Spring Break
Sesame Street anniversary celebrated
Kiwanis Park Road renamed Sesame Street for event
Frank Benik/Staff Reporter
Issue date: 11/9/09 Section: News
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Charleston Mayor John Inyart read the street-naming proclamation just after 2 p.m. Sunday at Kiwanis Park.
The new street signs were placed on light poles by the entrances to Kiwanis Park on Harrison and Division streets and were made by the Charleston Street Department.
Just before the mayor's street-naming proclamation, the crowd gathered in the stands around the Kiwanis pavilion and sang "Happy Birthday" to the television series.
Charleston resident James Hayes acknowledged he was not very familiar with the show, but he was there more for his young son James.
"Sesame Street is for learning your '1, 2, 3's' and your 'A, B, C's'," Hayes said.
He also said Big Bird was his son's favorite character.
Falling leaves were not the only things filling the air yesterday as WEIU-FM was at the event pumping out well-known Sesame Street songs across the park. It was providing a broadcast from the ceremony and conducting the costume contest.
The celebration was hosted by WEIU-TV and HitMix 88.9 WEIU.
The event was helped by picturesque weather, which not even swarms of Asian Lady beetles could temper.
Hundreds of people attended, and 35 of the event's volunteers were from Eastern.
Volunteer Jasmine Stevenson, a freshman psychology major, said she loved the show, citing Elmo as her favorite character.
"I thought it would just be fun and interesting," Stevenson said.
Just like New York
Ke'an Armstrong, the publicity and promotion outreach grant manager of WEIU, said the Sesame Street name-changing celebration came about because of a similar ceremony hundreds of miles away in New York.
"This whole thing started when (WEIU-TV) found out it was Sesame Street's 40th anniversary," Armstrong said. "Jeni Huckstep and I got to talking about what we should do. Then we heard that there was a street in New York being renamed Sesame Street so we asked the mayor if they could change a street sign down here."
Inyart liked Armstrong's idea right away.
"I remember her asking me about it," Inyart said. "I was excited about it from the start and told her we should be able to make something happen."
The renaming ceremony was complete with games and activities for the younger attendees, and also included a coat and glove drive for those in need, refreshment stands and a Sesame Street costume contest.
Every child who attended was given a free colorful bag and T-shirt, and all who attended were encouraged to sign a banner that will be sent to the Sesame Workshop.
The banner read "Celebrating 40 years of Sunny Days" and was covered with the backwards script of children just learning to write their names.
Soon after the street-naming proclamation had ended, Armstrong exulted to the crowd that now, "Charleston has its very own Sesame Street for forever and ever!"
Frank Benik can be reached at 581-7942 or DENnewsdesk@gmail.com.
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