Ready, Set, Roll: Eglin families hunt eggs on White House lawn

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Stacia Zachary
  • Team Eglin Public Affairs
EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --  Families of Team Eglin Warriors had the chance to participate in the 2010 Easter Egg Roll at the White House April 5.

More than 1,000 military children and their parents participated in Monday's Easter Egg Roll on the White House's south lawn.

Activities at the White House included an obstacle course, an Easter egg hunt and a traditional Easter egg roll, live musical performances, cooking with celebrity chefs in the Kid's Kitchen, children book-read at the Storytime Stage, dance performances and yoga.

The theme for the Easter egg hunt was youth fitness. With the First Lady's "Ready, Set, Move!" campaign, children and parents alike received lessons in combating childhood obesity by leading healthy, active lives. Fresh fruits and vegetables as well as smoothies were available for the children to taste. There was also a booth where children could choose a fruit or vegetable seed, take it home, plant it and watch it grow.

"It was a wonderful experience," said Jaime Farrell, the spouse of Capt. Shannon Farrell, Air Force Research Laboratory. "This was not an opportunity someone gets every day and I was so excited to take my son there."

As servicemembers celebrate Year of the Air Force Family, the Easter Egg Roll was especially important. Tickets were handed out to families who are currently or will be affected by a deployment. The event couldn't have come at a better time for Mrs. Farrell. Not only did the pair get to celebrate Easter on the White House lawn, but also his second birthday.

"This was the second best thing since my husband wasn't able to be here," said Mrs. Farrell whose husband is currently deployed. "It's difficult to have my husband away but this helped make my son's birthday special after all."

In all, more than 30,000 people from 45 states and the District of Columbia received tickets for this year's Egg Roll event, according to the White House, after offering tickets via the Internet for the first time. The event has become an annual tradition after First Lady Dolly Madison held the first Easter egg roll in 1814.