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The Sesame Street Experience

About the Sesame Street/USO Experience for Military Families

USO photo by Fred Greaves

Logging more than 45,500 miles, the "Sesame Street/USO Experience for Military Families" has toured around the world for more than two consecutive years and brought smiles to more than 135,000 service members and military families. Made possible as a result of an ongoing partnership between the USO and Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit organization that revolutionized children’s television programming with Sesame Street, the tour has spanned nine countries and visited 84 military bases.

Designed to address the concerns of today’s military families as they deal with the hardships of deployments, the show uses familiar faces to address tough issues, such as multiple deployments and lengthy separations from loved ones. With help from Elmo, Grover, Cookie Monster, Rosita and Zoe, the tour serves as an extension of traditional USO entertainment tours and a continuation of Sesame Workshop’s award-winning Talk, Listen, Connect initiative - which provides vital resources and emotional support to military families with young children coping with challenging transitions in their lives.

Military families in attendance experience a 25-minute character performance and receive giveaways and outreach materials. To date, the tour is the longest-running entertainment tour in USO history and the first-ever traveling USO tour designed specifically for military families.

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ABOUT PHASE IV

On March 29, 2010, the USO and Sesame Workshop proudly announced Phase IV of the "Sesame Street/USO Experience for Military Families." The show, which is exclusively for military families, kicks off its second swing through the U.S. on April 17, at Fort Knox, Kentucky.

2010 SPRING/SUMMER TOUR SCHEDULE

APRIL
Fort Knox - Kentucky - Apr 17 - 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.; Apr 18 - 2:00 p.m.
Joint Base Anacostia/Bolling - Washington, DC - Apr 20 - 6:30 p.m.; Apr 21 - 10:00 a.m., 2:00 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.
McGuire AFB - New Jersey - Apr 23 - 10:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m.; Apr 24 - 2:00 p.m.
Dover AFB - Delaware - Apr 28 - 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.; Apr 29 - 10:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.

MAY
Aberdeen Proving Grounds - Maryland - May 1 - 2:00 p.m. and 4:30 p.m.
Fort Belvoir - Virginia - May 2 - 2:00 p.m. and 4:30 p.m.
JB Andrews - NAF Washington - Maryland - May 5 - 3:30 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.
MCB Quantico - Virginia - May 6 - 4:30 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.; May 7 - 4:30 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.
NAS Patuxent River - Maryland - May 9 - 10:00 a.m., 2:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m.
Langley AFB - Virginia - May 13 - 10:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.
Joint Expeditionary Base West Little Creek - Fort Story - Virginia - May 15 - 2:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m.; May 16 - 10:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m.
MCAS Cherry Point - North Carolina - May 19 - 3:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m.; May 20 - 3:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m.
MCB Camp Lejeune - North Carolina - May 22 - 10:00 a.m. 2:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m., May 23 - 1:00 p.m.
Shaw AFB - South Carolina - May 26 - 5:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.; May 27 - 5:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
Fort Jackson - South Carolina - May 28 - 4:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.

JUNE
MCAS Beaufort - South Carolina - June 2 - 2:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m.; June 3 - 2:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m.
NSB Kings Bay - Georgia - June 5 - 2:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m.
NAS Jacksonville - Florida - June 6 - 2:00 p.m.
NS Mayport - Florida - June 10 - 5:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
Fort Benning - Georgia - June 12 - 2:30 p.m. and 4:00 p.m.; June 13 - 11:00 a.m., 2:30 p.m. and 4:00 p.m.
Fort Rucker - Alabama - June 16 - 2:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m.; June 17 - 2:00 p.m.
NAS Pensacola - Florida - June 19 - 2:00 p.m. and 4:30 p.m.; June 20 - 2:00 p.m.
Keesler AFB - Mississippi - June 23 - 3:30 p.m. and 6:00 p.m.; June 24 - 3:30 p.m. and 6:00 p.m.
NAS JRB New Orleans - Louisiana - June 26 - 2:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m.
Fort Polk - Louisiana - June 29 - 3:00 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.; June 30 - 9:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.

JULY
NAS Corpus Christi - Texas - July 2 - 3:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m.; July 3 - 1:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m.
Lackland AFB - Texas - July 7 - 3:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m.; July 8 - 10:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m.
Fort Bliss - Texas - July 10 - 2:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m.; July 11 - 2:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m.
Cannon AFB - New Mexico - July 14 - 3:00 p.m.; July 15 - 10:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m.
Fort Hood - Texas - July 17 - 2:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m.; July 18 - 1:00 p.m., 3:30 p.m. and 6:00 p.m.
Tinker AFB - Oklahoma - July 21 - 2:30 p.m.; July 22 - 2:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.
McConnell AFB - Kansas - July 24 - 10:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m.
Fort Riley - Kansas - July 28 - 2:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m.; July 29 - 10:00 a.m.and 6:00 p.m.
Peterson AFB - Colorado - July 31 - 2:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m.

AUGUST
Fort Carson - Colorado - August 3 - 2:30 p.m. and 5:00 p.m.; August 4 - 2:30 p.m. and 5:00 p.m.
Luke AFB - Arizona - August 7 - 2:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m.; August 8 - 1:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m.
MCAS Miramar - California - August 11 - 2:00 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.; August 12 - 11:00 a.m., 2:00 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.
MCB Camp Pendleton - California - August 14 - 1:00 p.m., 3:30 p.m. and 6:00 p.m.
Fort Irwin - California - August 18 - 3:00 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.; August 19 - 3:00 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.
NAS Lemoore - California - August 21- 2:00 p.m. and 4:30 p.m.
Fort Lewis - Washington - August 25 - 3:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m.; August 26 - 12:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m.
Fairchild AFB - Washington - August 29 - 2:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m.

SEPTEMBER
Minot AFB - North Dakota - September 2 - 2:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.; September 3 - 10:00 a.m.

Tour dates are subject to change. Please visit www.uso.org or www.sesamestreet.org/tlc frequently for tour updates.

2010 SPRING/SUMMER PHOTO GALLERIES

Fort Knox, KENTUCKY
Dover Air Force Base, DELAWARE
Camp Lejeune, NORTH CAROLINA
NAS Corpus Christi, TEXAS

2010 SPRING/SUMMER ARTICLES

04.21.2010 - Office of the Secretary of Defense Public Affairs - Sesame Workshop Visits Bolling

04.13.2010 - The News-Enterprise - Military Personnel, Families Offered Sesame Street/USO Experience

04.13.2010 - Crystal Coast Parent - Sesame Street USO Experience for Military Families Coming to Cherry Point

04.12.2010 - The Flagship News - USO Announces Sesame Workshop Tour Dates

04.12.2010 - Military.com - Sesame Street Tour Dates

04.5.2010 - Family Matters Blog - Sesame Street Show Hits U.S. Roads

04.5.2010 - The 757 Parent Blog - Upcoming Event: "Sesame Street/USO Experience for Military Families" Will Visit Hampton Roads During 2010 Spring/Summer tour (May 12-16)

04.1.2010 - SpouseBuzz Blog - "Talk, Listen, Connect" 2010 Tour

03.31.2010 - Military Avenue - USO Announces Sesame Workshop Tour Dates

ABOUT PHASE III

USO Photos by Fred Greaves

Phase III of “The Sesame Street/USO Experience for Military Families” tour kicked off on January 14, 2010, at Misawa Air Base in Japan. The tour concluded one month later on February 18, 2010, at Anderson Air Base in Guam.

In total, Phase III of the tour…

• visited three countries, including the Japan, Korea and Guam;

• performed at 13 military installations;

• delivered 25 shows; and

• touched and enhanced the lives of more than 15,600 service members and their families.

2010 WINTER TOUR SCHEDULE

JANUARY
Misawa Air Base – Japan – Jan 14 - 10:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m.
Yokota Air Base – Japan – Jan 16 - 3:00 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.
Atsugi Naval Air Facility – Japan - Jan 19 - 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.
Commander Fleet Activities Yokosuka – Japan - Jan 21 - 3:00 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.
Camp Foster - Okinawa - Jan 26 - 3:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m.
Camp Kinser - Okinawa - Jan 28 - 6:00 p.m.
Kadena Air Base - Okinawa - Jan 30 - 11 a.m. and 3 p.m.

FEBRUARY
Camp Courtney - Okinawa - Feb 3 - 3:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m.
Camp Humphreys - Korea - Feb 9 - 4:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.
Yongsan Army Garrison - Korea - Feb 10 - 4:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m.
Osan Air Base - Korea - Feb 12 - 3:00 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.
Naval Fleet Marianas - Guam - Feb 16 - 4:30 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.
Anderson Air Base - Guam - Feb 18 - 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m.

2010 WINTER PHOTO GALLERIES

Naval Air Facility Atsugi (JAPAN) and Fleet Activities Yokosuka (JAPAN)

2010 WINTER ARTICLES

01.20.2010 - Stars and Stripes Guam- Sesame Street Brings 'TLC' to Military Families

01.22.2010 - Inside Yokota- Elmo and Friends Visit Yokota

01.25.2010 - Navy.mil- Sesame Street, USO Team to Entertain Yokosuka Families

ABOUT PHASE II

USO Photo by Fred Greaves

Phase II of “The Sesame Street/USO Experience for Military Families” tour kicked off on September 8, 2009, at RAF Mildenhall in the United Kingdom. The tour concluded four months later on December 13, 2009, at Hickam Air Force Base in Hawaii.

In total, Phase II of the tour…

• visited six countries, including the United Kingdom, Belgium, Germany, Italy, Spain, Alaska and Hawaii;

• performed at 21 military installations;

• delivered 43 shows; and

• touched and enhanced the lives of more than 28,000 service members and their families.

2009 TOUR SCHEDULE

SEPTEMBER
RAF Mildenhall – United Kingdom – Sep 8 - 11:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.
RAF Lakenheath – United Kingdom – Sep 10 - 10:00 a.m. and 6:30 p.m.
USAG Benelux – Belgium - Sep 13 - 1:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m.
Spangdahlem AB – Germany – Sep 16 - 3:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m.
USAG Kaiserslautern – Germany - Sep 20 - 2:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m.
Ramstein AB – Germany – Sep 23 - 1:30 p.m., 3:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.
USAG Wiesbaden – Germany – Sep 25 - 3:00 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.
USAG Mannheim – Germany – Sep 27 - 4:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.
USAG Heidelberg – Germany – Sep 30 - 4:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m.

OCTOBER
USAG Stuttgart – Germany – Oct 2 - 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.
USAG Grafenwoehr – Germany – Oct 4 - 3:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m.
Aviano AB – Italy – Oct 7 - 9:30 a.m., 1:45 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.
USAG Vicenza – Italy – Oct 8 - 3:30 p.m. and 6:00 p.m.
NSA Naples – Italy – Oct 14 - 6:00 p.m. and Oct. 15 - 9:00 a.m.
USAG Livorno – Italy – Oct 17 or 18 - Time TBD
NS Rota – Spain – Oct 24 - 2:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m.

NOVEMBER
Eielson AFB – Alaska – Nov 28 or 29 - Time TBD

DECEMBER
Elmendorf AFB – Alaska – Dec 2 - Time TBD
MCB Hawaii – Hawaii – Dec 9 - 6:30 p.m.
Schofield Barracks - Hawaii - Dec 12 - 3:00 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.
Hickam AFB – Hawaii – Dec 13 - 3:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m.

Tour dates and times are subject to change. Please visit www.uso.org or www.sesamestreet.org/tlc frequently for tour updates.

ABOUT PHASE I

USO Photos by Fred Greaves

Phase I of “The Sesame Street/USO Experience for Military Families” tour kicked off on July 8, 2008, at Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center 29 Palms in California. The tour concluded four months later on November 2, 2008, at Camp Scott in Illinois.

In total, the tour…

• visited 22 states;

• performed at 42 military installations;

• delivered 108 shows; and

• touched and enhanced the lives of more than 76,900 service members and their families.

2008 TOUR SCHEDULE

JULY
MCAGCC 29 Palms - Twentynine Palms, CA - Jul 8
Davis-Monthan AFB - Tucson, AZ - Jul 10
MCB Camp Pendleton - Oceanside, CA - Jul 13
MCAS Miramar - San Diego, CA - Jul 14-15
NS San Diego - San Diego, CA - Jul 18
NB Ventura County Ventura, CA Jul 19
Beale AFB - Yuba City, CA - Jul 22
McChord AFB - Tacoma, WA - Jul 24-25
NAS Whidbey Island - Oak Harbor ,WA - July 26
NB Kitsap - Oak Harbor, WA - July 27
Mountain Home AFB - Mountain Home, ID - July 30

AUGUST
Hill AFB - Ogden, UT - Aug 1
Ft Carson - Colorado Springs, CO - Aug 3-4
Ft Bliss - El Paso, TX - Aug 7-8
Ft Sam Houston - San Antonio, TX - Aug 10-11
Ft Hood - Killeen, TX - Aug 13-14
Ft Sill - Lawton, OK - Aug 16-17
Ft Riley - Junction City, KS - Aug 20-21
Offutt AFB - Bellevue, NE - Aug 23-24
Ft Leonard Wood - Fort Leonard Wood, MO - Aug 27
Ft Campbell - Oak Grove, KY - Aug 30-31

SEPTEMBER
Keesler AFB - Biloxi, MS - Sept 3-4
NAS Whiting Field - Milton, FL - Sept 6
NAS Pensacola - Pensacola, FL - Sept 9
Hurlburt Field & Eglin AFB - Fort Walton Beach, FL - Sep 10-11
MacDill AFB - Tampa, FL - Sep 13
NS Mayport - Jacksonville, FL - Sep 17-18
NAS Jacksonville - Jacksonville, FL - Sep 19-20
Charleston AFB - Charleston, SC - Sep 25
MCB Camp Lejeune - Jacksonville, NC - Sep 27-28

OCTOBER
Ft Bragg - Fayetteville, NC - Oct 1-2
NS Norfolk - Norfolk, VA - Oct 4
NAS Oceana - Norfolk, VA - Oct 5
Ft Eustis - Beechmont, VA - Oct 7
Ft Stewart - Hinesville, GA - Oct 10-11
Ft Belvoir - Alexandria, VA - Oct 14
Andrews AFB - Camp Springs, MD - Oct 16-17
Ft Dix - Fort Dix, NJ - Oct 18
Wright-Patterson AFB - Dayton, OH - Oct 23-24
Pittsburgh JARS - Pittsburgh, PA - Oct 26
Ft Drum - Watertown, NY - Oct 28-29

NOVEMBER
Scott AFB - Belleville, IL - Nov 2

2008 PHOTO GALLERIES

2008 ARTICLES

06.26.2008 - American Forces Press Service - Elmo Visits Military Kids to Help With Deployment Stress
08.14.2008 - Army News - 'Sesame Street' Characters Entertain, Educate Military Families
10.10.2008 - Navy Times - Elmo, USO team to support military children
10.23.08 - Mount Vernon Gazette - "Elmo" And Buddies Conquer Fort Belvoir: USO and Sesame Street combine to ease deployment emotions
11.06.2008 - CauseCast - Sesame Street Tour is Huge Success, Supports More Than 76,000 Military Families
More...

2008 VIDEO FEATURES

09.23.2008 - NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams -
Elmo lends the USO a warmer, fuzzier image