By Janet Perez
Mail | X: @AzNewsmedia

Queen Creek’s first signature event of the year is leaping into town.

Spring Into QC takes place from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Saturday, March 23 at Mansel Carter Oasis Park, 19535 E. Appleby Road.

“Spring Into QC began as the Spring Family Celebration. With a focus on providing an opportunity for the community to enjoy the beautiful Arizona spring weather in one of our town parks, it has become a community tradition. A highlight of this event, and a particular favorite among attendees, has always been the egg hunts,” said Constance Halonen Wilson, Queen Creek’s communications and marketing manager.

Last year, this free event attracted about 6,000 residents.

“The continued growth is largely attributed to the active involvement of our community,” Halonen Wilson said.

The family friendly event will feature some old favorites and some new fun.

The popular and free egg hunts run throughout the event and are divided into age groups, starting with age 3 and going up to ages 9 and 10. The first egg hunt begins at 9:30 a.m., with the last scheduled for 12:30 p.m. Young egg hunters must bring their own baskets. The hunts continue until the last egg is found.

The Fast & Furriest animal races begin at 10 a.m. Chicks, bunnies and tortoises will be racing against their own species, with the winners moving on to Tortoise and the Hare, Best of Three and Fan Favorite competitions. Guests can pick their racers at the Future Farmers of America booth. Every person who picks a winning animal will receive one raffle ticket.

Kids can enjoy the Play Zone again this year. The Play Zone will have inflatable attractions including a bungee run, obstacle course, mega slides and more. The 5 and under crowd gets its own fun at the Tot Spot, a free area just for them. There are two separate play areas in the Tot Spot, with one for children 0-2 and the other for ages 3-5. The Tot Spot includes a bounce house, soft play equipment and additional activities for the wee ones. This is not a drop-off activity. Parents must stay with their children.

New this year in the Play Zone is the Color Blast, a splatter-paint experience where participants use paint blasters to create artwork they can take home.

Another fun activity for kids is The Great Eggscape. This interactive story walk features the book, “The Great Eggscape.” Kids journey to help book character Shel find his friends while completing fun activities.

There are nominal fees to access the inflatables in the Play Zone, but the event’s entertainment, egg hunts, Tot Spot, animal races and Great EggScape are free, Halonen Wilson said.

Through Monday, March 11, attendees can buy pre-sale, all-inclusive wristbands for $12.50. The pre-sale wristbands can be purchased online or in person at the Library Recreation Annex at 21802 S. Ellsworth Road. The annex is open from 8 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday-Thursday and 8 a.m.-3 p.m. Friday. The wristbands will cost $15 the day of the event.

We’d like to invite our readers to submit their civil comments, pro or con, on this issue. Email AZOpinions@iniusa.org. Janet Perez can be reached at jperez@iniusa.org.