My family and I had a truly delightful time at the White House Easter Egg Roll this past Monday. I never thought I’d see anyone do event organizing and crowd management like Disney World, but the White House staff gives them a run for their money.
We had tickets for the first of several two-hour time slots for the day, which meant that we had to be at the gates at 6:45 a.m. Not my best time of day, let me tell you. Luckily, we were able to grab a bite — and coffee — from the free breakfast buffet at the Residence Inn (which had kindly offered us a room since I’d been helping them with some LGBT outreach). Once we reached the Ellipse in front of the White House, unfailingly cheerful staff guided us through the security lines and into cordoned-off rows. Dancers and Angry Birds characters entertained us while we waited for the gates to open.
Before we lined up, though, our son had to stop by a Nintendo demonstration booth where he checked out the WiiU Fit balance board. Commercial? A bit, but also in keeping with the theme for this year’s event: “Hop into Healthy, Swing into Shape,” to support the First Lady’s “Let’s Move” fitness initiative.
Inside the gates, our son made a beeline for the basketball courts, half of which had been converted into tennis courts. He’s taken a few classes through our local rec department, and at 10 years old, thought that this was cooler than going to see some guy dressed up as a bunny. USTA pros were there working with a pair of kids at a time, taking them through drills and playing with them on the courts. I was pleasantly surprised that they spent a good 15 minutes with each pair — this wasn’t a quick “hit a ball to a pro and then move along” deal.
After that, we wandered the lawn for a bit and watched celebrity chef Maneet Chauhan give a food demo. Various costumed characters worked the crowd, but our son was too old to care — although not too old to laugh hysterically at a performance by one of the magicians. He later ran through an obstacle course with a football after a handoff from an NFL player. We saw the First Lady’s fabled organic garden, which puts our own little plot to shame.
There was an actual rolling of eggs, but again, it seemed geared for the little ones. We were content just to revel in the experience of taking part in a 136-year-old American tradition. The crowd was a mix of family shapes, sizes, and shades. I’m guessing it skewed towards those who celebrate Easter, but I can’t imagine ours was the only interfaith family there. It felt more a celebration of spring than of Easter per se.
The two hours were up in a blink. The President and First Lady were making their appearance later in the day, so we didn’t see them in person, alas. We filed out, taking our commemorative wooden egg, boxes of Peeps, and an experience to share someday, perhaps, with grandchildren.
(I’ll be writing more about the rest of our trip to D.C. soon. Stay tuned!)
