In 1957, Ron Manolio and his family introduced Northeast Ohio to Eggshelland.
- Eggshelland is an elaborate Easter egg display in Northeast Ohio
- The tradition started with the Manolio family in 1957
- All of the eggshells used in the display are real
The elaborate Easter display started it’s first year with 750 eggs laid out on the family’s front lawn in the shape of a cross. Over the years, it grew into a 40,000 egg extravaganza.
When Manolio passed away, John Frato and his business partner with the Euclid Beach Boys wanted to keep the tradition of Eggshelland alive. Since 2014, they have spent countless hours getting the assembly ready every season.
This year, there is 13,763 eggs in the display. Frato said it takes about three weeks to set up. It might come as a surprise, but none of the eggshells are plastic; they are all real. Each one was originally hand-painted by Manolio.
“Mr. Manolio, or Ron, had a way of actually putting a pairing knife in the bottom of the egg and flipping it, so he would take out a small section of it, then they would empty the eggs out. They would bring them home, wash them, dry them and then he would put them on his painting racks, and paint them the various colors they needed for the displays,” Frato explained.
For many, like Debra Force, seeing these vintage displays brings back a lot of memories.
“I am just so glad you brought this back to life because it just meant so much to so many people,” Force told Frato while looking at the display.
For Frato, reactions like that remind him why he continues on with this tradition.
“It makes it all worth while,” Frato said. “It makes all of the hard work worth every second.”
After Easter, they will pack up all of the eggs in their original containers and put them into storage until it’s time to set up Eggshelland again next spring.
“We actually put them in those same cases that the family did, those cardboard cases,” he explained. “They will each hold about 255 eggs. To be very blunt, we have to be very gentle with them. That is the only way to preserve them.”
