WASHINGTON — If it’s Easter Monday in Washington, it’s time for the White House Easter Egg Roll.
The White House is getting ready, putting on the finishing touches before the gates open and 30,000 men, women and children scramble to take part in the annual tradition. The Easter Bunny and more than 14,500 hard-boiled eggs are dyed and waiting.
The event dates to 1878 and has a rich history.Here are a few facts about the Easter Egg Roll:
• Eleven years after the Easter Egg Roll became a tradition, President Benjamin Harrison added music in 1889. The U.S. Marine Band, also known as “The President’s Own,” played as children romped on the South Lawn.
• President Richard Nixon and first lady Patricia Nixon hosted the first egg roll races in 1974.
• President Harry Truman did not host an Easter egg roll during his two terms in office. Food conservation efforts led him to cancel the affair in 1946 and 1947.
• In 1969, a member of Patricia Nixon’s staff put on a white fleece costume with ears, and so was born the tradition of an official White House Easter Bunny. Occasional “celebrity” bunnies have appeared, including NBC weatherman Willard Scott.
