After thousands and thousands of colorful eggs were strewn across the soccer fields at UTPB Park, dotting the grass and shining in the Saturday sun, it didn’t take long to clean them all right back up.
In just a few minutes, more than 41,000 Easter eggs were picked away, with nothing left behind but green grass, filled baskets and smiling faces.
Hundreds of residents participated in Odessa Parks and Recreation’s Easter Spring Fling on Saturday, taking up the chance to celebrate the holiday weekend with arts and crafts, face painting, photo opportunities with Peter Cottontail and, of course, the Easter egg hunt, where hundreds of kids picked the park’s fields clean to mark another successful event.
“It was a very good turnout,” said Cori Branscum, recreation and special events coordinator for Odessa Parks and Recreation, as the event winded down. “We didn’t have any complaints, that we heard of.
“We only had happy faces and filled baskets.”
After a successful hunt, Jessica Mitchell sat in the grass looking through egg baskets with her four-year-old son Paxton Mitchell, and her 11-month-old son Kyle Mitchell.
Their family had recently made their way to Odessa from Tool in Henderson County, on a job opportunity in line with the booming oil industry. For their first Easter weekend in Odessa, Jessica was glad Odessa Parks and Recreation put on an event her boys could enjoy.
“It was easy to find, and accessible, and not just inclusive of the town — everyone was welcome,” she said.
“It was nice to have a place for the kids to go,” added Anna Currin, Jessica’s mother, there too with her daughter and grandchildren.
The Easter egg hunt ran in conjunction with the Bunny Hop 5K Fun Run earlier in the morning across UTPB’s campus.
That gave way to the community egg hunt for children across all ages, featuring vendor tents, music and fun in the sun at the park.
“It was definitely a success,” Branscum said.
