Easter at the White House: First lady's commemorative eggs revealed as decades-long tradition continues
Jill Biden will be given 7 themed eggs this year, American Egg Board reveals
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}While the Easter Egg Roll is a favorite event for American families, the "First Lady’s Commemorative Egg" tradition continues after nearly five decades.
For 2024, first lady Jill Biden has been given not just one egg, but seven.
Emily Metz, American Egg Board president and CEO, shared details about the special eggs prior to the rollout in an interview with Fox News Digital.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}WHITE HOUSE EASTER EGG ROLL 2023 BRINGS PRIDE TO AMERICA'S FARMERS AS COMMEMORATIVE EGG IS REVEALED
"We're incredibly proud of this year's eggs," she said.
The tradition began 47 years ago, Metz said, when the first egg was presented by America’s egg farmers to President Jimmy Carter’s daughter, Amy Carter.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}President Joe Biden, first lady Jill Biden, and two Easter bunnies appear on the Blue Room Balcony during the White House Easter Egg Roll on the South Lawn on April 18, 2022. (Demetrius Freeman/The Washington Post)
"Ever since then, we've given it every year to a first lady," she said.
"And every year, it's always reflective of that first lady's passions and individual causes."
BIDENS ANNOUNCE THEME FOR EASTER EGG ROLL ON WHITE HOUSE LAWN
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Jill Biden will be presented on April 1 with her commemorative eggs, which will follow the theme of education and "lifelong learning."
The artistry is "all about imagination," Metz noted, as one egg depicts a girl "dreaming about her future."
The annual commemorative egg design is "always reflective" of the current first lady's "passions," said the American Egg Board's president and CEO. (American Egg Board)
After last year’s egg, which featured a small egg nested inside a larger egg, the American Egg Board has tried to "outdo" itself for 2024.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"We couldn't give the first lady two eggs last year and then only give her one this year," Metz said.
This year's collection includes two regular-sized eggs with imagery of young children, plus five smaller, pullet eggs with images of "STEAM" professions painted on them. (STEAM stands for science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics.)
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"It's actually seven eggs in total this year that will be formed together in this vignette, which really symbolizes the possibilities of the future for children," Metz said.
The smaller pullet eggs depict STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math) professions. (American Egg Board)
The eggs are handcrafted by master egg artist Carolyn Bickel from Nashville, Tennessee, whom Metz called a "very talented" painter.
"The space to paint these images on is so tiny, and yet the images that Carolyn is able to achieve are so detailed and visually stunning," she said.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}One of the two larger eggs presented this year is hollowed out and carved to reveal the interior, as the American Egg Board described in a statement.
"An opening at the top of the egg reveals the interior of the egg painted with a vibrant blue sky above the globe, symbolizing the limitless possibilities achievable with a little imagination and the pursuit of knowledge," the description reads.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}This level of artistry has never been done in commemorative egg history, according to Metz.
The hollowed-out egg is a first for the commemorative egg tradition. (American Egg Board)
"Even Carolyn said that was very challenging," Metz said. "But she wanted to try to do it this year, to bring this whole vision to life."
Metz said she believes the first lady will enjoy the depiction of an egg farmer that is painted on one of the larger eggs, as Jill Biden visited one of the board's member farms in person last year.
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"We were really proud to be able to showcase not only egg farming and all that goes into raising healthy chickens and producing high-quality eggs, but also agriculture as a whole," she noted.
"I think our farmers feel an incredible sense of responsibility that eggs are showcased so prominently at Easter and with the White House Easter Egg Roll."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Children race during the White House Easter Egg Roll on the South Lawn on April 18, 2022. (Demetrius Freeman/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
This year’s White House Easter Egg Roll on April 1 will feature 64,000 eggs on the lawn, which were shipped to the White House from Braswell Family Farms in Nashville, North Carolina.
Forty thousand of these eggs have been hand-dyed by Braswell family members and volunteers, using more than 15 gallons of food-safe dye, according to Metz.
Another 20,000 eggs will be shipped in from Sauder’s farms in Pennsylvania to be used in various egg-based recipes served on the lawn, including egg salad uncrustables and hard-boiled egg pops.
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The White House is expecting more than 100 of America’s egg farmers on the lawn, who will interact with and educate guests on the journey of the eggs "from hen to home."
A record-breaking 40,000 people are expected to attend the event, Metz said.
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