Kids across the Detroit area had a chance to start off the weekend and Easter with an old-fashioned “hunt”—with a helicopter instead of a hidden basket—at Wayne County Parks’ annual Marshmallow Drop on Friday. At two parks, in Trenton and in Westland, children and families gathered as a helicopter flew past on its way to a designated drop zone.
The Marshmallow Drop took place about two hours apart, with the helicopter conducting its passes at both locations. At each stop, hundreds of children cheered as the aircraft approached, and once it reached the drop zone a passenger unloaded marshmallows out of a sack onto the grass below.
In Westland, Anna Grote, a resident who attended with her boyfriend and his 10-year-old son, said the event was “great,” adding that she viewed it as a way to do something special with kids around the holiday weekend. She described the day’s appeal as both the weather and the shared activity for families.
David Alexander attended the Westland event with his two children, ages 7 and 10, and encouraged them to get to the front of the line. “Ready, set, go. Be the first one, take off,” he said.
Officials said the helicopter made three passes at the drop zone, with marshmallows dropped for different age groups. Organizers emphasized that, although the treats were tempting, kids should not eat them because the marshmallows landed on the ground. Instead, families were directed to exchange the marshmallows for a prize.
Alexander, a first-time attendee, said the event stayed friendly, describing the crowd as without pushing or shoving or fights. Grote added that her boyfriend’s son “did not have any difficulty at all” getting a marshmallow, and she later laughed about the appeal of the “thrill of the hunt.”