An errant whistle spurred an unexpectedly early start to the Spring Egg Hunt on Sunday, which had been scheduled to begin at eggsactly 11am at Count Basie Park.
According to residents, roughly 5 minutes before the event was scheduled to begin, a whistle was blown which resulted in a large number of egg hunters rushing onto the field.
Mayor Billy Portman told redbankgreen that he was in the announcer’s booth awaiting the opportunity to begin the event via a countdown when the whistle was heard.
Some participants had not yet arrived or simply weren’t ready to hop into action.
It was like a “black Friday sale at Walmart,” he noted.
Red Bank’s Director of Recreation, Oscar Salinas, issued an apology by email.
The source of the whistle, Salinas told redbankgreen, was an organizer who was making an effort to alert participants to stay behind the starting line. The anticipatory crowd had been gradually moving beyond it.
“The crowd [misinterpreted] the sound as a GO,” he said.
“At that point, it was impossible for us to get them to hold back.”
The Red Bank Department of Parks and Recreation account also posted on Facebook.
A portion of the event for children 5 and under took place without issue, Portman said. The event is an annual tradition.
Oscar added, “This is the first time we had this happened to us. We’ll be ready next year!!”
