MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — No alarms were raised when about 50 intruders were detected on the White House lawn. The President and First Lady invited the group of Girl Scouts to camp out on their lawn to promote the Let’s Move Outside campaign. Among the lucky campers was Rubbee Bowen, 10, with Girl Scout Troop 5715 in Fairmont.
The trip to the White House came as a bit of a surprise. The girls had been told they were going to a national park but were soon informed this camping trip would be a once in a lifetime opportunity.
“I kind of knew we were going to meet the First Lady but I did not expect to meet the president,” Bowen said during an appearance on WAJR-AM’s Morgantown A.M.
However, the campers were delightfully surprised when President Barack Obama came strolling out of the White House to inquire as to who was on his lawn.
“Some kid asked if we could have a hug and he said ‘yes’ way too soon. It was like a mob. I got a handshake because everyone was crowding the president but I did get a hug from the First Lady.”
The President and Mrs. Obama spent time tying knots and singing camp songs before heading back inside.
The Girl Scouts also had the chance to eat dinner in the state dining room; of course it was a traditional camp dinner of hamburgers and hot dogs. But, these were White House hamburgers and hot dogs Bowen pointed out.
“They were so good,” she grinned.
The night was cut short when storms moved into the Washington, D.C. area and forced the campers off the lawn and inside.
The girls came from Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, Washington and Oklahoma.