[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 34, Number 16 (Monday, April 20, 1998)]
[Page 636]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks at the White House Easter Egg Roll

April 13, 1998

    The President. Thank you. Good morning. Isn't it a wonderful 
morning? Let me say, I want to thank all the volunteers and all the 
sponsors who've made this wonderful day possible for thousands and 
thousands of young people.
    I also want to say that the first official White House Egg Roll 
occurred here in 1878 when President Rutherford Hayes was living in the 
White House. Now, a lot of things have changed since then, but the most 
important thing today that you need to know is that for the very first 
time, hundreds of thousands of young people will be experiencing the 
White House Egg Roll through the Internet, thanks to Earthlinks, and I 
want to thank them for that.
    I'd also like to thank a number of others, and especially Sun 
Microsystems, for all the work that's been done to try to open the White 
House to people around the world and especially around our country. But 
this day is special because of what Earthlinks has done to let lots and 
lots of young people who never could come to the White House be part of 
the Egg Roll.
    So, are we ready to start the egg roll?
    Hillary Clinton. Bernie's right here.
    The President. Bernie, where's the whistle? This is the one thing 
every year I know, no matter what else happens, I will do right. 
[Laughter] Are you ready, kids? Are you ready?
    Audience members. Yes!
    The President. I'm going to count to three and blow the whistle. 
One, two, three!

[At this point, the President blew the whistle to start the egg roll.]

Note: The President spoke at 10:12 a.m. on the South Lawn at the White 
House. In his remarks, he referred to White House volunteer Bernie 
Fairbanks.