NEW RELEASE t may have been First Lady Dolley Madison who first suggested the annual public egg roll that children enjoyed on Capitol Hill for decades until they wore out their welcome in 1876. In 1878 President Rutherford B. Hayes came to the rescue and invited the children to roll their Easter eggs on the White House Grounds. With its sloped South Lawn and more than 18 acres of parkland, the grounds remain a perfect setting for what has become the Annual White House Easter Egg Roll. As the celebration has grown beyond the traditional rolling of brightly dyed hardboiled eggs to include such activities as “egg ball” during the Grover Cleveland administration; maypole dances during the Herbert Hoover era; a petting zoo during the Jimmy Carter years; autographed eggs during the Ronald Reagan administration; a special event for military families during the George W. Bush presidency; and storytime with the first lady during the Donald Trump administration. But one thing remains the same—guests enjoy a wonderful day full of fun and merriment with the first family.
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THE WHITE HOUSE EASTER EGG ROLL: A History for All Ages By Jonathan Pliska Illustrations by John Hutton There could not be a more perfect spot for this time-honored tradition than the president’s backyard. Newly commissioned illustrations incorporating scenes of the evolution of the White House grounds reveal how each administration since President Rutherford B. Hayes has staged the annual event.
2018 • 8" x 6" • 80 pages • Flexbound 978-1-931917-86-5 • SRP $14.95 • SKU 1043