By Anna Skinner
Kids will swarm Grand Park once again this year as a helicopter drops 15,000 Easter eggs from the sky. But it’s not only a helicopter releasing thousands of brightly colored eggs as it flies over Grand Park that brings families flocking back.
NSPIRE Church Formation Pastor Brad Ruggles said, to his knowledge, this is the only event combining the efforts of multiple churches.
“We are united on it,” Ruggles said.
“Honestly, what I think makes this event so great is when families come to it they feel they’re cared for and there’s people in the community that care about them,” NSPIRE Church Engagement Pastor Matt Gaylor said. “I think people in our community think whenever church is involved, there’re strings attached. Lots of people have that expectation for church events, and we try to do everything we can to shatter those expectations. This is just a ‘come and allow us to serve you and know that you’re loved.’ I think people feel that, and I think they enjoy that. We protect that as the DNA of the event.”
It also helps that kids turn in eggs for a bag of candy or age-appropriate snacks at the end of the event. This is the second year for two time slots during the event. A total of 1,600 kids will participate.
Dropped eggs are empty, and kids turn them in to redeem candy.
“Several families with younger kids say that to this day, some of young toddlers when they see helicopter in the sky, they think there’s going to be eggs coming out of the helicopter,” Ruggles said.
In addition to the egg drop, other activities will be available at the event. They include face painting, a photo booth, food available for purchase from platinum sponsor Chick-fil-A, carnival games and more.
“Dropping anything out of a helicopter is pretty cool,” Ruggles said. “I think one of things that sets this event apart that we hear every year from people who come is we constantly get people who say how well organized it is, how fun the event is and how friendly all the volunteers are. It’s not just show up for an egg hunt and then leave. We have all the different carnival games and the DJ and the music.”
Seven churches brought approximately 140 volunteers to support the event. The churches involved include NSPIRE Church (formerly Imagine and CitySpring), Christ United Methodist, Paradox, LifePointe, Westfield Friends and Lord of Life Lutheran. Volunteers from Westfield Welcome also are contributing.
“The Westfield Easter Egg Drop is an event that brings the community together,” Mayor Andy Cook stated in a press release sent to Current. “Since the Westfield Easter Egg Drop has doubled the number of attendees, Grand Park is the perfect place for families to gather and enjoy the holiday in a unique and fun way. We look forward in continuing this successful partnership with our Westfield churches.”
A pre-registration code can be found in this week’s edition of Current in Westfield.
For more or to volunteer for next year, visit westfieldeggdrop.com.
By the numbers
- 30,000 eggs
- 1,600 child capacity
- 140 volunteers
- 7 participating churches
- 2 separate egg drops
