SUMMIT STATION — Mary Lopez’s 7-year-old granddaughter sported a henna “tattoo” on her hand and a set of bunny ears she created. She completed an egg hunt while still having the henna design intact and was ready for more adventure.
“I got to see two swans,” Mariella Albo, Pottsville, said as she opened plastic, chocolate-filled eggs she had gathered in a field adjacent to the Bal Bodh building on the Vraj Hindu Temple grounds. The swans were swimming nearby.
Lopez noticed the signs inviting the public to the Vraj Hindu Temple for its Eggstravaganza celebration Saturday and decided it would be a fun day to share with her granddaughter.
“I pass here to and from work, and I saw the signs and saw it advertised in the newspaper,” Lopez, Schuylkill Haven, said. “She’s enjoying herself. She saw the swans and now wants to get her face painted.”
Nearly 200 people attended the free event coordinated by the Vraj Youth Committee. This was the first year for the Eggstravaganza, but based on Saturday’s interest, organizers intend to make it an annual event, Raj Shah, one of the organizers, said.
“This was a Vraj Youth Committee initiative. We wanted to bring the local community in to give our neighbors a chance to learn more about us,” Shah, Montvale, New Jersey, said.
Vraj, an Institute of Indian Heritage, serves the needs of the Hindu community and is a prominent religious, spiritual, social and cultural center.
“We want to reach out to the community and allow for true integration. Vraj has been around for some time now and we thought it was important to re-establish our open door policy and remind the community that they are all always welcome,” Shah said.
Every summer, Vraj hosts a youth camp, so the activities presented Saturday had been kid tested, according to Shah. About 30 volunteers assisted with a range of games including egg-spoon races, face painting, corn hole, arts and crafts, henna art, hoop toss and an egg hunt with 1,000 plastic eggs. The temple donated the funds to support Saturday’s activities, he said.
“We are also having a tour of the grounds so everyone can explore,” Shah said.
Mital Patel, Pottsville, brought her daughter, Mahi, 3, to the event. Mahi grinned as she got a henna tattoo on her hand as her mother watched.
Santosh Singh, Edison, New Jersey, said he was visiting friends and his temple family Saturday. He brought his two children to the celebration.
“It’s fun for the kids and they’re really enjoying it,” he said. “It’s like spring break for them.”
His son, Soham Singh, 8, said he plays baseball back home and his favorite game of the day was the bean bag toss.
Shivm Shah, no relation to Raj Shah, volunteered at the egg hunt station.
“This youth committee’s been a big part of my life and it’s a nice way to give back. It’s a good way to integrate into the local community,” Shah, a biology pre-dental major from Bridgewater, New Jersey, said.
Raj Shah said other planned community outreach efforts include an open house in late June, as well as a food drive to deliver to a local shelter around Thanksgiving.