It was chaos at the Santa Clarita Aquatics Center on Saturday morning, but in a good way.
There was a line of people wrapped around the main entrance of the pool gate, waiting to be let in as the day grew hotter.
But children present weren’t just ready to enjoy a day of wet fun. Many of them were carrying baskets, tote bags, and plastic buckets that were fully empty.
The goal ? To fill them up with as many eggs as possible.
In the spirit of the Easter season, the city of Santa Clarita brought back the Splash N’ Dash Easter Egg Hunt on Saturday.
But this wasn’t a traditional Easter egg hunt where children sought eggs for a sweet treat surprise or the occasional dollar in the bushes.
Approximately 900 multicolored eggs were poured down the water slide, slowly making their way down to the pool where children would then race to grab as many and fill up their bags to exchange for prizes.
“Getting to see those kids interact with one another, with their families, and getting to see them taking pictures with the Easter Bunny, is always such a pleasure,” said Jacob Acosta,recreation coordinator of the Aquatics Center. “It’s always a really fulfilling opportunity working for the city to get to see the community come together and really enjoy what we have to offer them.”
He noted that the first family showed up at 8:45 a.m. to line up at the gate to enter for the egg hunt.
“This event really is the one that culminates the season for us. It’s really a nice opportunity to see all these families that live within Santa Clarita and then bring their family from out of town to enjoy,” Acosta added.
Groups were divided by age to give everyone a fair chance. The eggs were then recycled to shoot down the waterslide with every new group.
The chaos didn’t stop at children racing to get the eggs, but continued once they were out of the water, some shivering from the cold. But toddlers were quickly met with comfort hugs from moms and dads, and frowns quickly turned to smiles once they were given their candy and prizes.
Carolina Orozco brought her niece, Mia Orozco, and granddaughter Isabela Hernandez to participate in the fun because they enjoy spending time in the pool.
“I love to spend time with them and just make memorable memories with them,” Carolina said.
Although it was her first time, Orozco anticipates coming again next year, and possibly making it a tradition now that her own children are fully grown.
Being a grandmother has made her feel younger, she said. Collectively the girls gathered more than 60 eggs for their portion of the hunt.
“It’s great to come out and spend time with family. Sometimes we’re so focused in working, going to school, and living day to day that we sometimes forget to enjoy these small moments” said Priscilla Duarte. She brought her son Matthew for the first time to the Aquatics Center to participate.
“He didn’t collect many eggs, but I think that’s because he enjoys swimming a lot more,” she added with a light chuckle.
The annual Splash N’ Dash Easter Egg Hunt has been a local tradition for 15 years, presented by Kaiser Permanente, which was distributing free reusable bags to the first 200 participants who collected eggs.
The event was free and open to children ages 10 and under and lifejackets were provided at no additional cost, according to a city news release.
To watch video visit: https://youtu.be/im-fdbOO_bc
