The 2023 Easter Egg Roll with Dole

May 1, 2023 - Features

On April 8, 2023, the Dole Institute was proud to host our annual Easter Egg Roll with Dole—an in-person community event that invites families to participate in traditional Easter and civically themed educational activities. The event was held on the grounds of the Dole Institute of Politics, and we welcomed over 1,000 guests, of which half were children. This was the largest turnout for the Easter Egg Roll event since it debuted at the Dole Institute in 2016.

Children dash to collect Easter eggs during the Egg Hunt on the Dole Institute’s East Lawn. Photo by Julie Clover.

One of the day’s features included an outdoor Easter egg hunt held every 30 minutes, where each child received a commemorative golden egg, a pencil bag with candy, a pencil, and a handout detailing Dole Institute educational opportunity.

Children exchange the plastic Easter Eggs they found during the Egg Hunt for one souvenir golden egg. Photo by Julie Clover.

The signature feature of the event is the egg roll—a tradition dating back to the late-1800s at the U.S. Capitol and the White House. Kids in attendance also got to play miniature golf at the “Dole Hole,” a mini replica of the Dole Institute building; and an egg corral was set up for the littlest visitors to easily find Easter eggs in piles of hay.

Two young women smile after receiving their commemorative golden eggs at the Egg Hunt on the Dole Institute’s east lawn. Photo by Ann Dean.

Real Easter bunnies even made an appearance! A staple of the event for many years has been the bunny corral, which featured eighteen live rabbits from local breeder Bergene Rabbitry. Children could hold and pet bunnies and also have their picture taken at a photo area.

A child poses with a bunny from the Bergene Rabbitry in the photo area on the Dole Institute’s west lawn. Photo by Ann Dean.

Inside the Dole Institute, children had an opportunity to participate in story time with the Lawrence Public Library, in addition to working on a paper egg-hatching craft. The Lawrence Public Library also co-sponsored the event and “Dottie” the mobile library truck stopped by for the duration of the event to check out library books in the parking lot.

A child and their mother wait for the start of story time with the Lawrence Public Library in Hansen Hall. Photo by Ann Dean.

Guests of all ages were also invited to color their favorite Kansas landmark on a paper square that will be used to make the border of the Dole Institute’s upcoming tribute earthwork of Senator Bob Dole—set to debut on his centenary, July 22, 2023. More details can be found at https://doleinstitute.org/landmark/. Submissions from the public are welcome until the end of June.

With the help of their grandparent, a child colors a paper tile that will be part of our Senator Bob Dole tribute earthwork this summer. Photo by Ann Dean.

These activities, in addition to others, invited children to participate in different events and activities to receive stamps on their Golden Rule Checklist, which incorporated ways on how to be an engaged community member into the day’s events.

Children put together a flag puzzle with Dottie, the Lawrence Public Library mobile library, checking out patrons in the background. Photo by Julie Clover.

The 2023 Easter Egg Roll with Dole was a remarkable success, and we look forward to seeing families back next year on Saturday, March 30, 2024!