cheerful
Wells Wood Turning & Finishing Inc., a wood products company from the town of Buckfield, Maine is supplying wooden keepsake Easter eggs that will be used for the event. The eggs are made of birch and painted yellow, blue, purple and green. This year’s eggs show a cartoon image of a bunny swiveling a hula hoop inside a seal that says White House Easter Egg Roll 2012. The signatures of President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama are stamped on the back. There is also a custom red egg showing Bo, the Obama family dog, with his paw print on the other side. The company manufactured 85,000 of the eggs, which are included in gift bags that are given to children at the Easter Egg Roll. The National Park Service is also selling the eggs as collectibles for $7.50 each or a five-pack of all five colors for $29.95.
From the White House webpage, here is a detailed list of what's happening at the event and who will be attending:
-An Easter egg hunt & the traditional Easter egg roll
-Rockin’ Egg Roll Stage - Live musical performances for all ages.
-Story time Stage - Celebrities bring books to life.
-Hop To It! - An instructional dance party on the South Lawn! Get up and go jump rope, hula hoop, dance and more.
-Eggtivity Zone Obstacle Course - A series of obstacles and drills, including soccer, football and baseball obstacle courses.
-Basketball and Tennis- Get hands-on training from basketball and tennis pros on the President’s court!
-Yoga Garden- Come try yoga with professional instructors.
-Eggspress Yourself - An arts and crafts workshop filled with egg dying, egg decorating, face painting and more.
-Play with your Food - Kids’ Kitchen, Make-your-own Garden, Family Farmer’s Market, Buzzing about Bees, and more led by the White House chefs and celebrity guest chefs. This activity center is built around the White House Kitchen Garden.
Among the celebrities attending the event will be Cody Simpson, Julianne Moore, Forest Whitaker, US Olympian figure skater Michelle Kwan, NFL players Brian Orakpo, Ovie Mughelli, Qadry Ismail, Lorenzo Alexander, Derrick Dockery and Antwaan Randle El, tennis stars Andy Roddick and Chris Evert.
According to White House Curator Bill Allman, Dolly Madison, the wife of President James Madison, began the event in 1814 and hundreds of children brought their decorated eggs to join in games. The event was originally held on the grounds of the United States Capitol, but in 1877 a new lawn was planted and the gardeners cancelled the event. At the request of a number of children, including his own, the then President Rutherford B. Hayes and his wife Lucy Hayes brought the event to the White House lawns. The practice was abandoned during Franklin D. Roosevelt's presidency, and revived by Mamie Eisenhower during her husband's term in office. Mrs. Eisenhower opened the event to African-American children for the first time. In 2009, President Barack Obama formally invited same-sex couples and their children to attend the Easter Egg Roll. Gay and lesbian-led families had attended the Egg Roll in previous years.
Happy Easter everyone!