Eggs and alpacas at Lakewood Ranch's Eggstravaganza

What will be new at this year's Eggstravaganza?

Try alpacas.

Keith Pandeloglou, the director of Lakewood Ranch Community Activities which presents the annual event at the Greenbrook Adventure Park April 13, said after a year's absence and feedback from the community, the petting zoo will be back.

Actually, it will be two petting zoos. One will be geared for smaller children with guinea pigs, hedgehogs, tortoises and chickens.

The other will feature goats, sheep, miniature cows and miniature horses.

What else?

It might be hard to believe, but more eggs.

Pandeloglou said 27,000 eggs will be spread around the grounds, divided into areas for different age groups and for those with special needs. That's about 5,000 more eggs than a year ago.

Of the 27,000, about 4,000 of the plastic eggs were recycled from a year ago.

"The reason we have more eggs this year is because we are promoting egg recycling," Pandeloglou said. "We are going to have more clearly defined egg recycling bins."

The hope is that once the children pull their prizes out of the plastic eggs, the parents are able to drop them off before they leave.

Six volunteers from the Lakewood Ranch High School Key Club stuffed the recycled eggs for this event. Perhaps similar volunteers will be stuffing many more next year.

The other eggs used this year are purchased already stuffed with prizes.

The "made in USA" stuffed eggs are purchased from Ayers Distributing of Nicholson, Ga. The eggs are stuffed with candy, toys and stickers.

Another feature of this year's event will be a canine unit demonstration by the Manatee County Sheriff's Office.

East Manatee Fire Rescue will have firetrucks available for children to see.