Thousands of Easter eggs dropped by helicopter at The Church on 53 in Fremont
Crowds of happy children greeted the annual helicopter Easter egg drop at The Church on 53, which went off without issue, defying dire Saturday weather predictions.
There was a brief delay due to rain and wind conditions, but the helicopter showed up just as the sun showed through the clouds above Fremont.
Katelyn Haubert brought her son Niko Anguiano, 3.
“This is his first big-time Easter egg hunt. He just knows that he’s ready to go see eggs and he’s already picked out one that he wants to get,” Haubert said. “He’s ready to go. He was in the car saying ‘I’m ready. I’m ready, Mom.’”
Ed and Amber Marroquin are campus pastors at the Church's Fremont location.
“We have a helicopter that comes out and drops eggs out. It’s fun for the kids, and of course, they get to take home lots of candy,” Amber Marroquin said. “Then right after, we invite everyone to the Easter service. There’s also one Easter morning. We’re hoping to hit 1,500 to 2,000. We invite everybody from the community, just for some fun, and then, hopefully to come back and experience what Easter is about, and what the story of Christ is.”
She said that Easter egg hunts have been held at The Church for many years, but only a half dozen included the helicopter, but it was a crowd favorite.
Excited children could barely hold themselves back as about half the candy-filled plastic Easter eggs had already been placed in case the helicopter couldn’t make the trip.
“We have about 20,000 eggs. The helicopter can’t hold them all, so we pre-place some eggs, then the helicopter drops the rest,” Amber Marroquin said.
The field behind the church was roped off with flags by age groups.
“I’m getting ready to pick pink and blue eggs for my mom,” Jordan Fahler, 5, nervously said in anticipation.
Cassidy Fahler, Jordan’s mom, was also excited and said this was Jordan’s first helicopter egg drop. She decided to register for the event at the last minute with some friends. She home-schools her son.
Cheers went up as the helicopter circled, descended, then hovered, still high in the sky, and the eggs were released in several waves. The eggs fell from an altitude that the bounced back up several feet. Kids would eventually search out candy from any eggs that had broken open.
“I’m assisting, so the little ones stay in their lane. I have a very important job,” said Jayne Wingo, a retired teacher from Otis Elementary School. "This is a great event. I think it makes me as happy as the children."
Gunner DeVault, 11, was assisting Wingo in his first time to work at the egg drop.
“I want to help out the kids and have fun,” Gunner said.
Elijah Day was in his second year as field supervisor. “I love to be able to serve and be able to set a welcoming environment for everybody. People in the community, no matter where they are from, they get to experience the helicopter, with the eggs dropping. They get to just bounce around and enjoy themselves, without having to do the set-up themselves. Being able to see that joy is why I do it,” Day said.
He said that they had about 50 volunteers who spend about six hours setting up the field.
Day didn’t know exactly how many eggs were dropped.
“I just know that there are too many, and the helicopter can’t physically handle that weight. So we have to spread them out beforehand,” Day said.
“I’m here to have an egg. I want five eggs,” Zoe Hamer, 4, said.
Two exuberant children, Brian Hamer, 5, and his sister Zoey, were with their dad, who quickly ran off to catch his daughter.
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This article originally appeared on Fremont News-Messenger: Fremont OH church sponsors helicopter Easter egg drop
