By Mary O’KEEFE

The Easter Bunny will be hopping around the foothills this weekend with plenty of time planned at the Sunland-Tujunga Annual Spring Carnival on Easter weekend.

On Friday, Saturday and Sunday, Sunland Park will be filled with carnival rides, community information booths and music. And the best part? This year it is free to enter.

“This is the first time in years it [will be free],” said Mark Seigel, member of the Sunland-Tujunga Chamber of Commerce and chair of the event.

Last year, admission to the event was $20 including rides, and $5 without rides. Seigel said the decision to change from charging admission to free was made to help the community.

As a volunteer last year, Seigel saw some families come to the gate as if they were going in. Then parents would turn to their children and say they decided not to go in. He is not 100% certain it was due to money issues, but it does seem pretty likely, he said.

“So, win or lose, we are going to have free admission,” he said.

The carnival is sponsored by the Sunland-Tujunga Chamber of Commerce and is a way to reach out to the community. It is also a fundraiser to help support the Chamber.

“There will be over 20 rides brought by the Guadadno and Sons [Amusements],” he said. “The rides will be based in three different age groups.”

Throughout the weekend, bands will entertain carnival goers, including the band Teenagers in Disguise on Friday from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. and over the weekend DJ Frankie Ho will keep the music going.

Kids will have plenty to do, not only with carnival rides but with four separate Easter egg hunts divided by age groups on Saturday beginning at 11:30 a.m. for the youngest and 1 p.m. for ages 9 years and older. On Sunday, the Easter egg hunt will be hosted by the Foothills YMCA and will begin at 2 p.m.

In addition, on Saturday at 11 a.m. the city’s Parks and Recreation Dept.  will have a children’s arts and craft booth plus more games for kids from 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.

There will be limited food inside the park; however, there are several restaurants nearby as well as food trucks.

It is Seigel’s hope those who attend the carnival will patronize local businesses, then return to the event.

The idea of the carnival, which started about 30 years ago, was to have an old-fashioned community celebration. In addition to booths that will sell items, there will also be educational booths that will share local information.

Several volunteers will be on hand to make certain the event is well manned.

“But if anyone would like to volunteer, they can contact me,” Seigel said.

The Sunland-Tujunga Spring Carnival will be held at the Sunland Park on Friday from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m., Saturday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 8 p.m. Anyone who would like to volunteer for any or all days can contact Mark Seigel at (818) 430-5244.

Sunland Park is located at 8651 Foothill Blvd. in Sunland.

  Mary Okeefe