Sunday marked the second Easter of the COVID-19 pandemic, and though many churches have resumed services, most of the typical weekend celebrations were canceled.

Even so, whether it be church services, egg hunts, or picnics, families across the Santa Clarita Valley still found ways to celebrate the holiday.

One Canyon Country neighborhood decided to create its own socially distanced egg hunt, counting the eggs rather than collecting them, with prizes for those who get the correct number.

“Instead of getting goodies out of the eggs, we gave each one an Easter basket,” organizer Marcia Phillips said. “It still allowed them to get outside and run around, but at a safe distance. The kids all loved it.”

Another Santa Clarita family took to their local park to celebrate the holiday with an Easter picnic.

The Romero family celebrates Easter in Central park Sunday afternoon, April 4, 2021. | Photo: Bobby Block / The Signal.

“This is the first time the family’s been able to be together in ages,” Valencia resident Elizabeth Truman said. “The kids’ grandparents finally got vaccinated, but we still wanted to be extra careful, so we thought we’d do a park meetup.”

It was an Easter celebration Truman’s 7-year-old daughter Candice said was secretly the “best ever,” as it not only involved chocolate bunnies and yummy food, but also the swings, which she said are her favorite.

“I certainly missed being able to watch the kids run around and play,” Truman’s mother Tina Wallace said, chuckling as Candice pushed her baby brother on the swings. “It’s very special to be able to be together once again.”

Nathalie and Maria Ruelas stuff Easter eggs with treats while celebrating the holiday in Hart Park Sunday afternoon, April 4, 2021. | Photo: Bobby Block / The Signal.

Local hiking trails were also a popular destination for Easter-goers, many of whom wanted to enjoy the warmer weather.

“This is actually an annual tradition for us,” Newhall resident Daniel Samuels said. “We attend sunrise service, hit the trail, then feast. We’re lucky, COVID hasn’t really changed much for us. It’s a bit more crowded out this year, but hasn’t bothered us.”

Others instead chose to stay home to dye eggs and have at-home egg hunts, like the Paulson family.

“The kids took it upon themselves to come up with an Easter-themed scavenger hunt,” Wendi Edwards said. “They scoured the house for every bunny and egg-shaped item they could find.”

While it wasn’t as big an adventure as their typical church egg hunts, the Edwards family was simply happy they could celebrate together.

Vanessa Guerrero, right, serves food to sister Valeria, left, as their family celebrates Easter in a park adjoined to the Santa Clarita Sports Complex Sunday afternoon, April 4, 2021. | Photo: Bobby Block / The Signal.