Yang. Steve carried a smaller son in a carrier on his back.

The families staked out a position at the “start” line, a yellow rope stretched across the field.

Nearby, Dawn Lowe of Salisbury and her husband,Greg, had their hands full. Their 21-month-old triplets, Shelby, Chaney and Jocelyn, were just about ready for their first big hunt at Dan Nicholas Park.

First, they had to get out of their strollers. And then it was time for a snack. Dad distributed a package of cheese crackers equitably, satisfying everyone.

Their 6-year-old sister, Carmen, came by to check on the rest of the family and then headed off to another section of the field designated for 4-to-6-year-olds. As children made friends, parents checked their watches and looked about for the arrival of the Easter Bunny.

A sharp blast of a Liberty Volunteer Fire Department siren and a thousand heads, large and small, turned to see the Easter Bunny arriving on the back of a firetruck.

The bunny also brought an escort, Miner Moose, who will open his gem mine at the park in June.

Heads turn again as Park Director Jim Foltz, megaphone in hand, announced the rules.

The bottom line was parents or adults could help the toddlers by finding and pointing to the eggs. The youngsters had to do the picking or grabbing.

Finally, the rope dropped.

Like a huge three-legged race, a mass of people, big, small and tiny, moved forward in a jerky and irregular gait.

Yells of excitement and delight filled the air.

Nearby, the not-so-patient 4-to-6-year-old contestants watched the action. Then their rope dropped and they were off, moving quickly.

The third and final hunt — for older children — followed soon after, with the pros showing everybody how it’s really done.

At the end of the egg hunt came a brief family hunt, as families reassemble.

Foltz took the megaphone to announce he had youngster who needed to be claimed. The parents arrived shortly.

Six-year-old Curtis Ward showed off a basket filled with dozens of candy eggs. Accompanied by his aunt, Donna Torres, they went looking for his mother, Marcie, and the rest of the family.

“It was absolutely the largest ever,” said Andrea Baucom, special events coordinator for the park staff.

Sponsors, including Farm House Restaurant, Wal-Mart and Bill’s Exterminating, helped out with thousands of eggs.

The hunt staff hid 2,000 plastic eggs and more than 10,000 marshmallow eggs. The plastic eggs included passes for train rides and miniature golf. Eighty of the eggs were prize eggs with certificates for special prizes.

Amy Houck probably took home the biggest prize, a big stuffed Easter bunny and 1,508 jelly beans — minus the ones she ate or shared with friends.