JG-TC.com > News > Charleston park the site of 'Sesame Street' celebration

TODAY'S HEADLINES

SPECIAL SECTION

ONLINE POLL

ONLINE EXTRAS

Shop Smart, Shop Local

SITE TOOLS

OTHER LINKS

St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Lee Enterprises

Monday, November 9, 2009 9:17 PM CST
Charleston park the site of 'Sesame Street' celebration

By HOLLY THOMAS, For the JG/T-C

CHARLESTON — Sesame Street is celebrating 40 years of sunny days, and Sunday was one more at Kiwanis Park.

“Can you tell me how to get/How to get to ‘Sesame Street’?”, from the show’s theme song, is a question now answered for area residents. Mayor John Inyart proclaimed the street that runs through Kiwanis Park as “Sesame Street” on Sunday in honor of the longest running show on PBS that has taught generations of youngsters numbers, letters, exercise, sharing and more.

The park was the site of Sunday’s celebration of the children’s show, which turns 40 this week. Street signs were displayed on lampposts at each entrance of the park — signs identical to those seen on the television show.

Ke’an Armstrong, Jeni Huckstep and Michelle Lassak of WEIU-TV, all former “Sesame Street” watchers, invoked what the show had taught them: teamwork. WEIU-TV is an affiliate of PBS. The trio pulled together this event with help of volunteers and sponsors “to honor the special occasion,” they said.

Armstrong, publicity/promotions/outreach and grant manager of WEIU-TV, said she hoped the event would bring people together, rekindling their memories of the show and what they learned.

“Whether you have kids or not, ‘Sesame Street’ more than likely influenced you and taught you something,” Armstrong said.

Families came out to celebrate the four decades of “Sesame Street” and their community’s involvement. Children played at “Elmo’s World,” while parents relaxed at “Big Bird’s Rest Nest,” and everyone enjoyed snacks at “C is for Cookie” booth.

Armstrong, Huckstep, and Lassak all agreed that education should be highlighted just as the show had emphasized, so they planned a “People in Your Neighborhood” section of the event including a police car, ambulance and fire truck.

Children were able to explore the vehicles and meet their community heroes.

“It was an amazing day,” Armstrong said. “Everyone seemed to have a great time.“

Parents, grandparents and kids were all in line to share their fondest memories of “Sesame Street.” The show is known for its educational and entertainment aspects appealing to wide variety of children and adults alike.

“I’m happy the parents and children were able to see what a great park we have as well,” Armstrong said. “We hope to host more events at Sesame Street in Kiwanis Park.”

After the reading of the proclamation, a group photo of attendees was taken.

Armstrong said the Charleston Fire Department estimated a crowd of 1,000 people of all ages converged on the park for the “Sesame Street” celebration.

“The event exceeded our expectations,” she said. The team of three had planned for 200 kids. Armstrong apologized for not having enough goodie bags for everyone.

“We had no idea how many people to plan for,” she said. “We want to thank everyone who came out and to the volunteers and sponsors.”

Add your comments

*Member ID:
*Password:
Remember login? (requires cookies)
	Forgot Your Password?

Not already registered?
Then click Here.

Comment policy:

JG-TC.com encourages readers to engage in civil conversation with their neighbors. Comments that are submitted are not posted to the site immediately. They go into a queue to be moderated and may take several hours to be reviewed. Comments posted on Saturday may not be reviewed until Sunday afternoon.

In order to keep the page a set width, long lines (mostly long links) will be chopped. Try putting spaces in your links or consider using tinyurl.com to make a smaller link that you can include.

We will never edit or alter your comments, but we do reserve the right to remove comments that violate our code of conduct.

No comment may contain:

* Potentially libelous statements; such as accusing somebody of a crime, defamation of character, or statements that can harm somebody's reputation.
* Obscene, explicit, or racist language.
* Personal attacks, insults, threats, harassment or inciting violence.
* Commercial product promotions.

If you have any questions, please contact our moderator.

biker79 wrote on Nov 9, 2009 9:36 AM:

" This is cool. Very few kids today honestly are able to tell you what Sesame Street is. I grew up watchin' this show and many others. Of course this was before the show was changed and made "Politically Correct". A few modifications have been made, but the show is still very educational and therapeutic for young children in the most important early behavioral stage in life. "

sheidi_jo wrote on Nov 9, 2009 10:28 AM:

" We had a great time at the Street Celebration. It was nice to see all the children playing games and involved in activities.

I brought my camera, but it broke when I got there. There was a young man that took a couple photos of my son from the newspaper, and I was wondering if there is anyway to get a copy or if you will do a slideshow from the event? "

Rockin Rotty wrote on Nov 9, 2009 4:23 PM:

" Cookie Monster Rocks!! "

Mama says wrote on Nov 9, 2009 8:52 PM:

" We should have roundedup all the Mattoon and Charleston politicians and educated them with a trip to SESAME STREET. Maybe they could show the waterworks how to fix that issue.
Maybe BIG BIRD could run for States Attorney. Lots of SESAME choices there. "

LOKI wrote on Nov 10, 2009 9:28 PM:

" What they were doing there was a good idea and all, however am I the only one who sees the coat donation for needy children a little bit degrading? I can see helping children stay warm and all and its a wonderful idea but why on earth call it DUMPSTER DONATIONS???? That is just a slap in the face to a family in need of assistance! "

devilishangel61401 wrote on Nov 10, 2009 10:46 PM:

" Loki I heard on the radio they named the coat drive "dumpster donations" because Oscar the Grouch lives in a trash can and Oscar keeps things that others throw away. I do have to agree that the name "dumpster donations" is a bit degrading though, they could have called it Oscar's Coat Recyle or Oscar's " re-use it don't loose it " or something freindlier. I dont think that the organizers meant it to be degradeing.

Mama I think that the Sesame Street characters could do a better job at running things then our politicans ( laughing)

Rockin Rotty I agree: Cookie Monster rocks! "

Harry Potter wrote on Nov 11, 2009 8:09 AM:

" Rockin Rotty I agree: Cookie Monster rocks! "

I agree with both of you. As a little girl, my daughter loved for me to read "There's a Monster at the end of this book". I later bought that book for her children. Sesame street has stood the test of time. Thanks for the memories. HP "

CLICK TO ENLARGE

Kevin Kilhoffer/Staff Photographer -- Eastern Illinois University student Brett Schroeder, left, watches as 3-year-old Kaylee Patrick of Charleston places a bean bag in a bucket during the 'Sesame Street' 40th birthday celebration at Kiwanis Park in Charleston on Sunday.