White House Hosts Annual Egg Hunt

Laura Bush was at the White House on Monday morning for the annual Easter Egg Roll. The First Lady welcomed youngsters, ages 7 and under, to the presidential lawn with the words, "In Washington, we know spring has arrived when the White House lawn is filled with children." First Lady Bush called the tradition "one of the happiest" at the White House. The tradition involves children pushing eggs around with wooden spoons.

Shrek and the Easter Bunny were some of the "celebrities" at this year's event. Others included Bugs Bunny, Charlie Brown, and Clifford the Big Red Dog, to name a few.

There were also guest readers at the gathering, among them children's book authors Michelle Knudsen and Mary Pope Osborne, Kasey Kahne, author/illustrator David Wiesner, actor Stephen Baldwin and Olympic medalist Kerri Strug. In addition to the egg roll and readings, the event also features musical performances, magicians, and face painting.

Though it wasn't raining as it was last year, those who turned out for the event still dealt with chilly weather. About 7,200 eggs were made available to kids for the rolling races. The event went through an additional 3,000 dyed eggs for the egg hunt and 4,200 more were provided for children to dye themselves.

The White House tradition dates back to the 19th century. It was begun by President Rutherford B. Hayes in 1878.