DOWNEY - On Saturday April 11th Furman park held their annual Easter eggstravaganza. The event took place from 11 a.m. – 5 p.m., residents from all over the city were in attendance. The main event was the Easter egg hunt that took place at noon, there were three arenas separated by age. Children zero through four had their own area, children five through eight had a spot, and finally kids from nine through twelve received their own area as well. At the end of the hunt, all children received prizes. 3 year old Downey resident Kaleigh Wright stated, “I’m going to find all the eggs, I want a Dora toy.”

The prizes consisted of candy, games and toys. Not only were Downey residents but children from surrounding cities also attended. The usual turn out for the event can consist of anything from 200-500 people. Aspire Volunteer and Furman park worker David Perez states,” Usually about 500 people [attend], but depends on the weather.”

Attendees of the event found out about Furman’s egg hunt through schools and the Downey library. Furman park provided several different services children found quite interesting. 8 year old Karla Gomez states, “I got my face painted and I took a picture with the bunny.” Downey princesses were in attendance at the event, providing young and old children with face painting. There was also an arts and crafts section located at the basketball court, a picture area where the special guest included the Easter bunny, and also a bounce house (jumper). Downey resident Lorena Gomez states, “[I was] relieved, it’s nice.” Overall, the event had a wonderful turn out, with at least 400 people in attendance. Another year kicked off with out a hitch for Furman park, and children were primarily happy to take a picture with their favorite fuzzy bunny.

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Published: April 17, 2009 - Volume 7 - Issue 52