Tim, Ashley and Gavin Davis are shown returning the lucky egg to Times Editor Ralph B. Davis.

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This year’s Floyd County Times egg contest is finally over, with the winning egg having been returned to the newspaper’s office Friday afternoon.

Tim, Ashley and Gavin Davis found the lucky egg, winning $500 for the efforts.

The egg had been buried in tall grass behind a utility pole along Carmen Hollow Road, just off of Justell Bridge Road. The elements apparently played a factor in this year’s contest, because Tim Davis said he found the egg five feet away from the pole, indicating it had become dislodged from its original hiding place and rolled downhill.

Tim Davis said the he had probably stood on the egg while hunting in the location about four hours the day before. However, it wasn’t until the next day, when he took a shovel with him to hack away at the grass, that he found it.

At first, he couldn’t believe it.

“After I found it, I was like, ‘How didn’t I see that yesterday?’ If it was a snake, it would have bit me.”

“The whole time we were driving here, I kept thinking this couldn’t really be it. I thought someone must have just put it out there.”

It was the sixth clue — “Find one Layne, and you’re doing well. Cross a single lane, and you can jus’ tell.” — that convinced the Davises of the egg’s general location. Tim Davis said he figured “Layne” was a reference to Betsy Layne, but he wasn’t quite sure what to make of the words, “jus’ tell.” He decided to search for “Betsy Layne jus’ tell” on the internet, and he immediately found a map showing the location of Justell Bridge Road.

The Davises say they plan to buy a few toys and video games for Gavin Davis and use the rest of their winnings to pay a bill or two.

The Times coordinates an annual contest each year around Easter, during which one egg is hidden and the paper provides clues to its location in each issue of the paper. The first person to find the egg and return it to the paper’s office wins $500.

This year’s Great Easter Egg Contest came to an unfortunate end, however, when the prize egg was lost. Having been hidden at Mud Creek next to a bridge near the construction of new Route 680, the egg was buried under about 15 feet of dirt when road contractors reworked the approach to the bridge.

The Times then asked readers what they would like to see happen through two online polls. Respondents were nearly evenly split between having a new contest or donating money to charity, but those in favor of the new contest won out in the end.

An explanation of all seven clues will appear in Wednesday’s Times.