Helicopter Easter egg drop sets off scramble by children

Julian Hill, 9, at left, keeps his eyes on the sky on a blustery day outside the Church on Strayer in Monclova Township. THE BLADE/LORI KING Enlarge | Photo Reprints

A rush for eggs — thousands of the colored plastic kind filled with candy, money, or trinkets — results in full bags for children at the Church on Strayer in Monclova Township. THE BLADE/LORI KING Enlarge | Photo Reprints

Easter made a spectacular landing on one local church yesterday.

A helicopter dropped thousands of plastic eggs on the campus of the Church on Strayer - much to the glee of the hordes of children waiting below at ground zero.

One of them, Tyler Conway, 11, collected a big bag of the multicolored eggs, which contained surprises ranging from candy to trinkets to dollar bills.

"I'm so happy," the Toledo boy said. "I'm going to open them right now."

An estimated 2,500 to 3,000 kids and adults braved blustery weather and intermittent sprinkles to gather in the church's sweeping front yard at 300 Strayer Rd. in Monclova Township.

The drop zone was taped off in an attempt to keep out the kids, who were 12 and under, as the helicopter made its passes.

That was the idea, anyway.

Anticipation built as the chopper made its first approach.

It appeared as a dot a few hundred feet in the air coming from behind the church.

It gradually flew into view, then hovered above the drop zone.

When a tiny figure appeared on one side of the aircraft and dumped the eggs, the excited kids could wait no longer.

Issuing a collective roar, the children charged through the tape and swarmed into the drop zone, the church's volunteer security personnel chasing them to no avail.

The egg drop matched the expectations of Ellen Brazelton of

Toledo and her sons Connor, 7, and Colin, 6, who excitedly rummaged through their bags of eggs after the last of the three drops.

Ms. Brazelton said she heard about the drop from co-workers.

"It's been a lot of fun," she said.

The event was open to all, said Jake Michalski, the church's children's pastor.

"It's a free community event. It's not just for church members. Especially for Easter, it's what we want to do," Pastor Michalski said. "It's a great draw for the community."

The 2,500-member church held the same drop last year, and it was equally successful, the pastor said.

The church has been at its Strayer location since 2004. Before that, it was on Alexis Road in Sylvania and was called the Cathedral of Praise.

For Jennifer Clark of Haskins, Ohio, the egg drop was the perfect way to usher in Easter. She was there with her boys, Alejandro, 10, and Carlitos, 8.

"We love it. It's a good outing for the family, a good Christian outing," she said.

Alejandro said he was delighted to find a few of his eggs contained dollar bills, which he said he would use to buy a toy.

Carlitos said he had 50 to 80 eggs. They were more than he needed, so he said he would share them.

Contact Carl Ryan at:

carlryan@theblade.com

or 419-724-6050.