Families from all over the Central Coast rushed the field at Libbon Elementary School in Santa Maria for an Easter egg hunt.
Keagan Sullivan has been coming to this event for years and said there aren’t many activities available like this.
“There hasn’t been much of this ever since, I think, like in the mid 2000s, like 2016 or so," Sullivan said. "That's when everything started becoming better handicapped. That's when I think we started this.”
Sullivan’s family travels from Atascadero to attend this event. This year, the Sullivans had to drive farther than where the event is usually held at Spyglass Park in Pismo Beach.
Organizer Jacqui Banta said the hunt had to move because they’ve outgrown the park.
“Year after year, it's grown more and more," Banta said. "When I started this, there were about about 50 [people] and now every year it's hundreds of families that come together and celebrate Easter.”
Banta said they decided on Santa Maria to make the drive easier for families visiting from the Santa Barbara area. She said the event is open to all ages to truly make it a place where everyone can feel seen.
“It's just a day to remind each other that they belong and they deserve access to anything our community has going,” Banta said.
Nightingale Oao and her family have been coming to this event for almost ten years. She said there’s a sense of understanding among all the families who go to the hunt.
“A lot of autistic families now are isolated," Oao said. "This is an event that they can come to and just enjoy themselves.”
