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It’s not every year a child from Wilmore, Kentucky, gets to attend the iconic White House Easter Egg Roll.
But this year, fifth-grader Hunter Neff from Wilmore Elementary School was able to do just that. Nearly a hundred calls to a United States Representative later, Hunter and his parents, Sylvia and Rob, were off to the United States Capitol on Good Friday, April 18, 2025.
The Official White House Easter Egg Roll dates back to 1878, during Rutherford B. Hayes’s presidency, but some first-hand accounts suggest that informal festivities began with egg-rolling parties under Abraham Lincoln.
In 1878, a group of children boldly walked up to the White House gate, hoping to be allowed to play egg-rolling games there. President Hayes told his guards to let the children enter, and soon, Easter Monday at the White House became an annual tradition. Public access to the White House grounds was shut down in the 1940s, and visitors on White House tours don’t even get to spend time on the lawn. This celebration allows for special access to the White House Grounds.
But Hunter is not the first Wilmore Resident to have gone to the Easter egg roll. Rob, Hunter’s father, went to Fitch’s IGA for groceries after the family returned to Wilmore from Washington D.C. Rob told Leonard Fitch where the family had gone. Fitch responded, “You’re kidding me! I went to the Easter egg roll when Truman was president!” Leonard’s family was still in New York then, and because his aunt had worked for the FBI, Fitch got a ticket to attend the iconic children’s event.
Hunter’s favorite part of his family’s time in D.C., including getting a tour of the White House from Rep. Andy Barr’s staff, the egg roll itself, and exploring D.C., was seeing John F Kennedy’s statue and Ronald Reagan’s statue with a piece of the Berlin Wall.
He also had a great time at the egg roll.
Outside of the egg roll, there were games to entertain the kids, including a soccer game that Hunter loved. There was also food, including treats like blueberry cheesecake. Visitors were also sent home with boxes of candy. The U.S. Army band performed Rock and Roll songs on one side of the lawn, and the U.S. Marine Band played more. It was the U.S. Army band and the U.S. Marine Band that played classic patriotic tunes.
“The first time I did the egg roll, it was more like an egg flip. So I just get the spoon under the egg and I’m getting ready to roll and weee, it flies over the finish line. And I was like Oops,” Hunter said.
Hunter was excited to see the putting green President Donald Trump uses and his vehicle, “The Beast,” which was available for photo opportunities. Other than treats, Hunter was sent home with a wooden egg in a pastel blue color. It had an illustration of the White House with the name of the Easter event, along with Trump’s signature and the date.
“We had a great trip while we were there. We did many monuments, memorials, museums, and all that stuff, so it was a great educational trip. We arrived on Good Friday and returned Tuesday, so we were there for four nights. We didn’t visit all the museums because there wasn’t even enough time to do everything. We did go over to Arlington to see the changing of the guard, JFK’s burial site,” Sylvia said.
“So, in social studies class, you know how you learn about the Supreme Court. It was funny cause we got to see the White House, the Capitol Building, and the Supreme Court. So you get to see where the executive, judicial, and legislative branches are,” Hunter said.
Because the rip was educational, with Hunter learning about social studies and history, he received excused absences for the three days he was out of school.
“This is the first time we’ve ever used the (excused absence) days, but say you want to go to Louisville and see a musical during the day, they’ll give you an excused absence because it’s considered fine arts. If you go to a museum, you can take the day off. You can go to Camp Nelson over here, and that’s history. You fill out a form and can (be approved for excused absences) if it contains history, fine arts, science, social studies.”
On Easter Sunday, the family also ran into actor Vince Vaughn. He nearly ran over Rob Neff on a scooter, but as soon as Sylvia told Neff who it was, the family had a conversation with Vaughn and his 11-year-old son. Vaughn also gave Hunter an autograph in his Junior Ranger booklet.