2024 First Lady’s Commemorative Egg celebrates Dr. Biden’s commitment to quality education
While families love the traditional White House Egg Roll, the American Egg Board’s annual First Lady Commemorative Egg celebrates not only the First Lady but also champions a cause near to her heart. In honor of Dr. Jill Biden, this education inspired design encourages everyone to dream big.
Dating back to 1977, the annual First Lady Commemorative Egg is presented during the White House Egg Roll. Designed by a member of the International Egg Art Guild, each unique design represents not only the honoree but also issues important to the country. From encouraging literacy to choosing to reach higher, those concepts have been transformed into stunning visual representations on the egg form.
For the 2024 First Lady Commemorative Egg, master egg artist Carolyn Bickel from Nashville, Tennessee, created a unique design that not only features two large chicken eggs, but has several smaller eggs, pullet eggs, surrounding the design. As seen in the imagery, each vignette shows a young girl who is willing to dream about her future. Whether that path goes beyond the stars or she stays a little closer to home, education is the foundation to achieving all those dreams.
Looking at the images, the visual is a reminder that education is vital to everyone’s success. Whether it is the science that helps the farmer have more robust crops, the math that helps the scientist solve the problem to blast off from Earth’s gravity, or the history that helps the future President to avoid mistakes of the past, all those elements open the mind to what can and is possible for the next generation.
Describing the 2024 First Lady Commemorative Egg, Emily Metz, President & CEO of the American Egg Board said, "We’re so proud to honor Dr. Jill Biden’s commitment to ensuring all Americans have access to a quality education and highlighting how the power of education allows students of all ages to dream big for the future. The one-of-a-kind design for this year’s First Lady’s Commemorative Egg features two large eggs surrounded by several “pullet” eggs from young hens. The painted design depicts a spring afternoon underneath the cherry blossoms, where a young girl dreams of all she can be when she grows up—an egg farmer, a teacher, president of the United States? An opening at the top of the egg reveals the interior of the egg painted with a vibrant blue sky above the world, symbolizing all that is achievable with a little imagination and the possibilities that come with the pursuit of knowledge. The pullet eggs depict the elements of a high-quality education that will aid this young girl in reaching her full potential."
Annual White House Egg Roll celebrates “EGGucation”
Even though many families had their egg hunt celebrations on Easter Sunday, the annual White House Egg Roll is held on the Monday after Easter. As families gather on the lawn, the special experience cannot happen without the help of egg farmers.
The annual event goes back to 1878. For those who may not know the longstanding history of the event, the idea dates back to President Hayes, who issued an order that permitted any children to roll their Easter eggs at the White House. That idea of families being able to gather, have fun, and enjoy a holiday tradition has continued year after year with just a few exceptions.
In more recent years, the event has become more elaborate. From the appearance of the Easter Bunny and celebrities, the White House event is a highly coveted ticket.
More importantly, the event would not happen without the egg farmers. All those eggs on the White House lawn are real, dyed eggs. This year, the Braswell Family Farms in North Carolina was chosen as the provider.
Offering some insight, Emily Metz, President & CEO of the American Egg Board shared, “The farm selected to provide the eggs for all South Lawn activities at the White House “EGGucation” Roll must be equipped to hard-cook and dye the eggs. Braswell Family Farms was selected because they were willing and able to undertake this important responsibility on behalf of the American Egg Board and its farmers. Over the course of eight days, Braswell Family Farms boiled and dyed over 6,000 eggs per day using 15 gallons of dye and 11 gallons of vinegar to achieve the White House’s selected tones of orange, green, purple, and pink. It’s certainly a labor of love!”
All the smiles and giggles from the kids on the White House lawn makes that labor of love worth all the effort. EGGucation is a tradition that keeps on giving long after the eggs are rolled.