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Eccentric Easter: Locals swap traditional baskets for ‘egg-stravagant’ experiences

By Katherine Mansfield 6 min read
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Youth group members stuff Easter eggs with candies, stickers and other small goodies at South Hills Church of the Nazarene on a recent weekday.
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The South Hills Church of the Nazarene youth group poses for a photo on a recent weekday evening, after stuffing hundreds of eggs for the Egg My Yard event. “We have an amazing group of teenagers. This is one of the things that they do for the community,” said Mara Fannie. “They’re trying to get more involved. We’re grateful for where we’re located and grateful for the opportunity to serve the community in different ways. This is one of them.”
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Giant bunny balloons stuffed with small, colorful balloons or Easter goodies await pickup inside The Cheerful Balloon in downtown Washington. “The trend I’m seeing is personalization,” owner Jessica Garda said of her premade-but-customizable Easter offering. “It kind of marries those two, the convenience and personalization.”

Those of a certain age might remember the foul smell of sulfur emanating from a closet several days after Easter; there was, it seemed, always one colorful egg that got trapped in a basket during holiday cleanup.

Traditional Easter baskets, the ones passed down from generation to generation and filled by a family’s designated bunny with each child’s favorite candies, trinkets and dyed, hard-boiled eggs have, for many, been relegated to the memory files, replaced by premade baskets that line local stores’ shelves. While woven baskets brimming over in Easter grass may never completely go out of style, some area organizations and businesses offer alternatives to the annual Sunday morning basket hunt.

Organizations like South Hills Church of the Nazarene, which is for the fourth year hosting its Egg My Yard event to raise funds for the youth group’s trip to the Nazarene Youth Convention.

“We were sitting and having a conversation one time with a couple of adults and a couple of our older teens, trying to come up with unique ideas, of ways we could interact with the community and raise money at the same time. One of the teens actually suggested it. You see people getting their yards covered with flamingos; that’s where it came from,” said Mara Fannie, pastor to the youth at South Hills Church of the Nazarene. “It’s gotten a little bit bigger every time.”

In the weeks leading up to Easter, the church youth group takes Egg My Yard orders from families in the South Hills area (based on your location, the church does accept orders to homes outside that area; inquire online) and spends Wednesday evenings stuffing hundreds and hundreds of colorful Easter eggs with candy, stickers and other goodies.

On Easter Eve, the youth group breaks into smaller groups, which are given maps with several yards plotted out, and head to those homes, eggs in tow.

“It’s a whole bunch of teens going out at night,” with supervision, Fannie said. “We call them Egging Ninjas. We dress in dark clothes, we egg the yards, then we come back to the church and share stories about neighbors who caught us or dogs that barked.”

Sometimes, neighbors will watch warily from their windows as Egging Ninjas stealthily hide eggs in a yard. The youth group has not yet had the police called, but one group did have an unpleasant encounter with a very protective neighbor.

“We went out to one house, it was more country. They had ordered one of our largest orders. The neighbor came out and had kind of threatened, a little bit, the kids. We had to talk them down off the ladder and let them know we were allowed to be there,” Fannie recalled. “We work very hard to not make any noise because we don’t want to wake any kids up.”

When kids wake on Easter morning, they’re thrilled to discover the Easter Bunny set up an egg hunt just for them. Fannie said many families are repeat customers whose children delight in scouring the backyard for eggs on Easter morning.

“It’s unique, to me, to have egg hunts outside. When I was growing up, ours was always in the house,” said Fannie. “Everybody that we’ve done it for so far, their kids love it and they think it’s absolutely amazing. It’s enjoyable for them.”

It’s fun for the teens who stuff and hide eggs, too.

“It’s one of our favorite fundraisers. We get good responses from the parents. We’ve gotten really good responses from the teens’ parents. It’s something that we work hard prepping for,” Fannie said. “From the beginning of it to the end of it, it’s a community activity. We get to spend time together in preparation and delivery. We know that we played a part in making these little kids happy whenever they wake up in the morning.”

Some Greene County kids, too, wake up to egged yards, thanks to the Waynesburg Nazarene Church youth group, which hosts a similar fundraiser. Kids throughout the area will also enjoy waking to a personalized Easter bunny balloon in lieu of a traditional basket.

“I’ve seen things like this done in other markets, even in downtown Pittsburgh, and I wanted to try my hand at it and bring it here to Washington,” said Jessica Garda, who owns The Cheerful Balloon. “I hadn’t seen anything like this done in Washington.”

“This” is larger-than-life bunny balloons that stand tall and have clear bellies filled with colorful smaller balloons or candies and trinkets. Bunny heads come in a variety of colors and Garda lovingly personalizes the ears with each child’s name.

“I went ahead and pre-curated; you don’t have to do anything. It comes already stuffed with a bunch of Peeps-related toys and candies,” Garda said.

For kids with allergies, or folks who’d like to deviate from the Peeps theme, Garda will stuff bunny’s belly with sweets and treats while you wait. The bring-your-own-stuffing option has been well-received, but Garda said the premade Easter bunny balloon has been far and away more popular.

“Everyone’s just busier. Every mom out there has a million things to do, with sports and work and PTA. I’m trying to find ways where I can make life a little easier,” she said. It’s not like the premade basket that you buy off the shelf. “There’s still ways to customize it: you can make the bunny … their favorite color. This kind of combines ready-made with still some thought and intention behind it.”

Whether this Easter is celebrated with egged yards, giant bunnies or traditional baskets, it is indeed the thought that counts. For those thinking they forgot to order a special delivery from the Easter Bunny this year, both Egg My Yard and The Cheerful Balloon will accept a limited number of orders this week.

For more information on Egg My Yard, go to https://shcn.churchcenter.com/registrations/events/2089113. To place a bunny balloon order through Cheerful Balloon, visit https://thecheerfulballoon.com/.

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