Hayes Presidential celebrates 40th Easter egg roll, replicating event Hayes began when president

Paolo DeMaria, who portrays President Rutherford B. Hayes, joins in the egg roll fun with kids at a past Hayes Easter Egg Roll.

From RUTHERFORD B. HAYES PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY & MUSEUMS

Hayes Presidential Library & Museums will be celebrating its 40th year of the Easter egg roll with an afternoon of fun and games that replicate the White House Easter egg roll that Rutherford B. Hayes started when he was president.

The egg roll is from noon – 2 p.m. on Saturday, April 4, and kids and their families can stop by any time during that time to participate. The event is geared toward children ages 3 – 10, but kids of all ages are welcome.

Admission is free. Kids are asked to bring three hard-boiled, colored eggs to use in the traditional egg games, which will take place on the Hayes home lawn. Egg games include carrying the hard-boiled eggs on a wood spoon and tapping them across the lawn.

Other activities include a scavenger hunt, story reading, crafts, and corn hole toss. The Easter Bunny will also make an appearance and be available to take photos with event participants.

The Egg roll is sponsored by Root’s Poultry and Welly’s Horseradish.

In the event of inclement weather, some of the activities, including corn hole, story time, and the craft activities, will be moved into the museum.

President Hayes started the official White House Easter egg roll during his administration. Before that, kids played egg games on the grounds of the U.S. Capitol building on Easter Monday. Congress, however, banned the event because of the mess, so Hayes allowed it to be moved to the White House.

The Hayes egg roll has been a Spiegel Grove tradition since 1986.

For more information, call 419-332-2081, or visit rbhayes.org.

Kids enjoy one of the traditional egg games at the Hayes Easter Egg Roll.