Around 300 people gathered at the Newhall Church of the Nazarene on Saturday for their first Easter car hop.
The event featured family-oriented attractions such as a petting zoo, a bounce house, rock-wall climbing, and a fun Easter egg hunt that prompted kids with clues and riddles to the hiding places of the eggs.
Parents of the children and members of the church lined their cars up in two rows and made egg-finding stations for the kids to follow up on their leads of where the eggs might be, making sure their stations matched the clues and riddles given earlier.
Jennifer Hastings, who shares a lead pastor role with her husband Dan Hastings, said the goal for this event was to try something new.
“We wanted to do something a little different, instead of just throwing out a bunch of eggs on the ground and finding them,” said Hastings. “Not just church people, but everybody where they can come and have fun for free, everything here is free. The petting zoo is free, the rock wall, balloon lady, so we just wanted something where people can have fun and not have to pay for it.”
Hastings said events like these, where most are maskless and free of social distancing restrictions, are a light at the end of the tunnel.
“It feels like we’re back to normal. It feels like, kind of that gloom and doom is gone,” said Hastings. “There is life after the pandemic, there is, you know, a great time that can be had instead of sitting in your home. So, again, welcome to the family. I think our biggest focus here is we want to welcome.”
The guests as well felt a sense of relief to be back to a seemingly pre-pandemic environment.
“It feels good. It’s really good. Because we get to see people and you know, faces and not like through media,” said attendee Lizette Gallegos. “But it feels great to see all the kids, you know, having fun and kind of getting back to the norm.”
