FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Friday, May 18, 2012
CONTACT: Wanda Goodman, (605) 773-3301 or Wanda.Goodman@TravelSD.com

Mount Rushmore Presidents to Take Midwest Roadtrip

Mascots Invite Citizens of Kansas City and Des Moines to Join Their American Journey

PIERRE, S.D. – Continuing their trek across the United States, the Presidents of Mount Rushmore National Memorial will visit Kansas City on May 26-27 and Des Moines on June 7, 8 and 9. George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln will visit some of the most popular sites in the cities and personally invite residents to make a trip to South Dakota this summer.

The official visit by the presidential mascots and an accompanying street team from the South Dakota Department of Tourism are part of the newly launched “Your American Journey” campaign. The campaign encourages vacationers to visit places of great historic significance, unimagined beauty and patriotic inspiration within the borders of South Dakota. Kansas City and Des Moines are new target markets this year for the state. The presidents’ visit is just one of many elements being used to attract more visitors from these cities.

“There are a lot of people in Kansas City and Des Moines who perfectly fit the description of our best visitors - young families and empty nesters,” says Jim Hagen, Secretary of the Department of Tourism. “The goal of the presidential mascots’ visit is to get potential visitors excited about coming to see a cultural icon, Mount Rushmore National Memorial, and the other beautiful, breathtaking attractions within the borders of our state. I believe, South Dakota should be a required stop on ‘Your American Journey.’”

The presidential mascots and accompanying street team will also be offering residents of Kansas City and Des Moines a chance to win an exclusive vacation giveaway. Contest details and registration can be found online at www.TravelSD.com/RushmoreMascots

The mascots, designed to reflect the mountain carving in the Black Hills, have traveled across the country in the past year, making stops in Denver to throw out the first pitch at a Colorado Rockies game and in New York City to watch the “Mount Rushmore’s American Pride” float in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

The Presidents’ journey to Kansas City and Des Moines can be tracked online at TravelSD.com/RushmoreMascots Facebook.com/SouthDakotaTourism or by using the hashtag, #RushmoreMascots, on Twitter (@TravelSD) Watch a preview of their American Journey at http://youtu.be/XPFUFRGorMs

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