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The Easter Egg Roll through the years The White House will hold its Easter Egg Roll on the South Lawn on April 9. This will be the 134th year for the event.
Lucy Hayes is shown in this undated portrait drawing. As first lady from 1877 to 1881, Hayes started the custom of inviting children for egg rolling at Easter on the White House lawn.
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AP
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1889
This photo released by the National Archives shows children egg hunting in Washington. In 1889, 11 years after the Easter Egg Roll became a White House tradition, President Benjamin Harrison added music: The United States Marine Band, also known as "The President's Own," played as children romped on the South Lawn.
Francis Benjamin Johnston
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AP
1898
Black children in Washington participated in the annual Easter egg hunt at the White House, one of the public events that blacks were allowed to attend in the segregated city.
Library of Congress
Circa 1920s
Children dance around a maypole at the White House Easter Egg Roll. The tradition of rolling Easter eggs on the lawn dates to 1878 and President Rutherford B. Hayes, but there are records of informal egg-rolling events as early as Abraham Lincoln’s administration.
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Library of Congress
Circa 1920s to 1930s
Edgar E. Porter, a White House police officer, was assigned the detail of taking care of lost and stray children during the Easter Egg Roll at the White House.
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Library of Congress
April 2, 1923
Warren Sonnemann grins as he holds up the prize basket he received for winning the Easter Egg Roll during Warren G. Harding’s presidency. In addition to the egg rolling, there were games, storytelling and cooking demonstrations.
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Library of Congress
1922
A group of the Cabinet members’ children pose for a picture during the 1922 Easter Egg Roll. First lady Edith Wilson invited family friends and Cabinet members to join in the fun.
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Library of Congress
April 13, 1925
First lady Grace Coolidge and two family dogs accompany children at the White House Easter Egg Roll.
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AP
1929
Children clamor for eggs at the 1929 Easter Egg Roll. The event in its early years often featured boisterous games such as egg ball, toss and catch, and egg croquet.
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Library of Congress
April 13, 1936
First lady Eleanor Roosevelt is surrounded by youngsters who jammed the South Lawn of the White House for the annual Easter Egg Roll.
April 10, 1939
President Franklin D. Roosevelt, alongside first lady Eleanor Roosevelt, appears briefly on the South Portico of the White House to cheer on children during the Easter Egg Roll.
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AP
1939
The Easter Egg Roll crowd on the White House Lawn.
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AP
March 25, 1940
First lady Eleanor Roosevelt examines the basket of Marsha Williams, 2, during the Easter egg-rolling festivities at the White House.
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Underwood & Underwood
April 14, 1941
Before going to the opening ballgame, President Franklin D. Roosevelt appeared on the portico (under open awning) of the White House to wave to the thousands of children participating in the annual Easter Egg Roll.
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AP
April 11, 1955
President Dwight D. Eisenhower leans over to joke with children crowded against a temporary fence at the White House Easter Egg Roll.
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AP
1960
An Air Force band plays at the 1960 Easter Egg Roll. Music has always been an important feature at the Easter Egg Roll. In 1889, President Grover Cleveland started the tradition of providing live music for children and parents to listen to during the festivities.
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White House Historical Association
March 30, 1964
A heavy blanket of wet snow falls across the South Lawn of the White House in Washington where the annual Easter Egg Roll was scheduled to occur. The White House canceled the event because of the weather.
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AP
April 19, 1965
A crowd is shown at the Easter Egg Roll.
1966
Children play on the South Lawn during the Easter Egg Roll.
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White House Historical Association
1982
A child hugs the Easter Bunny during the Easter Egg Roll in 1982. The first official White House Easter Bunny appeared in 1969, when one of first lady Pat Nixon’s staff members donned the costume. It has been an important part of the event ever since.
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White House Historical Association
April 11, 1977
President Jimmy Carter holds his grandson, Jason Carter, 2, on his shoulders while visiting the South Lawn of the White House during the Easter Egg Roll.
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AP
April 4, 1983
First lady Nancy Reagan hugs a participant at the Easter Egg Roll as President Reagan signs eggs during the Easter Egg Roll on the South Lawn of the White House.
John McDonnell
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The Washington Post
April 8, 1985
Vice President George H.W. Bush is greeted by cartoon characters at the start of the annual Easter Egg Roll at the White House.
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AP
April 8, 1985
People wait at the start of the Easter Egg Roll at the White House.
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AP
April 20, 1987
Vice President George H.W. Bush is shown during the 109th Easter Egg Roll, attended by about 37,000 people.
Ron Edmonds
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AP
April 12, 1993
President Bill Clinton handles the starting whistle and first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton handles cheerleading duties during the Easter Egg Roll on the White House lawn.
Ron Edmonds
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AP
April 8, 1996
First lady Hillary Rodham Clinton laughs as President Clinton shows off his Easter egg tie during the Easter Egg Roll.
Ruth Fremson
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AP
April 5, 1999
President Clinton blows a whistle to signal the start of festivities at the annual Easter Egg Roll on the South Lawn of the White House.
J. Scott Applewhite
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AP
2001
A child holds a wooden Easter egg. Wooden eggs became the signature keepsake after President Reagan and first lady Nancy Reagan gave out souvenir eggs with famous signatures on them in 1981.
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George W. Bush Presidential Library
March 29, 2002
White House chefs, from left, Randy Chamblee, William Taylor and Alex Moran take part in boiling and dyeing more than 7,000 eggs for the Easter Egg Roll at the White House.
Ron Edmonds
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AP
March 29, 2002
Former White House pastry chef Roland Mesnier shows off a 45-pound Easter egg and replica of President George W. Bush's dog Barney as he prepares for the Easter Egg Roll at the White House.
Ron Edmonds
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AP
April 21, 2003
Lynne Cheney, wife of Vice President Dick Cheney, blows the whistle to start the annual Easter Egg Roll at the White House.
Ron Edmonds
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AP
2003
Lynne Cheney, right, blows the whistle to start the Easter Egg Roll.
James A. Parcell
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The Washington Post
2003
Colby Clark, 2, was a little upset at his brother for taking a bite of his Easter candy during the Easter Egg Roll festivities.
James A. Parcell
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The Washington Post
April 17, 2006
President George W. Bush and first lady Laura Bush start the annual Easter Egg Roll.
Gerald Herbert
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AP
April 9, 2007
First lady Laura Bush reads "Duck for President" by Doreen Cronin to children during the Easter Egg Roll.
Charles Dharapak
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AP
March 24, 2008
President George W. Bush hugs the Easter Bunny at the start of the annual Easter Egg Roll.
Gerald Herbert
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AP
April 13, 2009
President Obama reads "Where the Wild Things Are" by Maurice Sendak to children at the White House Easter Egg Roll. He is joined by first lady Michelle Obama and daughters Malia, left, and Sasha.
J. Scott Applewhite
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AP
April 13, 2009
Howard Helmer, left, who holds the Guinness World Record for fastest omelet maker, teaches 9-year-old Kamryn Gallmon, center, and 6-year-old Miles Carr how to make one.
Bill O'Leary
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The Washington Post
April 13, 2009
President Obama and first lady Michelle Obama cheer on children including daughter Malia, right, during Easter Egg Roll.
Ron Edmonds
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AP
April 5, 2010
"Harry Potter" author J.K. Rowling reads one of her books at the Easter Egg Roll.
Charles Dharapak
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AP
April 5, 2010
President Obama greets the crowd at the Easter Egg Roll.
Marvin Joseph
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The Washington Post
April 25, 2011
Families participate in the Easter Egg Roll.
J. Scott Applewhite
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AP
2012
The National Park Foundation, the official charitable partner of the National Park Service, sells the official White House Easter Egg as a fundraiser. The souvenir egg comes in four festive colors and includes the stamped signatures of the president and first lady. A special edition “Bo” egg featuring the first dog’s paw print is included in the commemorative set.
Chuck Kennedy
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White House
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