Four lucky Butler County children were hopping with excitement after spending Monday at the 136th annual White House Easter Egg Roll.

Franklin Township residents Tim and Alita Haniwalt, parents of Jacquelyn, 10, and Austin, 7, traveled to Washington, D.C., with Gary and Carol Johnson, grandparents of Emma Peters, 9, and Addison Peters, 4, who live in Adams Township.

The group spent Easter afternoon at the Pirates game in Pittsburgh before heading to the nation’s capital for the egg roll on Monday.

It was held on the South Lawn of the White House, and featured fitness related activities as well as a photo booth, live music, popular characters in costume, a cooking station, and storytelling in addition to the tradition of rolling an egg across the lawn with a wooden spoon.

Alita Haniwalt said that while security was prominent, getting through the gates and onto the White House property went smoothly. She said the 30,000 adults and children who attended were welcomed onto the lawn in four or five sessions throughout the bright, sunny day.

“It was amazing,” said Haniwalt. “I highly recommend it to anyone.”

She said while the four children didn’t get to participate in many of the activities because of long lines, the three girls were stricken by the celebrity who served as one of the day’s storytellers.

“The highlight of the day was Miss America,” Haniwalt said. “My daughter is probably her biggest fan.”

She said Nina Davuluri, the reigning Miss America, finished reading to the children and stepped to the side as parents and children began rushing toward the activities set up for their enjoyment.

“My daughter went running up to her and said, ‘Can I have my picture taken with you?’” Haniwalt said. “She said, ‘Of course you can.’”

She said the other three children had their pictures taken with various characters, like the Power Rangers and racecar drivers. The lone boy of the group of four children was thrilled with the latter.

“He knew them all, so it was exciting,” Haniwalt said.

One disappointment came when the Obamas did not appear or speak during their session on the lawn.

“The kids were really disappointed,” Haniwalt said. “Especially Austin, since he drew (President Obama) a picture. He’s going to mail it to him.”

Haniwalt said the children chattered excitedly about their experiences on the drive home.

“Jacquelyn had the most fun having her picture taken with Miss America,” Alita recalled. “She didn’t think she was going to sleep Monday night, she was so excited.”

Carol Johnson corroborated Haniwalt’s account of the trip back north to Butler County.

“The word I kept hearing the whole way home was ‘awesome,’” Johnson said. “I know four kids that are going to try (the egg roll lottery) again.”

She said the historical value of the trip was not wasted on the youngsters, who spent a significant part of the ride home prattling about being so near to the White House.

“They were saying, ‘We could reach out and touch it!’” Johnson said.

She said the children also were excited about the brightly colored commemorative wooden eggs they each went home with, which were engraved with the White House seal and the 2014 egg roll logo.

“It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience because of the excitement of it all,” Johnson said.

The theme of the 2014 Easter Egg Roll, “Hop into Healthy, Swing into Shape,” was selected to promote first lady Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move!” initiative.