HOHENFELS, Germany -- "Can you tell me how to get, how to get to Sesame Street?"
Actually, Sesame Street is coming to installations across Europe this summer as part of the 2015 Sesame Street/USO Experience for Military Families.
Elmo, Grover, Cookie Monster and their friends stopped by Hohenfels, June 22, where they sang and danced with hundreds of happy kids while helping their Muppet friend Katie deal with her family's impending PCS.
The free, 30-minute show addressed many of the issues that military children face during a PCS move, and Elmo and his friends used songs to assure Katie that change can be good, and that friends can be friends wherever they are.
"We just moved here last August, so we could relate to a lot of that," said Andrea Porter who attended the performance with her sons Gavin and Blake.
"This is something that all our military families go through," said Nicole McClendon, USO Entertainment tour producer. "Military children can PCS more than nine times before high school. So it's something we knew would hit home for the kids here."
The tour includes a new show entitled "Katie's Family Transitions to Civilian Life," with new songs, choreography and messages of support. Installations can choose which show or combination best suit their audience.
The Sesame Street and USO partnership began with the "Talk, Listen, Connect" series of DVDs, a multiphase outreach initiative to help kids through deployments, combat-related injuries, and the death of a loved one.
"We had such success with that particular series that USO and Sesame Street got together and said why don't we do a live show and take this out to the families," McClendon said.
McClendon has been touring with the show for three years, and she said it's a special feeling to bring the show to Military families stationed overseas.
"These families don't have the same sort of access that our families back home do, they may not necessarily even have programming for young people in English," she said. "And the fact the Elmo came all the way from the U.S. to see them, they can't help but get really excited, and that creates a lot of extra warm-fuzzies for us."
While the watching children clapped and danced along with their favorite Muppets, several parents in the audience were moved to tears. McClendon said that being able to touch people like that is part of why the troupe does what they do.
"We do this to celebrate the sacrifice that we know our military families are going through," she said. "This show is a live, singing and dancing thank you card."
Despite all the hugs, laughter and songs, traveling with a troupe of Muppets is not all fun and games.
"Well, Cookie Monster is quite cultural and likes to try different types of cookies and treats, but gelato can get really messy in fur," McClendon admits. "And Elmo really wants to play with all his friends, but he is only 3.5 years old, so we still have to make sure he gets his naps."
The tour will visit installations across Germany through mid-July before moving on to the Netherlands, Belgium, the United Kingdom and Spain. Before they head home in October, they will visit 45 installations in nine countries.
A full schedule, plus handy apps and other resources, can be found at uso.org/sesame.
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