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Easter Egg Roll: Fanfare and Keepsakes

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Easter Egg Roll

In this photograph taken in 1994, children participate in the egg rolling race during the annual White House Easter Egg Roll. Dating back to 1878, the Easter Egg Roll is a cherished springtime tradition in Washington, D.C., with children and their families gathering to enjoy festivities on the South Lawn.

William J. Clinton Presidential Library and Museum/NARA

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Over the years, White House egg roll events have been made memorable by new attractions. In 1993, the Clintons scaled back the fanfare so that children would remember the day for its egg rolling games. A generation earlier, First Lady Pat Nixon gave out certificates of participation as a souvenir to eggrollers. First Ladies Betty Ford and Rosalynn Carter distributed plastic eggs with printed notes inside from the first lady. In 1981, President Ronald Reagan and First Lady Nancy Reagan hosted a hunt for wooden eggs that bore the signatures of famous people. Wooden eggs soon became the official White House Egg Roll keepsakes. The eggs are designed to reflect the special theme of each year's event, and are inscribed with the signatures of the president and first lady. Each child under the age of twelve is given one as he or she exits the South Lawn gates. You can purchase this year's souvenir eggs on our website.

Child's Hands Holding a Wooden Egg from the Easter Egg Roll

This is a photograph of a child holding a souvenir Easter egg from the annual White House Easter Egg Roll. The photograph was taken in April 2001. Dating back to 1878, the Easter Egg Roll is a cherished springtime tradition in Washington, D.C., with children and their families gathering to enjoy festivities on the South Lawn.

George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum/NARA

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