UPDATE: The Easter Bunny is Coming…By Helicopter!

Update: The egg drop has been cancelled, postponed until Tuesday, March 26 at 6 p.m. at Sunset Park.

Update: With the threat of rainy weather on Saturday, Mauldin's assistant recreation director Bart Cumalander urged locals to stay tuned to Patch in case the city needs to postpone the event due to inclement weather.

Cumalander said he expected to make a decision by 10 a.m. Saturday whether the event will take place. If the weather cooperates, the event at Sunset Park will commence as scheduled at 1 p.m. (see below for details).

However, if the event is postponed Saturday, Cumalander said the egg drop will be rescheduled for 6 p.m. Tuesday at the park.

Stay tuned to Patch for updates.

Original post: Thousands of children are expected to converge upon Sunset Park in Mauldin on Saturday to take part in the city's second annual Easter "Egg Drop."

Consider it manna from heaven, though this manna will consist of thousands of plastic eggs dropped by helicopter and filled with goodies, courtesy of local churches, businesses, and the Mauldin Sports Center, which is coordinating the event.

It's a pretty neat deal," said assistant city recreation director and lead organizer Bart Cumalander.

Indeed, last year the city anticipated 1,000 youngsters would show up to scramble for eggs. Cumalander said the final tally was a little more than 5,000.

"They just kept coming and coming," he said. "I've been with the city for 24 years and I've never seen that many kids in the park in all my time."

That overwhelming turnout meant some children ended up with an empty basket. This year, however, the goal is to make sure every child leaves happy, Cumalander said.

"We want to make sure every kid gets an egg this year. We're a lot more prepared this year," he said.

Cumalander said this year's event will drop and distribute more than 50,000 eggs, which will be filled with candy, toys, and coupons for treats from local restaurants.

The event has been in production for months. In addition to the egg drop, courtesy of a helicopter from Shadowhawk Aviation and patrons such as Publix, Sonic and Dairy Queen, kids will be treated to a free hot dog and will have a variety of fun activities to fill their time, from bounce houses to face painting and much more. Several vendors also will be on hand to provide a variety of food and drink to children and adults alike.

Cumalander said sports center staff and others have been filling eggs since January. "They're tired of looking at eggs," he joked.

The festivities run from 1-5 p.m. Saturday at the park, located at 211 Fowler Circle. In case of inclement weather that would force the event to shut down, the rain date is Sunday at 1 p.m.

The free event is meant for children up to age 12. Upon entering the park, kids will be given colored wristbands and assigned to certain fields at the park depending upon their age.

The Egg Drop schedule is:

2:30 p.m. — 3rd-5th graders (typical ages 8-12 years old)

3:30 p.m. — 1st and 2nd graders (typical ages 6 and 7)

4:30 p.m. — Pre-school-K5

Due to the anticipated crowd, Cumalander urged parents to allow adequate time for parking.