Garfield site to again host egg roll

The National Park Service recently announced that the Easter Monday Egg Roll event will be held at James A. Garfield National Historic Site in Mentor from 1 to 3 p.m. April 1, which is the same day as the annual event at the White House in Washington, D.C.

The Mentor event will hosted by first lady Lucretia Rudolph Garfield, portrayed by Debbie Weinkamer. It will feature various games, crafts, activities, and contests on the lawn of President and Mrs. James A. Garfield’s Mentor home; open-house style tours of the Garfield home’s first floor; and appearances by the Easter Bunny and Skipper, official mascot of the Lake County Captains baseball team, according to a news release.

Games and activities will be from 1 to 2:30 p.m. An Easter egg hunt for children ages 4 and under will begin at 2:30 p.m.; the egg roll races for age groups 5-6, 7-8, 9-10, and 11-12 will begin immediately thereafter.

Featured entertainment will include Michael Roy’s Cirque du Papier; Diamonds the Magical Clown; and All About You Music.

All activities are free of charge. This is an outdoor event, so it will be canceled in the event of rain or snow, the release stated.

On April 1, the Garfield National Historic Site will be open only during the hours of this event.

“We’re very happy to again host the Easter Monday Egg Roll,” Site Manager Todd Arrington stated in the release. “This is a great outdoor activity for children and is always educational and fun. It’s also fitting for us to host here since President Garfield participated in the 1881 White House Easter Egg Roll during his brief tenure in office.”

The Garfield National Historic Site is located at 8095 Mentor Ave.

NEWS-HERALD FILE PHOTO Children race to roll a wooden egg across the finish line during a past Easter Monday Egg Roll at the James A. Garfield National Historic Site.