The Equine Extravaganza Brings North Carolina Children's Hospital Patients and Their Families Two Opportunities to "Horse Around"
RELEASE: July 8, 2008
AUTHOR/ADMINISTRATOR: By Tess Vanattia
The organizers of the Equine Extravaganza, a three-day horse exposition and festival being held at the North Carolina State Fairgrounds July 11-13, have chosen North Carolina Children's Hospital to be the event's charity beneficiary. In the days leading up to the Extravaganza, some of the event's four-legged stars will make cameo appearances at the Ronald McDonald House of Chapel Hill and the North Carolina Children's Hospital in an effort to spread cheer to the hospital's pediatric patients and their families.
EVENT #1—Dusty the Performing Horse at the Ronald McDonald House of Chapel HillWHO: Dusty, the "modern-day Mr. Ed," is a 10-year-old gelding and one of the Equine Extravaganza's main attractions. This full-size horse, standing 16-hands tall and weighing 1,200 pounds, has been entertaining audiences most of his life and has a particular affinity for children. For more information, visit
www.dustypromotions.com.
WHAT: Dusty will visit with the families staying at the Ronald McDonald House of Chapel Hill, bringing smiles to the faces of young and old alike by signing autographs, painting one-of-a-kind "masterpieces," and passing out presents.
WHEN: 7 p.m. on Wednesday, July 9, 2008. Media representatives should arrive by 6:50 p.m.
WHERE: The Ronald McDonald House of Chapel Hill, 101 Old Mason Farm Road, Chapel Hill, NC 27517. Each year the Ronald McDonald House of Chapel Hill provides a home away from home for more than 1,500 families of seriously ill children receiving treatment at North Carolina Children's Hospital.
RSVPs: Media representatives are asked RSVP in advance to Danielle Bates at (919) 843-9714 or
dbates@med.unc.edu.
EVENT #2—Miniature Horse Petting at the North Carolina Children's HospitalWHO/WHAT: Performers from the Equine Extravaganza will bring the horse show to the pediatric patients of theNorth Carolina Children's Hospital with Leo the miniature horse. Kids will get one-on-one interaction with the animal and a chance to meet some of the Extravaganza's stars of the human variety.
WHEN: 2 p.m. on Thursday, July 10, 2008. Media representatives should arrive in the Children's Hospital lobby by 1:45 p.m.
WHERE: North Carolina Children's Hospital Play Atrium, seventh floor. UNC Hospitals is located at 101 Manning Drive on the UNC-Chapel Hill campus.
RSVPs: Media representatives are asked RSVP in advance to Danielle Bates at (919) 843-9714 or
dbates@med.unc.edu.
The Equus Extraordinaire horse show, held in conjunction with the three-day Equine Extravaganza horse expo, offers two magical evenings of thrilling trick rides, dancing horses, musical entertainment, amazing feats of horsemanship, and pure family fun. Tickets for the Equus Extraordinaire horse shows—held at 8 p.m. on Friday July 11 and Saturday, July 12 at the State Fairgrounds' Dorton Arena in Raleigh—are $10 in advance, $15 at the door, with $1 from each ticket benefiting the North Carolina Children's Hospital. Visit
www.equineextravaganza.com for more details.
About North Carolina Children’s HospitalEach year, children from all 100 counties across the state make over 70,000 visits to North Carolina Children's Hospital, a part of UNC Hospitals. The Children’s Hospital relocated to a state-of-the-art facility in 2002, which includes a comprehensive children's outpatient center and 136 inpatient beds in a child-friendly, family-focused environment. It is the first children's hospital in North Carolina to bring together complete inpatient and outpatient care in one location. For more information about North Carolina Children's Hospital, please visit the web site at