Retrieving an egg from the bottom of the pool became one of the objectives held at the McMurtrey Aquatic Center’s EGGStravaganza on April 4.

This third annual underwater egg hunt attracted more than 350 people and had the Easter Bunny available for pictures.

Katharine Dye, program coordinator of the McMurtrey Aquatic Center, was at the event witnessing the children as they submerged underwater. “Our objective was to bring another unique event to the aquatic center,” said Dye. “The community always reacts great to the events.”

Children were divided into the Activity Pool and the Olympic Pool. Ages 9 and under participated in the heated Activity Pool, while children aged 10 to 12 had the Olympic Pool all to themselves. Eggs from different colors floated above and sunk below as children rushed to retrieve as much as possible.

Regardless on how many eggs the participant retrieved, they were still awarded a goody bag with toys and candy. “There were some prize eggs,” said Dye, “The main prize was a free session of swim lessons.”

The event lasted a couple of minutes, but the Activity Pool was available from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. “Everything turned out perfect,” said Dye. “Overall, we believe it was a successful event.”

According to Lisa Phillips, recreation specialist, The City of Bakersfield has had to do budget cuts because of the economy, but still had the event.

The McMurtrey Aquatic Center will be open for the public on Memorial Day weekend in May. The city pools will be open for the public on June 1.