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Cleveland Daily Banner—Sunday, January 3, 2016—43
White House South Lawn has
become first lady’s grassy stage
WASHINGTON (AP) — Michelle
Obama’s affection for the White
House South Lawn has grown
just like the sweet potatoes and
carrots she plants there.
During seven years as first
lady, Mrs. Obama has often used
her family’s temporary backyard
as a grassy stage from which to
promote a lifestyle built around
plenty of fresh, nutritious food
and lots of exercise.
But to Mrs. Obama, the 6-plus
acres of manicured grass and
gardens are more than a place to
talk about diet and health. It’s a
symbolic venue for a mother of
two from the South Side of
Chicago who stepped into the role
of presidential spouse with the
goal of welcoming more visitors,
especially children, to the seat of
world power.
“While our family might live
upstairs, the president and I
know that the White House is
truly the ‘People’s House,’” the
first lady said. “It belongs to all of
us.”
Military families and students
are among those given priority at
White House events such as the
annual Fourth of July picnic.
Mrs. Obama is also more consistent than her recent predecessors
in using the South Lawn. Most
first ladies used the outside
grounds for the occasional state
dinner, annual Easter Egg Roll or
ceremony for a visiting head of
state.
Girl Scouts hunkered down in
tents for a campout last summer
until rain and claps of thunder
sent them and their chaperones
scampering into a nearby office
building. Mrs. Ob