Hoppy Trails: Thousands Attend Victory Eggstravaganza Event

Thousands of Easter revelers from across the region descended on  Friday and Saturday for its annual Eggstravaganza.

Pastor John Nuzzo, founding pastor at Victory, estimated about 6,000 people attended the event, which featured 100,000 candy-filled plastic eggs in eight separate hunts, photos with the Easter Bunny, inflatable rides, temporary tattoos, balloon artists, a puppet show and much more.

“It has been a wonderful two days,” Nuzzo said.

Since Eggstravaganza, originally held at , began more than a decade ago, Nuzzo said the event has grown each year. Because the event is now so large, attendees park at the nearby Manheim Pittsburgh car lot on Route 19 and board one of the continous shuttles that run back and forth between the church.

Nuzzo added he believes people are attracted to the egg fest year after year because the church provides a safe environment with a variety of events in one spot.

“I think it’s just a place where kids can have fun and the parents can relax,” he said.

For Rachel and Sean Jeffries of Sewickley, this is the second year in a row they’ve attended the free event with daughters Vivian, 3, and Elowyn, 1.

“The kids always get excited about the Easter bunny and the Easter egg hunts,” Sean Jeffries said.

Dawn Nicotra of Mars, who attended Eggstravaganza with her husband Steve Nicotra, said her three children also were fans of the Easter bunny, or rather, Easter bunnies. The event featuried two bunnies so that children wouldn’t have a long wait before hopping on a bunny’s lap.

“They got excited about the tattoos, too,” Nicotra said.

While the Easter eggs hunts were held outdoors, there were plenty of indoor activates as well, including a soft playroom and a room with RC Racers.

By next year, there will be even more of the church to explore. In December, that will house a sanctuary with stadium seating.

Nuzzo said workers currently are constructing the building’s foundation. He said he hopes the sanctuary will be finished by next May.