by Jessica Barno

Created on: March 05, 2010   Last Updated: March 26, 2010

On April 5, 2010, more than 30,000 children and their families will storm the South Lawn of the White House, rolling as many as 13,000 hard-boiled eggs, and participating in other family events. They will be taking part in the annual White House Easter Egg Roll, an event steeped in tradition and history. It is one of the largest and most popular family-friendly events held at the White House each year. Keeping in it's tradition of childhood playtime, the event this year will hold the theme of "Ready, Set, Go!" which is intended to promote health and wellness in collaboration with First Lady Michelle Obama's "Let's Move!" initiative to fight childhood obesity.

The event commences at 8:00am and concludes around 5:00pm, using several time slots in which families are allowed to participate in the many activities held on the lawn that day. Past activities have included an egg hunt, live music, crafts, sports, and of course, egg rolling. To participate, the family must have at least one child, age 12 or younger. Souvenir painted wooden eggs will be available for purchase, and each are signed by the President and First Lady.

The tradition of the annual egg roll began in 1870s, when children of Washington, DC would take advantage of the spring Monday morning after Easter to roll brightly-colored hard-boiled eggs down the steep hills of the White House lawn. In 1876, after a particularly popular post-Easter egg-rolling, the lawn was left disheveled beyond immediate repair. Congress took notice of the mess and, with little budgeted for White House grounds maintenance, passed the "Turf Protection Act of 1876," banning the White House lawns from being used as "playgrounds or otherwise."  The next year, due to heavy rains, no egg-rolling activity was even attempted on the White House lawns. The following year in 1878, President Rutherford B. Hayes became aware of the tradition, so it is said, walking outside of the White House when a young boy called out, "Say! Say! Are you you going to let us roll eggs in your yard?" President Hayes immediately reinstated the tradition, and it has been held annually at the White House as an official event since.

To obtain tickets for the event, one must enter into an online ticket lottery. The the names of 30,000 families will then be drawn on March 4, 2010, and will be notified of their winning. The event is free of charge to those families receiving tickets.

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