Grab Your Bingo Cards And Blotters!

GRAB YOUR BINGO CARDS AND BLOTTERS

AND HEAD TO THE NATIONAL CONSTITUTION CENTER

FOR A STATE OF THE UNION VIEWING PARTY

Includes FREE admission to the Center

Event marks the launch of the Center’s new blog, Constitution Daily,

featuring live coverage of the address

Philadelphia, PA (January 17, 2011) – Cries of “Bingo!” will echo throughout the National Constitution Center as visitors compete to win prizes during “State of the Union Bingo” on Tuesday, January 25, 2011.  A highlight of the Center’s State of the Union Viewing Party, this unique version of the popular game engages participants in the President’s annual address to Congress.  The party will kick off at 7:30 p.m. with special tours and interactive programs leading up to President Obama’s 9:00 p.m. address, aired live at the National Constitution Center.  Admission to the event is FREE and includes access to the museum’s award-winning exhibitions.  Light fare and a cash bar will be available. 
Visitors who choose to play State of the Union Bingo will receive cards containing key words on current events, phrases the President might say, and actions he or others might make.  Examples include: “civility,” “healthcare,” “economy,” “standing ovation,” and “Vice President stands.”  Participants also have the option to fill out a blank Bingo card with words or phrases of their choosing.  Winners will receive a year-long membership to the National Constitution Center.  (Winning Bingo is not guaranteed.)
For those watching the address from home, Bingo cards are available for download at www.constitutioncenter.org.  In addition, viewers can tap into the Center’s new blog, Constitution Daily, which will feature robust coverage of the State of the Union, including live blogging from the event at the Center.  Visit http://blog.constitutioncenter.org to follow the coverage.
During the State of the Union address, audience members at the Center also can participate in a live, interactive poll using individual keypads from Meridia Audience Response Systems.  Results displayed on a large screen will track viewers’ reactions to issues raised during the address.
Additional programming throughout the evening will include Constitutional Quizzo; the “Lurid Lives of the Founding Fathers” tour of Signers’ Hall, which offers a glimpse into the secrets and scandals of the signers of the Constitution; and an interactive program about the history of the State of the Union.  The Center’s donkey and elephant mascots, Donny and Ellie, also will make appearances throughout the night. 
The National Constitution Center, located at 525 Arch St. on Philadelphia’s Independence Mall, is an independent, nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to increasing public understanding of the U.S. Constitution and the ideas and values it represents.  The Center serves as a museum, an education center, and a forum for debate on constitutional issues.  The museum dramatically tells the story of the Constitution from Revolutionary times to the present through more than 100 interactive, multimedia exhibits, film, photographs, text, sculpture and artifacts, and features a powerful, award-winning theatrical performance, “Freedom Rising.”  The Center also houses the Annenberg Center for Education and Outreach, which serves as the hub for national constitutional education.  For more information, call 215.409.6700 or visit www.constitutioncenter.org.