Brawley community comes together for
BRAWLEY —Many families gathered Saturday morning to participate in the annual Easter egg hunt at Pat Williams Park.
Put together by the city’s Parks and Recreation Department, the annual event drew in about 300 people in total and gave children up to 8 years old the opportunity to search the park’s lawn for approximately $1,000 worth of candy, Linda Self, Parks and Recreation coordinator, explained.
“We had a lot of people here today, which was wonderful. It was better than last year,” Self said. “We do this every year, and it gets better and better each year.”
She estimated the event has been held for the past 35 years or so.
“It’s important because we’re all about community,” Self said. “That’s what we are, a community. It gets the community all together; that’s why it’s so important.”
The egg hunt was divided into three areas throughout the park, with each area separated by the age groups of 3 years old and under, 4 to 5 years old and 6 to 8 years old.
Among the candy were 12 prize eggs which could be redeemed for a goody basket filled with candies and other treats. Free iced tea donated by Hacienda Plaza in Brawley was also available for those in attendance.
Although she only able to capture about eight pieces of candy during the hunt, San Diego resident Russell Lambe’s 2-year-old daughter Sadie was able to find a prize egg, making her second year attending the event that much more special.
“We came last year and she had a good time. She’s a little older now, so we thought she’d have a great time,” Lambe said. “I think it’s really nice of them. It looks like all the kids are having a great time out here. The weather is perfect; it’s a good event.”
Calipatria resident Yvette Gonzalez had not attended the annual Easter egg event until she met her husband Andrew Gonzalez, a Brawley Fire Department firefighter, eight years ago — and has attended the event with her family each year since.
“It’s like a Brawley thing. My husband and his family are from Brawley, so I started coming because of him,” Yvette said.
The blowing of a horn from a BFD fire engine at the start of the hunt signals when children can run into the area and begin their search, a tradition that has continued throughout the years.
It was an especially meaningful year for Andrew, as he was the one designated to blow the engine’s horn.
“Every year he likes coming here,” Yvette said on her husband. “It’s something special he’s always connected with horn and the Easter hunt, so it was a special year.”