Monroeville Easter 'drive-thru' event draws 300 participants

Making the best of the pandemic means hosting events that look a little different, and for the Monroeville Recreation and Parks Department, that means drive-thru events.

The department hosted a Drive-Thru Egg Hunt for children ages 2-10 on March 27. It was the third “drive-thru” event the department has hosted, and the idea seems to be catching on — around 300 vehicles showed up to let kids greet the Easter Bunny and receive bags of treats at Monroeville Community Park West, near the gazebo.

Joanne Morris, the municipality’s program director, said the department hosted drive-thru events for both Halloween and Christmas last year because of the pandemic. The events are designed to limit close interactions in order to curb the spread of covid-19.

The egg hunt was a virtual component — in each bag of treats were instructions and supplies to hold their own hunts at home. Each family was encouraged to post photos to the department’s Facebook page on or before April 1 to be entered into a drawing for one of several gift cards available.

“People were really excited, and they thanked us for putting it on,” Morris said. She said the department canceled last year’s typical egg hunt that happens in the same park because of uncertainties surrounding the pandemic.

Morris said it’s too soon to know if more drive-thru events are on tap for this year. They are not the preferred way of hosting events, she said.

“The covid situation is changing daily still, we’re hoping it still improves so we can go back to whatever normal means after this,” she said.

The department is planning on having a summer concert series at the Tall Trees Amphitheater. The first is scheduled for June 13, featuring the Wheeling, W. Va.,-based “de’ja’vu Band,” which covers hits from the 1950s, ‘60s and ‘70s.