FOR THE KIDS : It’s ‘Eggstravaganza’ Time Again

If your kids are fried on amusement parks and you’re scrambling for a place to take them this weekend, consider the logical alternative: eggs.

On Saturday, April 7, from noon to 3 p.m., the Conejo Valley Recreation and Park District will sponsor its fourth annual “Spring Eggstravaganza,” featuring games, crafts, a petting zoo, pony rides, magicians, music and massive egg hunts that begin every five minutes.

The event, designed for children ages 12 and under and located at the Conejo Valley Play Fields across from the Thousand Oaks Public Library, is free to the public.

“Last year we had about 6,000 people attend, and there was an admission charge. This year, because the event is free, we’re expecting about 8,000 people,” said Kathy Myers, recreation specialist with the Conejo Valley Recreation and Park District. “It’s getting to be quite a local happening.”

Among the scheduled events are sack races, relay races and a parachute tossing that children hold onto a parachute and then use it to flip balls into the air. “Australian trolleys,” in which five children stand on a piece of wood that resembles a cross-country ski with ropes and then attempt to walk together, help kids learn teamwork, Myers said. All game booths, donated by Rockwell International and Century 21 America, are free.

Craft activities will include spin art--squirting paint onto a rotating piece of paper--and sponge-painting. Children also will have the chance to have their faces painted and a pair of bunny ears attached.

“It’s cute,” Myers said. “We have thousands of kids running around with bunny ears on.”

Special guests include Chuck E. Cheese, Spiderman, the Domino’s Pizza “Noid,” Officer McGruff of “Take a Bite Out of Crime” fame and a 6-foot bunny.

One of the biggest draws, however, is likely to be the egg hunts, which will involve up to 100 children at a time and begin every five minutes. Children who find gold-colored eggs will win one of several prizes totaling $1,000 that have been donated by local businesses.