The fourth annual Monticello Marketplace “Spring Spectacular” isa little less than two weeks away, and town officials are makingpreparations and looking for vendors.

The marketplace takes place on Saturday, April 3, and LawrenceCounty Community Development Foundation Director Bob Smira said theSpring Spectacular is taking some new turns this year. Some of themare directly related to the event and some of them arelonger-term.

“One of the things we’re doing since it’s the day before Easter iswe’re going to have an egg drop, where you buy an egg for $5, andyou bring it to the drop place, and they’ll drop them, and the onethat gets closest to the bullseye wins,” he said.

The winning egg, dropped from a bucket truck into a large bullseyeon the grass, brings its owner up to $2,500, or half the money madeby the egg sales.

In addition, Smira said, there will be some live music, though thestage won’t be up this year. There could also be two new fixturesin place by the time the Spring Spectacular is going on in downtownMonticello.

“We’re working on a downtown Farmers Market project, and we’rehoping they’ll have something open by the third,” he said.

In addition, as the city is mourning the passing of popularrestaurant Henry’s, which is closing its doors, they will becelebrating the opening of Los Lobos, a Mexican restaurant with itsflagship branch in Wesson. It should also be open by SpringSpectacular day, Smira said.

Event organizers said there is still room for vendors if anyone hasa booth they want to put out on the day of the marketplace. Smirasaid there will also be local vendors who will be opening booths onthe sidewalk or in the street in front of their shops.

And there will be inflatable games and slides for children’sentertainment, Smira said.

The town’s yearly Easter egg hunt will also be integrated into theSpring Spectacular, with the event falling the day before Easter.Smira said instead of having the egg hunt on Easter Sunday, it willbe held Saturday afternoon at Cooper’s Ferry Park, and will bedivided into two age groups.

Smira said anyone interested in putting a vendor booth in theSpring Spectacular can call the chamber office at 601-587-3007.