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The Easter egg hunt at Luverne Area Aquatics and Fitness may become an annual activity, based on the enthusiasm generated by the first egg hunt Friday afternoon.
“We wanted to find something different to do for the kids during the break,” said pool manager Sam Honerman.
Schools were not in session on Good Friday, which meant area children were free to attend the 1:30 to 4 p.m. open swim session.
The hunt took place during a five-minute swim break every half hour.
During the break swimmers were split into age groups while a tub of empty, plastic eggs were dropped into the shallow end of the pool.
The floating eggs were spread out in the water by lifeguards, and at the signal, swimmers jumped into the pool to see how many of the brightly colored eggs they could gather in their arms.
Once all the eggs were collected, swimmers exchanged the plastic eggs for candy or small gifts at the end of each hunt.
The gathered eggs were then closed and readied for the next age group.
While dozens of swimmers participated in each age group, attendance stayed under the pool’s 227 maximum limit.
Between spectators and swimmers, 217 individuals were at the pool for the event.
“By all calculations, it was a huge success,” Honerman said. “It far surpassed even our wildest dreams.”
For safety reasons, the hunt was also changed from an underwater event to an on-the-water activity.
“Floating is better,” Honerman said. “We decided not to have too many people dive in.”
Depending on feedback, Honerman said the Easter egg hunt might be conducted again next year.