Ranch Riders host eggstra-special hunt

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By Jennifer DeWitt | Saturday, March 22, 2008 |

Jill Hutcherson opens candy-filled eggs with her son Tauren, 3, at The Ranch Riders Motorcycle Brotherhood Easter Egg Hunt at the Mississippi Valley Fairgrounds on Saturday, March 22, 2008. (Elisa Petersen/Quad-City Times) Buy this Photo

Cousins Mikayla Holdsworth, CJ Lindley, and Madisen Howt gather Easter eggs at the Ranch Riders Easter Egg Hunt. (Aaron Weibel/ Quad-City Times) Buy this Photo

VIDEO: Ranch Riders Easter Egg Hunt
Quad-City motorcycle brotherhood raises money for special needs children wi…
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C.J. Lindley sat smiling and soaking up the sunshine Saturday afternoon as his cousins chattered away about the team effort they had planned for the Ranch Riders Motorcycle Brotherhood’s annual Easter egg hunt.

Born with low muscle tone and a seizure condition, 3 1/2-year-old C.J. is confined to a wheelchair. But his 5-year-old cousins, Mikayla Holdsworth and Madisen Hoyt, were not about to let him miss the fun at the Mississippi Valley Fairgrounds in Davenport.

“I’m going to get the eggs and Mikayla is going to push him and we’re going to switch,” Madisen said.

The event, which celebrated its 20th anniversary this year, serves as a major fundraiser for the Children’s Therapy Center of the Quad-Cities. The Moline agency is devoted to helping children like C.J. – providing speech, physical and occupational therapy services to children from birth to age 12.

“We used to go to the therapy center and he loved it,” C.J.’s mother, Angi Lindley, said. “If it wasn’t for them he wouldn’t be doing as good as he is today. Three years with them and he can sit up, he feeds himself and now he plays. He’s our pride and joy.”

While the special needs children had their own egg hunt area, nearly 3,000 other children divided up by age group to grab their share of 28,000 plastic colored-eggs that held candy and other prizes. Even with a hunt’s false start – accidentally set in motion by emcee Greg Dwyer of 97X – there were plenty of eggs for everyone.

Before the hunt began, 9-year-old Taylor Evans guessed there must be a million eggs scattered across the ground. “I have a strategy – to grab as many as I can,” said Taylor, who looked like an Easter egg herself all bundled up in pink and mint green.

“Mom said ‘bundle up,’ ” said Taylor, who was attending her first Ranch Riders egg hunt with her younger sisters, Sarah and Gabby Layton. Seven-year-old Sarah thought there had to be at least 100 eggs out there.

Trenton Hughes, 2, just knew eggs were “out there.” Pointing to the grass, the toddler said he was going to “get it.” It was also the first time at the hunt for Trenton and his 4 1/2-year-old brother, Branson Hughes, who was in the special needs area.

But Tina Wilford said she has been bringing her son Michael Peyton, 11, “since he could Easter egg hunt.” The two shared a high-five when he found a $20 gift certificate for Video Games Etc. among his eggs.

Even with Easter earlier than normal, hunters had a nice spring day as the sun broke out from the clouds just in time for the hunt to begin. In fact, the crowd was twice the size of last year when bone-chilling temperatures and wind scared families away.

Bob Clancy, president of the Ranch Riders, predicted that the motorcycle club would set a new record and hit its $5,000 fundraising goal.

“I think we might have exceeded it,” he said, adding that this year they asked for a $2 donation – up from $1 previously – all to benefit the Children’s Therapy Center.

To celebrate the 20th anniversary, the Ranch Riders pulled out all the stops this year – bringing in more prizes than ever before, including 15 bicycles. Each age group had a chance to find eggs with the bicycles as the prize and the others were given away in a raffle.

The milestone anniversary also saw more corporate sponsorship than ever, Clancy said. Among the sponsors were: Pepsi, ZLB Plasma Services, Suburban Construction, Mississippi Valley Fairgrounds, Q-C Jump Zone, Red’s Emporium, Taco Bell, Happy Joe’s and the Quad-City Steamwheelers.

“We couldn’t do what we do if it weren’t for these guys,” said W.K. Juncker of the Children’s Therapy Center. He said growing demand for its services led the center to double its staff to seven therapists last fall.

Clancy, who was among the club’s founders, estimated that the Ranch Riders have donated as much as $30,000 to the center and its predecessor, Easter Seals, over the years.

“This has grown into quite a big thing,” Juncker said. “These guys do a lot of work. They just care about the kids.”

Jennifer DeWitt can be contacted at (563) 383-2318 or jdewitt@qctimes.com.