FAMILIES SOAK IN AQUATIC EASTER EGG HUNT
Saturday was a day where temperatures in Vacaville reached as high as 77, making for the perfect weather to go swimming or perhaps do an early Easter egg hunt.
The Vacaville Parks and Recreation Department just so happened to provide the right venue for families to do both.
After a one-year hiatus due to the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the department’s Underwater Egg Hunt returned to give families a chance to swim and scramble — no pun intended — to find eggs strewn throughout the pool at Walter Graham Aquatic Center, this time with a COVID-friendly format.
Recreation coordinator Morgan Kruger said she was thrilled the event could be held again, especially with it being canceled last year as the shelter-at-home orders went into effect a few weeks before. It also provided a chance for families to freely splash around in the pool again, as it was only open last summer for 45-minute lap swims due to COVID restrictions.
“After not being able to do open swim all summer last year, this is really our first chance to get the public in the pool just swimming around and having fun in an open swim style,” she said.
Kruger said staff had been planning for the Underwater Egg Hunt in the hopes of being able to hold it this year. With Solano County moving into the red tier, she said that allowed for the event to be held.
Staff still adhered to social distancing guidelines, including limiting capacity to no more than 15 children and 15 adults during each session, only opening the event to those who pre-register in advance, doing temperature checks before entry, spacing apart picnic tables, requiring everybody in the pool area to wear masks when not in the water and having markers to indicate
where people could stand apart.
Each child was given a basket, and dove in with their parents or guardians to grab as many plastic eggs floating in the pool as they could. All kids received goodie bags with candies and pencils, while those who found one of the rare golden eggs each session would receive a stuffed bunny. Before and after sessions, kids could do arts and crafts or toss water balloons in the picnic area, and even the Easter Bunny made an appearance.
The event was a relief for Kathleen Tronnes and her 10-year-old daughter Damiana. Tronnes signed up for the city’s email alerts and figured the event would be a great one to take Damiana to.
“We love swimming,” she said. “We haven’t been able to go to any pools since the start of quarantine, so we wanted to come here and at least get to do something.”
Tronnes said she was looking forward to the two of them being in the pool together, especially on a day with not as many people as a normal hot day.
“I hope she’s able to have a good time because she hasn’t been able to participate in anything,” Tronnes said of her daughter before the egg hunt began.
Once they were in the water, Damiana was clearly enjoying the experience of swimming around to find eggs.
Kruger said she hopes the event will be a signifier of families coming out to play more often than they were able to over the past year.
“I feel like the past year, everybody’s been really stuck inside, and it’s been great to give them this opportunity to come out,” she said. “It’s definitely a modified scenario, but (they can) come out and play and act like normal kids having fun at the pool.”