The World Equestrian Center (WEC) hosted an Easter celebration on March 31 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. for children across the Ocala area to enjoy. Kids got to experience an egg hunt, face painting, balloon animals and were given egg decorating kits for at-home fun.  

The egg hunt was separated into two age categories: ages 5-9 and 10 and up. Participants went to different arenas and began the hunt at their respective times. The 5-9 category began at its listed time of noon, and kids and parents rushed into the arena, collecting eggs as quickly as possible. The hunt for ages 10 and up, as stated on the WEC’s website, was supposed to begin at 12:30 p.m. This was not the case during the actual event, as the gate opened at noon: the same time as the 5-9 category.  

This early start confused some parents, and those with children in both age categories could only attend one of the events before all the eggs were gone in the second. This left some children with empty buckets by the end of the day.  

Although some children didn’t have the opportunity to collect eggs, the event wasn’t over. Children and parents waited in the queues around the WEC to have their faces painted, get their own balloon animals, and get one egg decorating kit per child, along with other decorating opportunities around the event.