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The event took place after President Rutherford B. Hayes agreed to open the White House Grounds on Easter Monday. Congress had previously passed legislation to restrict public use of the Capitol Grounds, so children in the nation's capital looked elsewhere to roll their Easter eggs. Since then, children have gathered on the White House South Lawn to roll eggs and participate in Easter activities. In 1889, President Benjamin Harrison added music to the Easter Egg Roll, ordering the United States Marine Band to play lively tunes during the event. In 1969, the tradition of an official White House Easter Bunny was born when one of First Lady Pat Nixon's staff members put on a white jumpsuit and Peter Rabbit mask and shook children's hands. In 1981, President Ronald Reagan and First Lady Nancy Reagan hosted a hunt for wooden eggs that bore the signatures of famous people, and wooden eggs soon became the official White House Easter Egg Roll keepsakes.
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