Big Truck Day features trucks, egg hunt at Sarasota County's Nathan Benderson Park.
By
Pam Eubanks
| 11:05 p.m. April 20, 2019
East County
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East County 4-year-old Sariyah Walkers wasted no time hunting for Easter eggs with her cousin, 5-year-old Nala Jelks, who was visiting from Orlando. The announcer still had three seconds left on his countdown when hundreds of children, including Sariyah and Nala, raced onto the grassy field to gather as many eggs as possible April 20 during the Big Truck Day and Eggstravaganza at Nathan Benderson Park.
Within minutes, the hunt was over. Sariyah looked in her basket.Â
"I need more eggs," she said, smiling.
The girls and their brothers — 1-year-old Devante Walker Jr. and 1-year-old Deleon Jelks — enjoyed the day's festivities. Not only did they get to hunt eggs, but they also got to check out dozens of big vehicles — from firetrucks and riding lawn mowers to vacuum trucks, military vehicles, tractors and other big trucks and equipment. Children climbed in and over the vehicles, checking out everything from their tires to the sound of their horns.
Families also could enjoy food and drink for purchase, inflatable slides and a junior obstacle course hosted by the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office.
Children rush to the field for the hunt before the countdown finishes.
Five-year-old Adrian Fernandez, of Sarasota, checks out a yard waste truck and tries out the horn.
Sarasota 3-year-old Asher Resnick is eager to start the hunt.
East County's Sariyah Walker had fun looking for eggs with her cousin, Nala Jelks, who was visiting from Orlando.
Four-year-old Roary Longley, of Osprey, checks out the stickers inside his eggs. He said he was more excited about the trucks than the egg hunt.
One-year-old Luke Bevill, with his father, Brian Bevill, is thrilled to get a sticker of his favorite animal, a turtle.
East County residents (clockwise from front left) Dylan Kaplan, Betsy Johnson, Lexa Tzelepis, Andrea Tzelepis, Sydney Weslowski and Eva Tzelepis love being outside together.
Jordan and Jessa Lawton were visiting their cousin, Creekwood resident Hayleigh Rodriguez.
Sarasota resident Jensen Chapman, 19 months, gets a birds-eye view of the trucks from a hayride vehicle.
One-year-old Mila Bryant loves seeing all the trucks from a hayride seat. She was visiting her grandparents from out of town.
Parrish 8-year-old Evan Fulton makes sure to pose with a military vehicle.
Families saw dozens of trucks, from waste collection vehicles to firetrucks.
Venice's Mike Baker and his 2-year-old son Greyson try to figure out how the vacuum truck works.
Five-year-old Dennis Lloyd, of Sarasota, likes hearing all the different sounds the horns make.
North Port's Mason Barthlow , with his mom, Melissa Dunbar, tries steering a riding lawn mower.
Bradenton's Brianna North, Summer Vanderbent, Taylor Vanderbent, Nathan Hassall and Kayla Vanderbent are all cousins.
Five-year-old Mila Saenz and her family enjoyed snow cones with the Frost family, from Lakewood Ranch. Mila was visiting them from Illinois.
Four-year-old Lakewood Ranch resident Preston Frost enjoys a snow cone with family and friends after a successful egg hunt.
Four-year-old Jordan Wiggins, of Palmetto, zips down the inflatable slide.
Lakewood Ranch's Bailey Bright completes the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office's junior obstacle course challenge.
Kodi Rodriguez, 4, gets a little help climbing up a rope and doing a pull-up from Sarasota County Sheriff's Office Dep. Will Rose as she started the sheriff's junior obstacle challenge.
