Soaring egg prices mean no ‘egg-splosions’ at Duluth community arts event
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The skyrocketing cost of eggs is forcing a popular community arts event in Duluth to go largely egg-free.
In past years, the Northern Expressions Arts Collective has hard-boiled as many as 900 eggs for its Egg-splosion event. They set up different dyeing stations, teaching different techniques including tie-dyeing and marbling.
Then, at a field in back of the community center, they awarded trophies to who could launch an egg the farthest using a wrist rocket.
“It’s actually harder than it looks,” said Leanne Weber, director of operations for the arts collective, laughing.
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The first time she tried it, her egg flew backwards over her head and splatted against the side of a building.
But this year, there will be no exploding eggs.
With egg prices hitting an all-time high of $6.23 a dozen, Weber said they couldn’t ask volunteers and participating churches to foot their annual egg bill.
“We wanted to stay within our own budget and be sensitive to our neighbors who may be struggling with their grocery costs,” said Weber.
So, instead they’re hosting a “budget friendly” event. It will feature egg-themed games and crafts, but fewer eggs.
And instead of launching hard-boiled eggs, “we bought a whole bunch of small, tiny, miniature rubber chickens and we’re going to have a rubber chicken flinging contest instead,” said Weber.
Despite the changes, Weber still expects an egg-cellent turnout with the weather warming up.
“We’ve dubbed it the ‘Welcome back to spring event’ of the neighborhood,” Weber said. It’s my first time seeing a lot of my neighbors, because we all kind of huddle inside our houses during the winter months.”
The 10th annual Egg-splosion event is Saturday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Harrison Community Center in Duluth’s Lincoln Park neighborhood.
