DAPHNE, Ala. — Bay Community Church in Malbis is hosting a different kind of Easter egg hunt on Saturday at Battleship Park.

Instead of simply hiding eggs, the church decided to drop plastic, hallow egg shells filled with candy from a plane and two helicopters over the fields for children to find afterward.

This is the first year the church will be hosting an egg drop so it’s not sure how it will all work out, but members believe it will be a spectacle to see.

The event is free and will begin at 11 a.m., with eggs dropping around 11:30 a.m. The event will last until 1 p.m.

There have been 100,000 eggs purchased, stuffed with candy and prize tickets and bagged to be dropped from aircraft.

Children ages 12 and under will be allowed to hunt the eggs once they have been dropped. Barb Gingras, organizer for the event, said the drop area will be roped off until after the eggs have dropped to ensure children’s safety. The younger children will have a separate area to hunt in, and Gingras said the eggs will most likely be hidden for the younger children to ensure their safety.

“No one will be allowed on the field itself until after the drop happens,” Gingras said.

All 100,000 eggs will have candy or stickers inside, but some eggs will also have a prize ticket inside. The church will give away iPods, gaming consoles and other prizes during the event. Anyone who finds a prize ticket inside an egg will be asked to report to the prize tent to pick up prizes.

Gingras said the egg drop started as a joking discussion between some of the children’s ministers who had heard of an egg drop in other places.

“It kept escalating and all of the sudden they had picked the number 100,000 and started working from there,” she said.

The church set this event as a way to reach out to the community and encompass members from its campuses in Malbis and Mobile.

There will be inflatables, face painting, pony rides, prize giveaways and free Chick-fil-A sandwiches at the event.

“It will be a great community gathering and fellowship,” Gingras said.

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