WASHINGTON, - The Sesame Street/USO Experience for Military Families, a free traveling USO show based on Sesame Workshop's award winning "Talk, Listen, Connect" initiative and produced in partnership with Vee, is back in the United States after an around-the-world tour.
The show, which is exclusively for military families, kicks off its second swing through the United States on April 17 at Fort Knox, Ky.
Audiences will experience a 25-minute character performance and receive promotional items and outreach materials, officials said.
The Sesame Street Workshop/USO partnership put on its first show at Twentynine Palms, Calif., in July 2008. Since then, The Sesame Street/USO Experience for Military Families has traveled more than 45,000 miles to 76 bases in nine countries.
More than 120,000 servicemembers and families have been entertained during 176 shows.
"The momentum that this show has gathered since it first performed for military kids and families is unbelievable," said Gary E. Knell, Sesame Workshop president and CEO. "To see how families come together and then use the messages from the show to talk to their kids is the greatest reward that we could ask for. We at Sesame Workshop are thrilled to continue this work with our partners and friends at the USO and reinforce our commitment to military families."
Sloan Gibson, USO president, noted the positive impact the tour is having on the military community.
"The fact that more than 100,000 troops and family members have attended these shows so far speaks volumes about the tour's relevance to today's military," Gibson said. "We listen to our troops and understand the challenges they face at home, and are proud to call Sesame Workshop our partner in helping to ease the daily stresses on military families."
Other tour dates are:
APRIL
Ft Knox - Kentucky - April 17-18
JB Anacostia/Bolling - Washington, DC - April 20-21 McGuire AFB - New Jersey - April 23-24 Dover AFB - Delaware - April 28-29
MAY
Aberdeen Proving Grounds - Maryland - May 1 Ft Belvoir - Virginia - May 2 Andrews AFB - Maryland - May 4 MCB Quantico - Virginia - May 6-7 NAS Patuxent River - Maryland - May 8-9 Langley AFB - Virginia - May 12-13 Joint Expeditionary Base West - Little Creek - Fort Story - Virginia - May 15-16 MCAS Cherry Point - North Carolina - May 19-20 MCB Camp Lejeune - North Carolina - May 22-23 Shaw AFB - South Carolina - May 26-27 Seymour Johnson AFB - North Carolina - May 29-30
JUNE
Parris Island - South Carolina - June 2 MCAS Beaufort - South Carolina - June 3 NSB Kings Bay - Georgia - June 5 NAS Jacksonville - Florida - June 6 NS Mayport - Florida - June 10 Ft Benning - Georgia - June 12-13 Ft Rucker - Alabama - June 16-17 NAS Pensacola - Florida - June 19-20 Keesler AFB - Mississippi - June 23-24 NAS JRB New Orleans - Louisiana - June 25-26 Ft Polk - Louisiana - June 29-30
JULY
- NAS Corpus Christi - Texas - July 2-3
- Lackland AFB - Texas - July 7-8
- Ft Bliss - Texas - July 10-11
- Cannon AFB - New Mexico - July 14-15
- Ft Hood - Texas - July 17-18
- Tinker AFB - Oklahoma - July 21-22
- McConnell AFB - Kansas - July 24-25
- Ft Riley - Kansas - July 28-29
Peterson AFB - Colorado - July 31
AUGUST
- Peterson AFB - Colorado - August 1
- Ft Carson - Colorado - August 3-4
- Luke AFB - Arizona - August 7-8
- MCAS Miramar - California - August 11-12 MCAS Camp Pendelton - California - August 14-15 Ft Irwin - California - August 18-19 NAS Lemoore - California - August 21-22 Ft Lewis - Washington - August 25-26 Fairchild AFB - Washington - August 28-29
SEPTEMBER
- Minot AFB - North Dakota - September 2-3 Grand Forks AFB - North Dakota - September 5