FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

OMAHA’S FOOD LOVERS TO CELEBRATE TASTE OF OMAHA FESTIVAL WITH SHOWCASE OF GREAT FOODS AND ENTERTAINMENT

..................Plans are coming together for the 11th Annual “TASTE OF OMAHA”, a unique community celebration, showcasing Omaha’s great foods and live entertainment, to be held Friday, June 6th through Sunday, June 8th, 2008. The “TASTE OF OMAHA” is a 3-day extravaganza and outdoor food festival open to the public and free to attend.
“Feature Foods from many of Omaha’s top restaurants, good entertainment and family activities for the kids… and you have the recipe for the TASTE OF OMAHA,” says Mike Mancuso, Event Producer. “Omaha has a tremendous reputation for fantastic restaurants and food companies”. The “TASTE OF OMAHA”, now in it’s eleventh year, has established itself as the Annual Event for our city bringing together a dazzling selection of great foods and culinary delights, for people from throughout the Midwest area, to TASTE, relax and enjoy as a family activity.
..................The 2008 “TASTE OF OMAHA” will again be located on Omaha’s riverfront parks showcasing outstanding Restaurants with exciting live entertainment daily with activities on two Riverfront Parks, the Heartland of America Park and Lewis & Clark Landing. This year the Annual Event will add more entertainment for everyone’s taste on 5 stages throughout the Festival. All stage shows during the 3-day extravaganza are free to attend. Top National Entertainers combined with the best popular area bands and musicians will again be continuously performing throughout the Festival. On tap for Friday night at 9:00 pm on the Rotella’s River Stage are New Country Sensation, COWBOY CRUSH, the all-woman country group who’s release “Nobody Ever Died of a Broken Heart” put the group on the country map. The music, the passion and the spirit of U2 will be the featured Friday Night on the Mutual of Omaha Stage with RATTLE AND HUM, quite simply, THE PREMIER U2 Tribute followed by an exciting Fireworks Finale. Placing a priority on accurately delivering the SOUND of U2, Ireland's greatest export, and dedicated to making you feel as if you are experiencing U2 in concert.
..................Popular Rock Group, BLESSID UNION OF SOULS perform a high energy live show featuring their fast paced hits to inspirational ballads on Saturday Night at 8:00 pm. The group launched into stardom with their smash #1 Billboard hit single, ‘I Believe’ followed by Top Ten Hits - "Light In Your Eyes", "Let Me Be The One", and "Hey Leonardo (She Likes Me For Me)". Saturday will also feature The Legends of Motown THE CONTOURS, performing Motown’s fastest climbing hit of all time & gold record “Do You Love Me?” that soared again with the Academy Award winning Film “Dirty Dancing”. Relax and Enjoy their “Motown Revues” including The Temptations, Four Tops and Marvin Gay, along with their own popular hits, “Shake Sherrie”, “Can You Do It”, “Jerk Like Me”, “Just a Little Misunderstanding”, and “First, I look at the Purse.”
..................A complete schedule of Free Concerts and Entertainment will be released at a later date that will offer entertainment for everyone’s taste throughout the weekend. All stage shows during the 3-day extravaganza are free of charge.
..................Between eating food bites and enjoying the music, you can watch cooking demonstrations, browse the festival displays, register to win great prizes, sip a smoothie on the MJ Java Coffee Patio, taste E & J Gallo Wines, or simply relax in the Miller Beer Gardens overlooking the beautiful fountain and riverfront, all at one time and one place. There is also plenty of Family Entertainment, including amusement rides for the kids, balloons, face painting, and a great view of the Festival from the Big Ferris Wheel. Again this year, the KidZone Stage will offer continuous performances of music, comedy, magic, dance and more entertainment for the children. The Festival will also be your opportunity to see Great Chefs on the Whole Foods Market Culinary Arts Stage.

..................The Festival boils down to one thing, and that’s the food. Restaurants of all varieties will pitch their tents at the “TASTE OF OMAHA” grounds for 3 days, cooking the specialty items that have made them some of the favorites in the Omaha area. All types of food will be served at the “Taste” - from Omaha’s pizza to juicy barbecued ribs. So put your taste buds on alert now because they will get a workout at the “TASTE OF OMAHA”. The Festival offers each person an opportunity to taste a wide selection of Omaha’s beloved restaurant dishes including Mexican, Italian, Greek, Oriental, Mediterranean, Polish as well as Continental and American cuisine. After tasting all of these delightful foods, you’ll probably want to top it all off with one of the fabulous desserts offered, from your favorite ice cream flavor to cheesecake, that is sure to make your day at the “Taste” complete.
..................The “TASTE OF OMAHA”, Omaha’s Showcase of Great Foods and Entertainment, will be open Friday, June 6 and Saturday, June 7, from 11 AM to 11 PM as well as Sunday, June 8 from 11 AM to 8 PM. The Festival is Free to attend thanks to the Community Partners including Mutual of Omaha, Methodist Health System, Local Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge Dealers, Qwest Communications, Pinnacle Banks, and Sheboygan Meats.

New Country Sensation, Cowboy Crush to perform
on the Rotella’s Bakery Stage on Friday, June 6 @ 9 PM

..................The all-woman country group Cowboy Crush, www.cowboycrush.com, who’s release “Nobody Ever Died of a Broken Heart” put the group on the country map.
..................The all-in-its entirety female country band features three-part harmonies, bass, fiddle and keys. The group has shared the stage with headlining acts such as Travis Tritt, Lonestar and Trace Adkins. Cowboy Crush includes Trenna Barnes, a native of Tulsa, Oklahoma is their engaging and vibrant lead singer. Darla Rae Perlozzi, born and raised in Youngstown, Ohio, is the drummer but she also plays guitar and keyboards. Becky Priest, from Hubbard, Texas, is on keyboards but can play guitar, banjo, mandolin and accordion in addition to providing magnificent vocal harmony. Debbie Johnson, born in Springfield, Missouri, plays bass and is a third generation musician who also delivers flawless timbre on the extraordinarily tight vocal harmonies. Renae' Truex hails from West Virginia and, like Debbie, is from a musical family, in addition to her ability to bring down the house with her fiddle playing, she is also accomplished on mandolin, tenor sax and rhythm guitar. Trenna Barnes (lead singer), Renae’ Truex (fiddle), Becky Priest (keyboards) and Debbie Johnson on bass.
..................The comparison of Cowboy Crush to the Dixie Chicks is inevitable for the simple reason that they, too, are often described as a dynamic, "all girl band". The power house band known as Cowboy Crush are the Chicks plus two, with a talent quotient that elevates them into a league of their own.
..................When Cowboy Crush started, they came with graduate degrees in place, home grown talent refined by years of practice, a solid support base of family and friends, dues paid by a combined musical resume' that includes world tours and "the" White House. They are a band on a mission. They are determined to not only entertain; they are out to educate, enlighten and inspire. This is one crush that feels more like a big ole bear hug ... multiplied times five.
..................Charlie Daniels described the ladies of Cowboy Crush as, “a high-octane blend of Emmylou Harris and Aerosmith.” They are all so high energy and each of them is uniquely beautiful and when you add to that their incredible musical skills and out-going personalities it is easy to see how they can bring an audience to their feet.
..................One of the groups passions is seen when they sing "I Am Pretty", a powerful song about an abused woman who finally realizes her own self worth. Acknowledging Domestic Abuse to make a difference and draw attention to a problem that is so often swept under the table.
..................Another subject they are passionate about is the military and they are very excited about their new video, "He's Coming Home." The message of the song is a very positive and patriotic one so they are hopeful the video will be seen by a lot of people. Trenna has performed overseas in USO/DOD Tours for the U.S. Military, Cowboy Crush entertained soldiers and their families at Dyess Air Force Base in Texas as part of the Spirit of America Tour.
..................Cowboy Crush had also been the official spokespersons for the first annual Sound and Speed show in Nashville. They won over the racing fans on WTVF's "Talk of the Town" program by changing the lyrics of their rowdy new single, "Hillbilly Nation" (released to radio on 18 February 2006 Curb/ Asylum) to "Nascar Nation." They also rocked the main stage of the Gaylord Entertainment Center before mingling with new fans Michael Waltrip, Kyle Petty, Dale Jr. and others.
..................They each bring a unique energy to their group dynamics and before ever combining their talents to form Cowboy Crush, each of them had already experienced impressive success as individuals. Their past successes are reflected in their present confidence and in the quality of their performances. A major goal of Cowboy Crush is to become a positive influence for country music fans of all ages and genders. From where I stand, they already are the most perfect ambassadors for a genre of music that was born of America's heart.

The music, the passion, the spirit of U2 Performed by RATTLE AND HUM
live on the Mutual of Omaha Stage, Friday, June 6 @ 8 PM followed by Fireworks Finale

..................Rattle and Hum are, quite simply, THE PREMIER U2 Tribute, www.rattleandhumkc.com. Placing a priority on accurately delivering the SOUND of U2 over the "look" of Ireland's greatest export, Rattle and Hum are the U2 tribute most dedicated to making you feel as if you are experiencing the real U2 in concert.
..................Other bands can put together the "look" of U2, but no other band can match Rattle and Hum's passion and musicianship when it comes to performing U2's vast catalog of songs, from U2's first album Boy in 1980 all the way to 2004's How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb...well, except for U2 themselves.
..................Rattle and Hum KC have been performing since 2006 and are comprised of some of Kansas City's most talented musicians: Mike Jackson belting out vocals true to Bono's while playing rhythm guitar on select songs; Tony Trevino's meticulous attention to detail in replicating The Edge's guitar; Gary Bertoncin's backbeat on drums; and Pat Ross' driving bass. The band are relentless in playing the songs true to the originals with passion and energy, and always win over any crowd they play in front of.

Contemporary Music’s Popular, Blessid Union of Souls Perform
on the Mutual of Omaha Stage on Saturday, June 7 @ 8 PM

..................Over the last ten years, Blessid Union of Souls, www.myspace.com/blessidunionofsouls, has established itself as one of the premiere bands on the contemporary music scene. Blessid Unions’ smash #1 Billboard hit single, ‘I Believe’ launched the group into stardom followed by Top Ten Hits - "Light In Your Eyes", "Let Me Be The One", and "Hey Leonardo , She Likes Me For Me".
..................Blessid Union Of Souls has two fans: the millions of people around the world who have listened to their music who actually know they were the original artist who wrote and performed those songs and the millions of people around the world who have listened to their music and don’t know they were the original artist who wrote and performed those songs. And just what are those songs?
..................First out of the box, from their 1995 debut CD ‘Home’, came the unforgettable smash hit single, ‘I Believe’ which reached 1 on the Billboard charts and stayed their for two weeks while holding in the Top 10 for over two months and ending the year being the fourth most played song on radio.
..................Next, Blessid released ‘Let Me Be The One’ which hit the Top 10, peaking at 8. ‘Oh Virginia’ was then released, becoming Blessid’s third Top 40 Hit. ‘All Along’ closed out their debut CD and also reach the Top 40 .
..................From their self-titled, sophomore CD, Blessid’s first single ‘I Wanna Be There’ became an instant favorite after being most added at radio and bursting into the Top 20.
..................The beautifully written ballad, ‘Light In Your Eyes’ followed and also entered into the Top 20. This song was co-written with Tommy Sims, co-writer of the Grammy Award winning Eric Clapton hit, ‘Change The World’.
..................From their third CD release, ‘Walking Off The Buzz’ came the fun, upbeat, pop culture hit, ‘Hey Leonardo (She Likes Me For Me)’ which shot its way up the charts all the way to number 10 and was one of the biggest songs of 1999.
..................‘Standing At The Edge Of The Earth’ followed and proved to be Blessid’s 8th Top 40 hit. Blessid Union’s fan base is huge and worldwide! Their success is not just domestic but their songs have topped the charts in other parts of the world as well. ‘I Believe’ went all the way to 1 in Southeast Asia and ‘Hey Leonardo (She Likes Me For Me)’ took Gold status in Australia!

The Legends of Motown “THE CONTOURS” Performing live
on the Rotella’s Bakery Stage on Saturday, June 7 @ 6 PM & 10 PM

..................THE CONTOURS, www.thecontours.net, will be performing Motown’s fastest climbing hit of all time & gold record “Do You Love Me?” that soared again with the Academy Award winning Film “Dirty Dancing”. Relax and Enjoy their “Motown Revues” including The Temptations, Four Tops and Marvin Gay, along with their own popular hits, “Shake Sherrie”, “Can You Do It”, “Jerk Like Me”, “Just a Little Misunderstanding”, and “First, I look at the Purse.”
In 1958, in Detroit, Michigan, Billy Gordon, Billy Hoggs, Joe Billingslea and Billy Rollins formed a quartet named The Blenders. After a short period of playing together, the group decided to replace Billy Rollins with a better quality singer named Leroy Fair. In 1960, the late Hubert Johnson, a cousin of the late Jackie Wilson, joined the group, making it a quintet. After a visit to a recording studio called "Flick and Contour Records", the group "borrowed" part of the name and changed its name to THE CONTOURS.
..................In Fall 1960, with some encouragement from Jackie Wilson, Berry Gordy, Jr, signed the group to a recording contract with Motown. In January 1961, they released "Whole Lotta Woman" b/w "Come On And Be Mine". The record did not have much success. Shortly afterward, there was some disappointing news for Leroy Fair. Despite his great voice, Leroy couldn't handle the required choreography, and the group (to steal the words of the song to come) broke his heart, cause he couldn't dance. The group replaced him twice before eventually finding Sylvester Potts as a replacement for Leroy Fair. This group recorded, "The Stretch" b/w "Funny" which didn't fare much better than the first effort. However, for THE CONTOURS, the third time would become the charm!
..................In 1962, Gordy created a new label for Motown Records called the Gordy label and signed THE CONTOURS as its first group. In the summer of 1962, the group recorded Berry Gordy Jr's, "Do You Love Me," resulting in the group's (and label's) first hit. Within two weeks of its release, the song roared to #2 on the Billboard Hot 100, taking the #1 spot on the R&B charts and #3 on the pop charts. It remained on the charts for five months. The song was the Gordy label's first million-seller, and it still holds the record as Motown's fastest rising hit of all time.
..................In 1963, the group charted another hit, sending "Shake Sherry" to the #21 position on the R&B charts (#43 pop). In 1964, they charted "Can You Do It" at #41 R&B. Still in 1964, they recorded a ballad entitled "The Day When She Needed Me". However, by the time this song was released, THE CONTOURS would undergo a major restructuring.
..................The group had irreconcilable creative differences with Motown. At a 1964 meeting with Berry Gordy, Jr., Billy Hoggs, Joe Billingslea and Sylvester Potts announced they were quitting. A week later Hubert Johnson also resigned, leaving Billy Gordon as the only original member of the group. Motown reconstructed the group as a quartet, adding Council Gay, Jerry Green and Alvin English. The reconstituted group recorded and released "Can You Jerk Like Me??" On the flip side was "The Day When She Needed Me" by the earlier members of THE CONTOURS. Both songs charted in 1965 (#15 R&B and #37 R&B/#47 pop respectively). The reconstituted group also charted "First I Look At the Purse" (#12 R&B/#57 pop, 1965).
..................After less than a year, in early 1965 Sylvester Potts returned to the group replacing Alvin English. However, almost immediately afterwards, the only remaining original member, Billy Gordon, quit and was replaced by Joe Stubbs (former lead singer of the Falcons and brother of the Four Tops' Levi Stubbs). This group charted "Just a Little Misunderstanding" (#18 R&B/#85 pop, 1966). Joe Stubbs quit and was replaced by Dennis Edwards (who would later replace David Ruffin in The Temptations). This iteration of THE CONTOURS charted "It's So Hard Being a Loser" (#35 R&B/#79 pop, 1967). After their contract with Motown expired, THE CONTOURS disbanded.
..................About 1971, original member Joe Billingslea revived the group, playing a few dates here and there. By 1981, the group consisted of Joe Billingslea, former Contour Council Gay, Arthur Hinson, Martin 'Beanie' Upshire and C. Autry 'Breeze' Hatcher. THE CONTOURS began to play a lot more dates. In 1984, Arthur Hinson left the group and was replaced by and current member R. Charles Davis. A week later, Council Gay left and Sylvester Potts returned to the group. In 1987, Hatcher left the group and Arthur Hinson returned.
..................That same year, "Do You Love Me" was included in the movie, "Dirty Dancing", starring Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey. This revived the song and it returned to the pop charts in July 1988 for eight weeks, peaking at #11. As certified by the Recording Industry Association Of America, "More Dirty Dancing (1987 Film Additional Soundtrack)" (which included "Do You Love Me") went multi-platinum at level 4.0.
..................The movie soundtrack spawned a "Dirty Dancing Concert Tour", which featured THE CONTOURS and other artists including Bill Medley, Eric Carmen, Ronnie Spector, Merry Clayton and a set of dancers from the movie. A week before the tour was to start, Beanie Upshire was replaced by Darrel Nunlee. This version of THE CONTOURS played the ten-month "Dirty Dancing Tour," entertaining over two million fans in eight countries. The "Dirty Dancing Tour" was Performance's 1998 Variety Act of the Year. The tour also gave birth to a live CD release. THE CONTOURS contributed "Get Ready", "Higher and Higher", "Cry to Me" and "Do You Love Me" to the 1989 release "Dirty Dancing Live In Concert". In September 1998, THE CONTOURS released a CD, "Great Dirty Dancing Hits", sprinkled with several of their hits as well as hits of other artists.
..................In 1990, Arthur Hinson left the group and THE CONTOURS continued as a quartet until 1993 when Darell Nunlee left and Gary Grier and Al Chisholm were added taking the group back to a five-man form. This configuration of THE CONTOURS existed until early 2004, when Sylvester Potts quit. He was replaced by Dupree Sims. Sims left and in 2006, Odell Jones was added to bring the group to its current configuration.
..................In July 1999, yet another Dirty Dancing CD, "Dirty Dancing: More Dirty Dancing [Original Recording Remastered]" which included "Do You Love Me" was released. In all, re-released version contributed to ten million new copies of the song, "Do You Love Me." It's fair to say that Dirty Dancing has been good to THE CONTOURS.
..................On July 20, 1989, THE CONTOURS were inducted into the Rock 'n' Roll Walk of Fame outside Royal Oak's Metropolitan Musicafe in Royal Oak, Michigan. They also received the Smokey Robinson Heroes And Legends Award in 2000 and have been nominated for The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. They continue to perform in the US and abroad, bringing their energetic, versatile and entertaining show to hundreds of thousands of fans every year throughout the world.

See You at the Taste !

FOR ADDITIONAL “TASTE OF OMAHA” INFORMATION, CONTACT:
MID- AMERICA EXPOSITIONS, INC.
MIKE MANCUSO, PRODUCER
www.tasteofomaha.info
7015 SPRING ST * OMAHA, NE 68106-3518
(402) 346-8003 FAX (402) 346-5412
info@showofficeonline.com * www.showofficeonline.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

"TASTE OF OMAHA" TO SHOWCASE GREAT FOOD AND ENTERTAINMENT

Plans are coming together for the 11th Annual "TASTE OF OMAHA", a unique community celebration showcasing Omaha's great foods and live entertainment, to be held Friday, June 6th through Sunday, June 8th, 2008. The "TASTE OF OMAHA" is a 3-day extravaganza and outdoor food festival open to the public and free to attend.

"Feature Foods from many of Omaha's top restaurants, good entertainment and family activities for the kids. and you have the recipe for the "TASTE OF OMAHA", says Mike Mancuso, Event Producer. "Omaha has a tremendous reputation for fantastic restaurants and food companies". The "TASTE OF OMAHA", now in it's ninth year, has established itself as the Annual Event for our city bringing together a dazzling selection of great foods and culinary delights, for people from throughout the Midwest area, to TASTE, relax and enjoy as a family activity.

The 2008 "TASTE OF OMAHA" will again be along Omaha's riverfront showcasing Area Restaurants with exciting live entertainment and activities in two Riverfront Parks, the Heartland of America Park and Lewis & Clark Landing. The Annual Event will add more entertainment for everyone's taste on 5 stages throughout the Festival. All stage shows during the 3-day extravaganza are free of charge. Top National Entertainers combined with the best popular area bands and musicians will again be continuously performing throughout the Festival.

A complete schedule of Free Concerts and Entertainment will be released shortly that will offer entertainment for everyone's taste throughout the weekend. All stage shows during the 3-day extravaganza are free of charge.

Between eating food bites and enjoying the music, you can watch cooking demonstrations, browse the festival displays, register to win Nebraska Lottery Tickets, sip a smoothie on the MJ Java Coffee Patio, taste Mirassou Wines, or simply relax in the Miller Lite Beer Gardens, all at one time and one place. There is also plenty of Family Entertainment at the Roberts Dairy Family Village, including amusement rides for the kids, balloons, face painting, and a great view of the Festival from the Big Ferris Wheel. Again this year, the Whole Foods Market KidZone Stage will offer continuous performances of music, comedy, magic, dance and more entertainment for the children. The Festival will also be your opportunity to see Great Chef Demonstrations.

The Festival boils down to one thing, and that's the food. Restaurants of all varieties will pitch their tents at the "TASTE OF OMAHA" grounds for 3 days, cooking the specialty items that have made them some of the favorites in the Omaha area. All types of food will be served at the "Taste" - from Omaha's pizza to juicy barbecued ribs. So put your taste buds on alert now because they will get a workout at the "TASTE OF OMAHA". The Festival offers each person an opportunity to taste a wide selection of Omaha's beloved restaurant dishes including Mexican, Italian, Greek, Oriental, Mediterranean, Polish as well as Continental and American cuisine. After tasting all of these delightful foods, you'll probably want to top it all off with one of the fabulous desserts offered, from your favorite ice cream flavor to cheesecake, that is sure to make your day at the "Taste" complete.

The "TASTE OF OMAHA", Omaha's Showcase of Great Foods and Entertainment, will be open Friday, June 6 and Saturday, June 7, from 11 AM to 11 PM as well as Sunday, June 8 from 11 AM to 8 PM. The Festival is Free to attend thanks to the Community Partners including Mutual of Omaha, Local Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge Dealers, Pinnacle Banks, Rotella's, Skylark Meats, Miller Brands of Omaha and Coca-Cola Companies.

For Additional "TASTE OF OMAHA" Information, Contact:

MID- AMERICA EXPOSITIONS, INC.
MIKE MANCUSO, EVENT DIRECTOR
7015 SPRING ST * OMAHA, NE 68106-3518
(402) 346-8003 FAX (402) 346-5412
info@showofficeonline.com
www.tasteofomaha.info

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