Your Own Easter Egg Roll — Custom Wood Eggs & Family Fun

The Annual White House Easter Egg roll is probably the most famous egg-roll event in the world. With about 30,000 children and parents, 80,000 custom wood eggs and a variety of entertainers, it is a major event that requires a lottery for attendance and 1000 volunteers.

But you don’t have to live at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW to plan your own fun and memorable event!

My family has been holding Easter egg rolls and hunts at our home in Portland for many years — through wind, mud and sleet! With those experiences fondly in mind, we’ve compiled a short list of considerations to help make your egg roll a success.

Plan Your Personalized Easter Egg Roll

• Take time to do a little planning, and share your plan among friends and family with adequate advance notice. Decide on a date, time and venue for the event. Keep family and religious obligations in mind. How about the Saturday before Easter Sunday? The White House Easter Egg Roll is usually held on the Monday after Easter Sunday, but Monday may be difficult for many families. Remember to send your invites!

• Estimate how many kids, parents and friends will attend your event. This will help you figure out how many eggs you will need. (Remember our minimum order is 250 eggs.) Eggs can all be painted the same color, or you can mix several colors in your purchase order. Pastels are always popular. You will need to provide us with your emblem for the custom imprint.

• Weather permitting, hold the event outside. In Maine, the Easter holiday occurs during mud season, so rain or even snow is not unusual. Have your slicker and beanie hat ready, but set a rain date for impossible weather. (Egg rolls after Easter Sunday are still great!)

• In a grassy (and safe) area, lay down a ribbon or rope to denote the race starting line. Make the finish line in the same way.

• The distance from start to finish depends on the age of the players, but 10-15 feet should do it. A race with several players can get a little rowdy, so consider a separate race for younger age groups.

• Give each player a race lane of 3-4 feet. Of course, there’s no penalty for going outside your lane, but interference with another player’s egg is bad form – this isn’t croquet!

• Think about how the players will move the eggs toward the finish line. This is where you can really get creative! Do players use a wooden spoon, a chop stick, or even push with their noses? Do they stand up or move on their hands and knees?

• Choose a race referee. That is the person who gives the “ready, set, go” and who calls the winner.

• The first player to cross the finish line wins. Allow all players to finish, and give them a standing ovation when doing so.

• Remember, prizes for everyone! The fun of competition is knowing that something awaits at the finish line. You can pick up low-cost, fun prizes (small toys, stickers, temporary tattoos, toy animals, candy) at a local arts and craft store or dollar store.

Everyone Gets a Souvenir Custom Egg

At the conclusion of your event, thank the kids, parents and friends for being part of the festivities. Everyone should get a souvenir egg – from the same ones used in the egg roll. For special guests or helpers, you can thank them with one of our gold eggs (perhaps you sign the back like the President does!). Very often, visitors return home to place their mementos on the fireplace mantel or a bedroom bookshelf.

Your own Easter egg roll doesn’t have to match the scale or prestige of the White House to be successful. With a little planning, some creativity and colorful eggs from Wells Wood Turning, you can host an event – or maybe start a tradition — that family and friends will remember for a long time.