Pastor Michael Kytka said the Barnyard theme of this year’s Ascension Church Easter Fest in Forest Hills was a variation on a petting zoo theme of a few years ago. He laughed at the recollection of real farm animals grazing through one of the classrooms at P.S. 101 at 2 Russell Place.
This year—the fifth year of Easter fest—all the barnyard animals were cardboard cutouts concealing Easter eggs.
The upstairs classroom where the barnyard and an activities area full of arts and crafts—Easter themed coloring books and pastel-colored material for basket weaving—had a line of parents and kids at the door from 12:30 until after 2 p.m. Michael Kytka Jr., the pastor’s son, minded the barnyard gates while a group of “hiders”—young volunteers from the church—laid new eggs in newsprint hay, stuffed them in silos and farmhouse chimneys, and, of course, behind cows and pigs.
Kytka’s wife, Roseann, Ascension’s childhood education director, welcomed visitors downstairs and chatted with Aaron, a representative of Easter Fest’s sponsor, Power Brain Training Center of Bayside. 
In the auditorium, where the morning’s service took place, the perpetually smiling and wide-eyed Alina Pikula, Power Brain’s manager, taught kids tricks for improving memory, focus and confidence.
Back upstairs, Damian, carrying a sports-themed basket and wearing a number 23 baseball shirt, checked the cardboard fire trucks for eggs with his parents Carlos and Alison. By 2 p.m. eggs were in short supply—despite the five-egg limit imposed by the hiders at the exit.
“It was a really good turnout. And everyone had a lot of fun. We’ve had 171 kids so far,” Roseann said before letting the last group head to the barnyard.
by David Harvey
