Columbia County Parks and Recreation revisited for a third year its Eggstra Special Easter event, an inclusive egg hunt designed for children with special needs.
The event has previously been held simultaneously with the city’s Easter Egg Scramble, but this year it fell on the day before. Janet Wheatley, programs and events manager, said they chose to separate the events to create an even more relaxed setting for kids.
The larger Easter Egg Scramble event has been known to bring out thousands of people, which Wheatley said can be overwhelming.
“The reason why we do this is so that people can do it in an environment where there’s other people similar to them, but also, where they’re able to do it in a smaller, more confined area.”
“This year’s our largest group so far, so we’re super excited about that,” she added.
Adaptive Easter egg hunting
The main feature of the event was an adaptive egg hunt, with eggs scattered out on pavement where they were more easily visible. Other eggs were attached to balloons so that children in wheelchairs and walkers could reach them.
“We just love the fact that this gives us an opportunity to do something for people that don’t always get a chance to do these types of things just cause they don’t feel comfortable or it’s not a safe space for them,” said Wheatley.
Dixie Shoemaker, the mother of two children with autism, said that it was her first year coming to Eggstra Special.
“Events with lots of people, (it gets) really, really crowded, like those major hunts are a little overwhelming for them,” she said.
“I just appreciate them putting it together. Something for the special needs community. I really, really appreciate that,” Shoemaker added.
Ashton Overton said that Eggstra Special was perfect for her four-year-old daughter who uses a wheelchair.
“Easter egg hunts are not wheelchair accessible…we liked to find something that was more wheelchair friendly and more slower paced…it’s nice to be able to have it set up in groups where everybody’s taking turns,” said Overton.
