'Eggs-tra Special Easter': South Fayette celebrates with reverse parade
The Bunny Hop Trail went through Fairview Park in South Fayette three days before Easter.
Chilly temperatures, wind and light rain couldn’t keep 450 cars with more than 1,000 children away from a holiday ride through the 190-acre park.
The occupants were given toys, candy, pencils and hand-painted eggs, along with seed papers, eco-friendly paper made from post-consumer materials embedded with wildflower, herb or vegetable seeds. When you plant the paper in a pot of soil or in a garden, the seeds germinate and grow into plants.
The Easter Bunny, Mad Hatter, Alice in Wonderland, and Mickey and Minnie Mouse waved as guests drove by. The Washington Wild Things baseball team mascot and an owl from Ivybrook Academy also were in attendance, and a stilt walker and juggler performed.
“They are having a great time,” said South Fayette resident Jill Ackermann, who had four children with her. When asked their favorite part of the event they shouted that they loved the candy and characters and that everyone was friendly.
This was the second time for the drive-thru Easter event, which was held the same way in 2021 because of the covid pandemic. Residents liked it so much organizers decided to do it again.
It’s called a reverse parade: Instead of people watching from the sides as the vehicles pass by, it’s the opposite. The event was hosted by South Fayette Township and the parks and recreation department.
The police handed out candy. Library employees gave away pencils and seed paper as well as children’s book recommendations.
“A library is really important,” said Ben Hornfeck, director for the South Fayette and Bridgeville public libraries. “During the pandemic, we helped people who might not have had Internet access fill out forms they needed, and we printed important paperwork for them. A library is a place for early literacy. A library is a community center.”
Three South Fayette High School students volunteered by handing out Frisbees and plastic Easter eggs.“It’s about seeing the happy faces,” said volunteer Meera Selvakumar, a sophomore.
Some kids smile, others laugh and some dance, sophomore Sruthi Sudhir said.
“I liked giving air high-fives to the kids,” said Sarwani Potharlanka, a freshman.
As guests entered the park, they were given a program that instructed them to look for 25 decorated egg-shaped signs and check them off as they spotted them. Hand-painted plastic eggs were passed out with a note containing the names of who made it all the way through, plus a kind message: “If you see someone without a smile, give them one of yours! Have an Eggs-tra Special Easter.”
The eggs, more than 500 of them, were made by 75 students from Selva Priya Sahadevan’s Getitfromnature Arts art studio in South Fayette. She let the students decide on the design.
“There are funny face eggs, sparkly eggs, Easter bunny eggs, even marvel and Pokémon eggs,” she said. “All our community projects have one objective: spreading love and colors with simple acts of kindness. When young kids are involved in the making and spreading love, it goes a long way when they grow up which makes the world a better place.
“I believe we can change the world by one act of kindness at a time.”
Student Kavin Srikanth made a heart shape, representing kindness, and painted the inside of the design.
The egg painted by Kavya Yuvaraj, one of Priya’s twin daughters, depicted a lion face, inspired by the South Fayette mascot.
“I love doing art to give it to people and make them happy,” she said.
Her sister, Oviya Yuvaraj, painted a lady bug.
“Spring brings lady bugs,” she said. “And everyone loves lady bugs. Whoever gets this egg, I hope it makes them happy.”
JoAnne Klimovich Harrop is a TribLive reporter covering the region's diverse culinary scene and unique homes. She writes features about interesting people. The Edward R. Murrow award-winning journalist began her career as a sports reporter. She has been with the Trib for 26 years and is the author of "A Daughter's Promise." She can be reached at jharrop@triblive.com.
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