Wednesday, January 26, 2011

The National 9/11 Flag Stitching

Date: Friday, February 18, 2011
Stitching: 11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Flag Raising: 4:00 p.m.
On February 18, from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., New York City firefighters will assist local heroes and visitors in a historic stitching ceremony to help sew the Florida restorative patch, which features a flag that has flown over Kennedy Space Center, to The National 9/11 Flag. Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex is proud to host the official Stitching Restoration for the state of Florida.
Destroyed in the aftermath of the World Trade Center attacks on September 11, 2001 and stitched back together seven years later by tornado survivors in Greensburg, Kansas, The National 9/11 Flag is a living testament to the resilience and compassion of the American people. It is the modern day version of The Star Spangled Banner. The New York Says Thank You Foundation is currently taking The National 9/11 Flag on a journey across America where local service heroes in all 50 states will be given the historic privilege of stitching the flag back to its original 13-stripe format using pieces of fabric from American flags destined for retirement in each state.

Once the flag is restored and made whole again by the 10th Year Anniversary of 9/11, The National 9/11 Flag will become a part of the permanent collection of the National September 11 Memorial Museum being built at the World Trade Cente

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Universal Orlando Announces Mardi Gras Concert Line-up!

It is the biggest, best, party in the country – and Universal Orlando Resort brings it straight from New Orleans to you this February 12 through April 23.

Nationally renowned musical acts combine with an authentic Mardi Gras parade, dozens of colorfully costumed performers, authentic Cajun cooking, and hand-picked New Orleans bands to capture the look, feel and fun of New Orleans – all inside Universal Studios Florida.

Universal Orlando has been creating its special Mardi Gras celebration for more than 15 years – bringing the perfect combination of the Big Easy and spectacular theme park entertainment to its guests all for the price of regular admission.

“If you can’t be in New Orleans or if you can’t get enough of Mardi Gras, then Universal Orlando is the place to be,” said Jim Timon, senior vice president of entertainment for Universal Orlando Resort. “We bring all of what makes Mardi Gras great together with national-level musical artists to create a family-friendly celebration that fills the entire theme park.”

This year’s special Mardi Gras concert line-up features some of the biggest names in Rock, Country, Pop and R&B. Together, the headliners have had more than 100 songs on Billboard’s Hot 100 Chart and more than 20 Grammy nominations. Performers include Pitbull, also known as “Mr. 305,” who will perform songs from his hit album, “Rebelution,” Neon Trees, who will perform their hit “Animal,” One Republic and country-super-star Blake Shelton. Also performing will be Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Beach Boys and Ne-Yo. For a complete list of this year’s performers and dates, see below.

Along with top-name talent comes the world-famous parade - straight from the streets of New Orleans. One-dozen elaborate, hand-crafted floats designed and built by Blaine Kern Artists – the same company that creates floats for New Orleans Mardi Gras – will make their way through the streets of Universal Studios along with dozens of colorfully costumed performers and hundreds of float riders – all of whom throw beads to eager guests. The parade, with its Fire, Air, Water, Earth theme, also features music and a nightly King and Queen of Mardi Gras.

Nearby, in the Universal Studios “French Quarter Courtyard,” the celebration continues. This area will feature New Orleans-inspired food creations by Universal’s chefs – including jambalaya, Po Boy sandwiches and more. And nearly one-dozen hand-picked, authentic New Orleans bands will perform the best of The Big Easy’s Blues, Jazz and Zydeco.

To Pucrchase tickets to Universal Orlando theme park tickets, please click here!


UNIVERSAL STUDIOS’ MARDI GRAS CONCERT SERIES

2011 MARDI GRAS TALENT LINE-UP
Headliners (performing in the Music Plaza)

Saturday, February 12          Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons
Saturday, February 19          The B-52s
Sunday, February 20            KC & The Sunshine Band
Saturday, February 26          Pitbull
Saturday, March 5                Lynyrd Skynyrd
Saturday, March 12              Foreigner
Friday, March 18                 Neon Trees
Saturday, March 19             Thirty Seconds To Mars
Friday, March 25                 OneRepublic
Saturday, March 26              Blake Shelton
Friday, April 1                      Sean Kingston
Saturday, April 2                  Ne-Yo
Saturday, April 9                  Lifehouse
Saturday, April 16                The Beach Boys
Saturday, April 23                To Be Announced

*Mardi Gras is included as part of regular admission to Universal Studios.