Easter falls on April 16 this year, and there will be plenty of secular, egg-related activities in Maricopa in advance of the religious holiday.

1. Tortosa HOA starts things off with its ninth annual Easter Eggstravaganza on April 8 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The egg hunt, divided by age groups, will be at 11:30 a.m.

Children with wristbands can enjoy crafts, games, a petting zoo, inflatables and the egg hunt. Wristbands are free for Tortosa residents and $2 for nonresidents. Eggs will be stuffed with candy and toys.

There will also be vendors and crafters. The event is at Santa Cruz Elementary School, 19845 N. Costa del Sol.

For more information, contact Taryn Garrod at [email protected].

2. A week later, the 13th annual Maricopa Easter Egg Hunt will be on the lawn north of UltraStar Ak-Chin Multi-tainment Center, 16000 N. Maricopa Road.  Hosted by Community of Hope Church, the egg hunt is April 15 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., with hunts every 15 minutes.

There will be carnival games and inflatables, and, of course, the Easter Bunny will be on hand for pictures. All of this is free of charge and is open to the Ak-Chin Indian Community and the city of Maricopa. Concessions and drinks will be for sale.

UltraStar is providing the parking, Ak-Chin provides the green space, and Leading Edge Academy is sponsoring inflatables.

For more information visit Facebook.com/COHEggHunt or call 520-252-6381.

3. Children who like to get soaked while hunting for their eggs are invited to the annual Copper Sky Spring Egg Dive on April 15 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 44345 W. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.

The event is free, but registration is required.

For children 4-years-old and under, eggs will be hidden in the Splash Ppad for the first hunt starting at 11:15 a.m. Then eggs will be hidden in the leisure pool for children 5 to 8-years-old. The final hunt, at approximately 11:45 a.m., will be for kids 9 to 16 years, with eggs dropped into the comp pool.

Lifeguards will be present, and lifejackets will be available for those who cannot swim.

For folks over 16, there will be an Eggcathalon at 11:45 a.m., with contestants collecting eggs while completing an obstacle course in the pool. The event is limited to the first 40 to sign up. There is a $5 fee for residents, $6 for nonresidents.

For more information, call 520-316-4600.

This story appears in the April issue of InMaricopa.

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR