Lower Burrell early Easter tradition reaches 10,000 eggs
Lower Burrell Easter Egg Hunt
Lower Burrell resident Toni Kuzmirek has held an easter egg hunt for local children and families for many years, and this year it has grown to include 10,000 eggs filled with candy.
Three-year-old Madyson Makara cracked open each plastic egg and plucked out what she found inside.
“Candy!” she proclaimed happily. “Candy, Daddy!”
She dropped the treats into her Minnie Mouse bucket. Except for the Tootsie Rolls — Pappy, aka Ted Makara, got those, since they're his favorite.
Madyson was among dozens of kids who took off like a swarm of locusts across Ron and Toni Kuzmirek's Lower Burrell lawn Sunday afternoon for their annual Easter egg hunt, held on Palm Sundays since 2010.
The crowd consisted of family, neighbors, friends and friends of friends.
The whole thing was Toni's idea, and started when their first grandchild was a year old. The couple now has six grandchildren.
The number of kids, and eggs, has increased each year — from just eight kids and 400 eggs at the first, to Sunday's 60 to 70 kids and 10,000 eggs.
The entire 2.5 acre lawn off of Rose Street was covered with eggs, from front to back, side to side. Ron and a neighbor put them out earlier in the day.
“We don't really hide them,” Toni said. “They're just out in the open.”
That many eggs was a goal Toni had been striving toward. She was motivated years ago by a church in Harrison, which she saw promoting that it had 10,000 eggs for its hunt.
“I said, ‘I can do that. I can get there one day,'” she said.
Toni started filling eggs two weeks ago.
“I sit on the floor watching TV at night,” she said.
The Kuzmireks' daughter and son-in-law, Chrissie and Steve DiVincenzo, came back from North Carolina, where they moved late last year, with their son, Liam, 16 months.
“We wouldn't miss this. It's just as simple as that,” Chrissie DiVincenzo said. “It's a good way to catch up with people. It brings everyone together.”
Chrissie said her mother is doting on her grandchildren. And for the adults, she prepares a buffet of food and desserts.
“She is crazy, but a good crazy,” Chrissie said. “It's amazing what she does. She puts a lot of work into it.”
Toni had been Priscilla Stouffer's boss at Eat'n Park in Harrison, where Stouffer still works as a server. She's been at each hunt and this year brought her great grandson, Weston, 19 months.
“It's amazing. I love it,” Stouffer said. “She is amazing with kids. She lives and breathes for her grandkids.”
Michelle Wolfe came from Akron with her husband, John, and their children, Julian, 2, and Ava, 5. John's aunt helps put on the hunt, she said.
“I think this looks pretty great,” she said. “It's awesome they would do this for so many people.”
Can she imagine filling 10,000 plastic eggs with candy? “Not even a little bit,” she said.
Stephanie Kish came down from Ellwood City with her son, Jensen, 2. She used to work with Chrissie, Toni's daughter. It was their first time at the hunt. “He's having a blast,” Stephanie said. “There are a lot of eggs. I didn't think there'd be so much.”
Most of the eggs were picked up within 30 minutes — less time than it took to put them out.
Toni said she enjoys watching the kids have fun.
“I'll do it every year for hopefully a long time,” Toni said.
Brian C. Rittmeyer is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at 724-226-4701, brittmeyer@tribweb.com or on Twitter @BCRittmeyer.
Correction: March 26, 2018
This story was modified to clarify that Chrissie and Steve DiVincenzo are related to the Kuzmireks.
