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St. Pete Beach Springfest draws families, deputies and conservation volunteers
Summary
The City of St. Pete Beach Recreation Department held its Springfest event featuring egg hunts, activities for children, a police community-policing presence and a Sea Turtle Trackers station collecting plastic egg parts for recycling.
Courtney Melhot, Recreation Coordinator for the City of St. Pete Beach Recreation Department, said the city held its annual Springfest to bring families together to "celebrate Easter and spring all at once." The event featured free tree giveaways, bounce houses, a pool egg drop and an underwater egg hunt, organizers said.
Springfest brought city staff, community-policing deputies and volunteers together in a single community event. "This is one of our favorite events," said Deputy Stan of the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office, one of three community-policing deputies assigned to St. Pete Beach. "We're simply out here to interact with the kids, interact with the public, show off some of our cool equipment, and celebrate Easter with everybody."
A staff member who participated with a department presence called the event "the most fun event of pretty much the season," noting the department's participation in activities including the pool egg drop and the visit from the Easter bunny. Another staff member said the event this year included information on yard restoration after recent storms and emphasized participation from the fire department and other city services.
Volunteers with Sea Turtle Trackers staffed a table to explain their program and to collect the plastic halves of extra Easter eggs for recycling. "We're with Sea Turtle Trackers, and we're so happy to be here at the event," a Sea Turtle Trackers representative said. Organizers also reported many children and parents stopped by the conservation table during the event.
A resident attending the event described families jumping into the pool for the egg drop and hunting for a "golden egg," calling the occasion a chance for the community to come together. Organizers said the event aimed to combine recreational programming with information about city services and post-storm recovery resources.
Springfest organizers listed giveaways, interactive booths and safety demonstrations among the activities, and thanked volunteers and public-safety staff for participating. No formal city actions or votes were taken during the event.
