White House Announces 2010 Easter Egg Roll Healthy Activities 4/5

On Monday, April 5th, 30,000 people from all 50 states and DC will visit the South Lawn of the White House for this year's Easter Egg Roll. This year's activities will reflect the theme, ‘Ready, Set, Go!' which follows the First Lady's Let's Move! initiative - a national effort to combat childhood obesity. Numerous singers, entertainers, chefs and athletes will participate in this year's event - the largest annual public event held at the White House.

This year, new activities have been added to ‘egg roll classics' in order to promote healthy
and active living. Activities include:

· Sports Zones - Football, basketball, tennis, golf, softball and obstacle courses

· Rock ‘n' Egg Roll Stage -Featuring live musical performances

· Storytime Stage

· Hop to it! - An instructional dance center on the South Lawn

· Play with your Food - Make-your-own Garden, Farmer's Market, Buzzing about Bees, Fun Food Science and more led by the White House Chefs and celebrity guest chefs. This activity center is
built around the White House Kitchen Garden

· Eggspress Yourself - Arts and crafts workshop

· Yoga Garden

· An Easter egg hunt & the traditional Easter egg roll

The White House is pleased to welcome the following performers and leaders in their field to participate in this year's Easter Egg Roll:

· Sara Bareilles, Justin Bieber, the cast of the television show Glee, Yo Gabba Gabba, Sesame Street, and Little Beat, The #1 Chinchilla and DJ Willy Wow! will perform on the Rock ‘n' Egg Roll Stage

· J.K. Rowling, Reese Witherspoon, Apolo Ohno, Mariska Hargitay, Dylan and Cole Sprouse, Elmo and Maria of Sesame Street and Betty DeGeneres will read on the Storytime Stage

· Billy Jonas and Miss Amy will perform on the Ellipse

· Chef Art Smith, Chef José Andrés, Chef Cliff Wharton, Chef Nora Poullion, Chef Robert Wiedmaier, Chef Susan Limb, Chef Victor Albisu, and the White House Chefs will prepare healthy eating demonstrations in the Play with your Food station.

· Billie Jean King, Gigi Fernandez, Ilana Kloss, Delaney Rudd, Liezel Huber, Katrina Adams, Anna Rawson, Jane Geddes, Kris Tschetter, Martin Gramatica, Michele Smith, Al Bumbry and Earl Boykins will help organize games in the Sports Zones

· NFL players will lead children in healthy activities as a part of the NFL Play 60 Movement. Those participating include Washington Redskins players Kevin Barnes, Alvin Bowen, Derrick Dockery, Reed Doughty, Chris Horton, Marko Mitchell, Will Robinson, Casey Rabach, Justin Tryon, Edwin Williams, Anthony Montgomery, Lorenzo Alexander, H.B. (Horatio Benedict) Blades, Doug Dutch as well
as, Baltimore Ravens players Matt Lawrence and Sam Koch

· The DC Youth Orchestra and the United States Marine Corps Band

In an effort to improve and expand on its annual tradition, the White House has done the following:

· For the second year in a row, tickets were distributed online, allowing for more guests from across the nation to attend the event. For the first time, guests from all 50 states and DC will have an opportunity to attend.

· All of the headliner music acts and Storytime Stage readers will have their performances broadcast live on www.whitehouse.gov/eastereggroll. A full schedule will be posted on the morning of April 5th so citizens from across the country can participate in the event.

· The White House has extended this year's event, with a start time of 7:45 AM and an end time of 5:45 PM. 30,000 tickets have been distributed in 5 different groups. Each group of 6,000 guests will be able to spend two full hours on the White House's South Lawn.

· An entertainment pavilion has been added to the ellipse so guests can enjoy musical acts and activities as they prepare to enter the South Lawn.

· A more ambitious and comprehensive approach to sustainability was taken to minimize the environmental impact of the 2010 Easter Egg Roll. Some of the highlights include: the "greenest" souvenir egg in Egg Roll history, crafted from Forest Stewardship Council certified U.S. hardwood; goody bags made from 100% post-consumer recycled plastic; the use of organically grown fruits and vegetables at the Play with Your Food station; and increased recycling and composting capabilities on the day of the event.

17 Quick Facts about the White House Easter Egg Roll

Ticketing

1) Approximately 250,000 tickets
were requested through the online lottery

2) This year an online lottery was
used to give more guests from across the US a chance to attend

3) At least one family from all 50
states was successful in the lottery

4) 3,000 tickets were distributed to
students of DC, MD and VA schools

5) 4,000 tickets were distributed to
military families

Eggs

6) The eggs are available in four
unique colors - purple, pink, green, yellow - and include the
stamped signatures of the President and First Lady

7) The wooden eggs are produced
through a process of wood turning and barrel dying

8) 14,500 hard-boiled and dyed eggs
will be used between the egg roll and the egg hunt, and an additional 4,500
hard-boiled eggs will be provided for the egg dying station on the South Lawn

9) "Chirping eggs" will
be part of the Egg Hunt, to accommodate guests with visual impairments

10) The Official Souvenir Wooden Egg
is given to all children at the event age 12 and younger

11) A total of 135,000 Souvenir
wooden eggs were produced for this year's event

12) The National Park Foundation
produces the White House Easter Eggs and they are available for sale
at: www.easter.nationalparks.org

Healthy Activities

13) The activities are centered on
the theme "Ready, Set, Go!" encouraging healthy and active living
in coordination with the First Lady's Let's Move!
initiative. Some of the activities include:

14) Football - NFL players will
teach children to catch and throw, as well as coach them through an obstacle
course to test their new skills

15) Family Farmer's Market
- a look at healthy eating with celebrity chef demo stations.

16) Make Your Own Garden -
using the White House Kitchen Garden as the inspiration, children can make a
seeding cup to take their own garden home to grow

17) Softball, Golf, Soccer,
Basketball and Tennis - Children will have the opportunity to learn the
fundamentals of sports from professional athletes

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