FORTVILLE – The crowd of eager children and their families gathered on the blacktop outside Fortville Church of the Nazarene, pointing and looking up to the sky as a helicopter flew overhead dropping 3,000 Easter eggs to gather Saturday morning for the fourth annual Helicopter Egg Drop.

Joanna Lucas, Fort Naz Kids director, said that along with the festivities of crafts, face painting and a picture with the Easter bunny, every child was able to leave with a prize.

Lucas said that Home Depot was also able to donate supplies and kits for the kids to make baskets, bird houses and bird feeders.

This being her third time at the event, Lucas said every year they can learn from the years prior. This year, they added a tent outside to cover more activities since having approximately 1,000 people inside the church can be a tight squeeze.

In addition to this year’s egg hunt, the church had added its playground equipment, which was a huge success.

Lucas said approximately 750 people pre-registered for the event in its first year and approximately 1,200 did last year. This year, the number jumped to 1,000 for pre-registrations, so Lucas said they most likely hit the same amount as last year.

Lucas said she loves working with children, and with this event she can see many families come together.

“That was one of the things I was shocked about, was seeing that it’s not just moms and dads who come. It’s grandparents; they bring their aunts and uncles. I’ve met entire families … I just think that’s the coolest thing ever to be able to provide somewhere like that where they can do all the things,” said Lucas with a laugh.

Inside the church alongside the many rooms with craft stations were some local vendors selling sweet treats. Megan Ball, owner of Around the Oven, has been attending the church for approximately 11 years. In the past, she has attended the event selling treats with Sunrise Bakery but this year is her first with the new bakery business.

A bakery manager at Sunrise Bakery before their closing in January, Ball said she was excited to be able to see some old customers as well as meet new ones. Also, having a kid herself, Ball said she was excited to see her daughter be able to participate in the egg hunt with all the other kids.

“Fortville Church of the Nazarene is just an awesome place to be,” Ball said.

Jackie Brewer attended the egg hunt with her daughter, granddaughter and three of her great grandsons. A highlight for her is seeing people she has not seen in a while and being able to watch the kids have fun with all the different activities. She said she was looking forward to “the atmosphere with friends, the community and the Christian spirit.”

Dana Coy, youth director for Fortville Church of Nazarene, has been involved all four years of the helicopter egg hunt and said that she thoroughly enjoys seeing the awe on the children’s faces as the eggs fall from the helicopter.

Coy said that she has been a member of Fortville Church of the Nazarene since she was a little girl, remembering all the different events she used to attend.

“This has been my home church the entire time,” Coy said. “They are definitely geared towards the community and sharing Christ with our community.”

Outside the egg hunt, Fortville Church of the Nazarene holds service at 10 a.m. on Sundays and has kids church during the same hours. They also host Wednesday night activities.

“We love our community and we would welcome you anytime,” Lucas said.

For further information on Easter activities located throughout the county, check out the community pages.

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