The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
CROWD CELEBRATES PRESIDENTIALLY
Easter Monday Egg Roll gathers almost 1,000 for family fun at Garfield site
With an estimated 800 to 1,000 people in attendance halfway through the annual event on April 2, the 2018 Easter Monday Egg Roll at the James A. Garfield National Historic Site in Mentor was one of the largest in its history.
When the parking lot filled to capacity, park rangers were directing people to park around the corner at the Mentor Public Library.
Site Manager Todd Arrington estimated between 500 and 600 people were on hand before the first hour lapsed in the two-hour event.
“That would make it by far the busiest one we have ever had,” Arrington said. “Last year, it was later in the year and we were wearing T-shirts, and today it is a little cool but the sun is out and it is dry, so we are happy and obviously people wanted to come out.”
This is the third consecutive year for the Easter Monday Egg Roll, which returned to the James A. Garfield National Historic Site in 2016 after a three-year absence because of federal spending cuts.
The Egg Roll is a
tradition that dates back 140 years to the presidency of Rutherford B. Hayes.
James A. Garfield holds the second shortest presidency, having served 200 days in office before being assassinated in 1881. The Egg Roll is one of the few White House traditions staff at the historic site can say they know for sure that Garfield participated in, based on an entry in his diary.
The Egg Roll at the James A. Garfield National Historic Site is set to coincide each year with the traditional Egg Roll held annually at the White House. The egg roll is divided into three age brackets: 5- to 6-yearolds, 7- to 9-year-olds and 10- to 12-year-olds. Participants used wooden spoons, as was customary when the egg roll first started, to roll the wooden eggs across the
“It’s awesome. This is the first year we have come for this. It’s a really neat event with lots of fun stuff for the kids to do, and we got to tour the house.” — Morgan Cowen of Mentor
lawn. The first child to roll their egg across the finish line received a prize.
This year’s winners were Bayley Sorgen, 6, of Mentor; and brothers Jeremiah,7, and Kody McPadden, 12, of Willoughby.
Children too young to participate in the Egg Roll had an event of their own to enjoy. That’s because 1,200 candy-filled eggs were spread out in a designated area of the yard for children under 4 to grab.
The event also included Michael Roy’s Square Magic. Roy is an origami artist who creates animals out of paper for the kids. Joyce Pesek of Euclid said her grandson, 11-year-old Alex Pesek, only wanted to come to the Egg Roll event to see Roy.
Lake Metroparks was on hand with an Eastern cottontail rabbit.
The event also included crafts, games, face painting, contests, story time and tours of the first floor of the Garfield’s home.
In addition, kids were treated to a dance-off involving the Easter Bunny; Skipper, the Lake County Captains’ mascot; and Cow, the Chick-fil-A mascot.
“It’s awesome,” said Morgan Cowen of Mentor. “This is the first year we have come for this. It’s a really neat event with lots of fun stuff for the kids to do, and we got to tour the house.”
Alaina Ahlin, 5, of Madison, who also attended for the first time, said she really liked it.
Lindsay Fortuna, of Mentor, brought her son, 7-yearold Sebastian, to participate. She said she loved it after Sebastian found a large worm while playing games. The nice weather also made the event nicer, she said.
Arrington said the event is ideal for kids who aren’t in school and looking for something to do.
“This is a great thing to come out to and something fun that we can put on for the community,” he said.