Egg-Citing Day At White House

With just a hint of melancholy in his voice, President Clinton kicked off his final Easter Egg roll on Monday, to the cheers of thousands of children scampering across the South Lawn.

Mr. Clinton, who wore a tie decorated with colored eggs for the event, shook hands with a life-sized Easter bunny, said a few words to the crowd and then officially started the egg roll.

"Are they ready over there?" Mr. Clinton asked. "Wave your hand if you're ready. All right, on your mark, get set..."

He blew a whistle, laughed and then pumped a fist into the air.

He shared the whistle-blowing job this year with master of ceremonies, Bernie Fairbanks, who has been attending White House egg rolls since Franklin D. Roosevelt was president. The two blew whistles together.

Children, dressed in their Sunday best, tried their best to get a glimpse of the president and first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton, and shake the president's hand. Fathers hoisted toddlers on their shoulders.

"I would say, `Nice to meet you, Mr. President,"' said Sarah Williams, 7, who traveled from Pleasanton, Calif., to attend the egg roll. "I would tell him that I know a friend named Chelsea. She's in my Brownie class."

The White house dyed 7,200 hard-boiled eggs for the egg roll. Another 2,500 eggs are cooked for children to decorate. Also, 20,000 souvenir wooden eggs, printed with the signatures of the president and first lady, were distributed at the event. The souvenir eggs, designed by artist Mary Engelbreit, showed a chick pushing an Easter egg in a carriage on the South Lawn.

The Easter egg roll, begun on the Capitol grounds, was moved to the White House South Lawn in 1878 by Lucy Hayes, wife of President Rutherford Hayes. It has taken place there every year since, except during World War I and World War II.

Eggs were not the only entertainment at the event, which had a stage with celebrities and others reading stories to children. The storytellers included actor Robert De Niro, author J.K. Rowling of Harry Potter fame, two members of the boy-band 'N Sync -- Lance Bass and Justin Timberlake -- and U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno, who read Voyage To The Bunny Planet.