By NEAL WAGNER / Managing Editor

ALABASTER – Cultivate Church will continue a unique tradition in Alabaster later this month, as it is again holding its helicopter Easter egg drop event for area children.

The free event, which has become an annual tradition for the church, will begin at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, April 20, at Alabaster’s Veterans Park off Alabama 119. Registration begins at 9 a.m. the day of the event, and pre-registration is available online at Theeggdrop.tv.

This year will mark the sixth time the church has held the helicopter egg drop, after holding drops in 2012 and 2013 and bringing it back after a two-year hiatus in 2016.

The event will feature six drops and more than 40,000 candy-filled eggs, which is up from three in previous years, and will help to handle the huge crowds the event typically draws.

The day will begin with an egg hunt for ages 0-3 during which the hunt area will be scattered with plastic, candy-filled eggs, for younger children to collect.

Following the egg hunt, the church will hold multiple helicopter egg drops for ages 4-6 and another for ages 7-12.

During the drops, kids will line the perimeter of the park’s field, while the helicopter drops tens of thousands of eggs from above. After the helicopter leaves the field, church officials will give the signal to the kids, who will then rush to collect as many eggs as possible.

The free event will also feature food, inflatables, the Easter bunny, a sensory area for individuals with special needs and more.