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^BC-INTERNET-EASTER
^White House Easter Egg Roll to go live on Internet
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Millions of children will have the opportunity to participate in the annual White House Easter Egg Roll Monday via the first Internet cybercast of the popular event.
The White House, the National Park Service and EarthLink Network Inc. are joining forces to create the world's largest cybercast event of its kind, dubbed ``Easterlink'', EarthLink said in a statement late Thursday.
President Clinton and first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton are expected to host thousands of children and their parents on the White House's South Lawn again this year.
The White House Easter Egg Roll has been an American tradition since 1878.
In addition to the central egg roll event, children will be able to dye and decorate eggs, and hear cabinet members and celebrities such as Art Garfunkel, Jane Seymour and Amy Tan reading stories from special stages around the South Lawn.
Huge lines form early in the morning the day of the event, and families often wait several hours to enter the South Lawn.
This year, thanks to the cybercast, more children can participate by visiting the Internet site, which has the capacity to handle more than 300,000 concurrent visitors.
By logging on to (www.easter.earthlink.net), children can watch the egg roll, hear stories, take a virtual tour of the White House or write messages to the president.
EarthLink said the White House's decision to cybercast the event underscored the administration's commitment to bringing technology and the Internet to the nation's schools.
In 1997, nearly 80 percent of the nation's 80,000 public schools were connected to the Internet, more than double the number in 1994.

^REUTERS