We're coming up on Easter weekend, which means that plenty of youngsters are daydreaming about candy and egg hunts.

Olde Mistick Village is entertainment central for those kiddies, with an Easter Egg Hunt, followed by a Pet Easter Bonnet Contest and Parade. And there will be lots of eggs to be found - 8,000 in all, filled with candy and stickers. The egg event is split up by age. So 2-year-olds and younger gather form noon to 1 p.m. to meet with Mr. Bunny at the village Gazebo. The Apple Orchard is where the actual egg hunts happen - for 3-year-olds at noon, for 4-year-olds at 12:15, for 5- to 7-year-olds at 12:30, and for ages 8-10 at 12:45.

Then, the dogs and cats and other creatures take over. The Pet Easter Bonnet Costume Parade schedule is: registration at 1 p.m. at Raining Cats and Dogs in the village, judging at 2, prizes are awarded and then all participants take part in a furry procession around the village.

Entry fees and donations go to local animal charities. The event is organized by Dog Scout Troop 188 and Raining Cats and Dogs.

In Westbrook, the Tanger Outlets hold their own Spring Egg Hunt at noon on Saturday.

Other places serve up egg-related fun, too: the Denison Pequotsepos Nature Center in Mystic, for instance, does Wooden Eggs-pedition sessions hourly from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday.

- KRISTINA DORSEY