Child of the Sixties Forever

The 2012 Happy Together tour will once again bring together a collection of some of the most popular musical acts of the sixties for a string of concert dates in North America, kicking off Friday, June 8 in Columbus, GA.

The tour originated in 1985 with artists like The Turtles featuring Flo & Eddie, The Grass Roots and The Buckinghams. In 2010 promoters revived the idea for a 25th anniversary tour that was so successful that it has become a yearly event.

In fact, the tours in 2010 and 2011 proved so successful that this year's road trek has been extended to 42 dates in North America. This year's show features The Turtles featuring Flo & Eddie, Monkees singer Micky Dolenz, The Buckinghams, The Grass Roots, and Gary Puckett & the Union Gap.

"This looks like the best year yet," Mark Volman of The Turtles said in a press release Wednesday. "Hope everyone makes it out."

Gary Puckett & The Union Gap was one of the most successful musical groups of the sixties. Gary's unmistakable signature voice garnered six consecutive gold records and top ten Billboard hits such as "Young Girl" and "Woman Woman."

In 1968, Gary Puckett & The Union Gap sold more records than any other artist including the Beatles. Gary Puckett has performed on more than thirty network television shows and prime time specials during his career, even adding a command performance for the President and Prince Charles at the White House. The Union Gap disbanded in 1971. Gary continues to tour nationally and internationally.

"Happy Together" by The Turtles hit #1 on the charts in 1967 (displacing the Beatles' "Penny Lane") and remains a staple on classic rock radio to this day. Although their biggest hit and signature song, it's just one of their nine Top 40 hits, which includes such popular songs as "She'd Rather Be With Me," "Elenore," "You Showed Me" and "It Ain't Me Babe."

In 1968, far ahead of their time, they would release one of music's first concept albums, The Turtles Present the Battle of the Bands, where they pretended to be eleven different bands with different names, each providing a song in a different genre.The album -- which showcased their incredible range of vocal talent -- spawned the hits "Elenore" and "You Showed Me" (both peaking at #6 on the Billboard charts). Mark and Howard have remained plenty busy over the years with both The Turtles featuring Flo & Eddie and their extracurricular music activities. In 2009, a new Turtles compilation CD was released titled, Save The Turtles: The Turtles Greatest Hits, which was issued on their own FloEdCo label. In all, the band has sold over 60 million albums worldwide to date.

In 1966, hot on the heels of their new NBC television show, The Monkees would release a self-titled debut album that would top the U.S. charts for thirteen consecutive weeks and sell an overwhelming 3.2 million copies in just three months. The single, "Last Train to Clarksville," from the album would be their first #1 hit. Their second #1 hit came quickly with "I'm a Believer" (featured on the band's second album, More of The Monkees), which had over a million advance orders.

The band would continue to put out numerous hits such as "(I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone" and "Pleasant Valley Sunday" among others... In 1986, the four members got together for "The Monkees 20th Anniversary World Tour," a 145 date trek that would become the largest grossing tour of the year. The band -- who reconvened this year for a brief but memorable tour -- remain as iconic as ever...

"Kind of a Drag" from The Buckinghams would also reach the pinnacle of chart success, yet mark just one of many popular hits from the band including "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy," "Don't You Care," "Susan" and "Hey Baby (They're Playing Our Song)." Their success in 1967 would lead them to be named "The Most Listened To Band in America" by Billboard Magazine.

The Grass Roots burst upon the scene in '67 and would not only amass over a dozen Top 40 hits, but go on to perform in front of an estimated 600,000 people in Washington, D.C. on July 4, 1982 setting an all-time attendance record for an concert performance consisting of just one act. Between 1967 and 1972 -- thanks to numerous hits such as "Midnight Confessions," "Let's Live For Today," "Sooner or Later," "I'd Wait A Million Years" and "Temptation Eyes," the band would set a record for being on the Billboard charts for 307 consecutive weeks. Sadly, we lost lead singer Rob Grill in 2010 but the music lives on...

Tour Dates:

Friday, June 8 / River Center / Columbus, Georgia

Saturday, June 9 / Civic Center Arena / Dothan, Alabama

Sunday, June 10 / Riverbend Festival Grounds / Chattanooga, Tennessee

Tuesday, June 12 / The Plaza / Orlando, Florida

Wednesday, June 13 / The Hard Rock / Hollywood, Florida

Thursday, June 14 / Florida Theatre / Jacksonville, Florida

Friday, June 15 / Ruth Eckerd Hall / Clearwater, Florida

Saturday, June 16 / Anderson Music Hall / Hiawasee, Georgia

Sunday, June 17 / Renaissance PAC / Montgomery, Alabama

Tuesday, June 19 / Keswick Theatre / Glenside, Pennsylvania

Wednesday, June 20 / State Theatre / New Brunswick, New Jersey

Thursday, June 21 / Music Hall / Tarrytown, New York

Friday, June 22 / American Music Theater / Lancaster, Pennsylvania

Saturday, June 23 / NYCB Theatre / Westbury, New York

Sunday, June 24 / Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom / Hampton Beach, New Hampshire

Wednesday, July 11 / Humphrey's By The Bay / San Diego, California

Thursday, July 12 / Chumash Casino / Santa Ynez, California

Friday, July 13 / California State Fair / Sacramento, California

Saturday, July 14 / Orange County Fair / Pacific Amphitheatre / Costa Mesa, California

Sunday, July 15 / Fort McDowell Casino / Fountain Hills, Arizona

Monday, July 16 / Buffalo Thunder Casino / Santa Fe, New Mexico

Tuesday, July 17 / Sandy City Amphitheatre / Sandy, Utah

Friday, July 27 / Waterfront Park / Bangor, Maine

Saturday, July 28 / The Paramount / Asbury Park, New Jersey

Sunday, July 29 / Filene Center at Wolftrap / Vienna, Virginia

Monday, July 30 / Musikfest Cafe Artsquest Center / Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

Wednesday, August 1 / Cain Park / Cleveland Heights, Ohio

Thursday, August 2 / Fraze Pavilion / Kettering, Ohio

Friday, August 3 / Caesars Windsor / Windsor, Ontario, Canada

Saturday, August 4 / Genesee Theatre / Waukegan, Illinois

Sunday, August 5 / Wisconsin State Fair / West Allis, Wisconsin

Tuesday, August 7 / Sanford Center / Bemidji, Minnesota

Thursday, August 9 / Performance Center / Effingham, Illinois

Friday, August 10 / Iowa State Fair / Des Moines, Iowa

Saturday, August 11 / Little River Casino Resort / Manistee, Michigan

Thursday, August 23 / Cardinal Stadium / Louisville, Kentucky

Friday, August 24 / Paramount Theatre / Aurora, Illinois

Saturday, August 25 / Ho - Chunk Casino / Baraboo, Wisconsin

Sunday, August 26 / Corn Palace Festival / Mitchell, South Dakota

Monday, August 27 / Minnesota State Fair / St. Paul, Minnesota

Wednesday, August 29 / Carnegie Library Music Hall / Homestead, Pennsylvania

Thursday, August 30 / New York State Fair / Syracuse, New York

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release

May 02, 2012

Presidential Proclamation -- National Foster Care Month

NATIONAL FOSTER CARE MONTH, 2012
- - - - - - -
BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

A PROCLAMATION

Childhood is a time for our young people to grow and learn, protected by their families and safe in their homes. But for almost half a million children who are unable to remain at home through no fault of their own, childhood can be a time of sadness, pain, and separation. These children need and deserve safe, loving, and permanent families who can help restore their sense of well-being and give them hope for the future.

During National Foster Care Month, we recognize the promise of America's children and youth in foster care, and we commend the devotion and selflessness of the foster parents who step in to care for them. We also pay tribute to the professionals nationwide who work to improve the safety of our most vulnerable children and assist their families in addressing the issues that brought them into the child welfare system. In communities across America, dedicated men and women -- in schools, faith-based and community organizations, parent and advocacy groups -- volunteer their time as mentors, tutors, and advocates for children in foster care. We all have a role to play in ensuring our children and youth grow up with the rich opportunities and support they need to reach their full potential.

My Administration is committed to increasing positive outcomes for every infant and child in foster care, and to promoting a successful transition to adulthood for older youth. We are working to increase permanency through reunification, adoption, and guardianship; to prevent maltreatment; to reduce rates of re-entry into foster care; and to ensure all qualified caregivers have the opportunity to serve as foster parents. Through the Child and Family Services Improvement and Innovation Act, we are granting States more flexibility in supporting a range of services for children in foster care, including health care and treatment of emotional trauma. And through the Affordable Care Act, beginning in 2014, every State will be required to extend Medicaid coverage up to age 26 for former foster youth.

This year also marks the 100th anniversary of the Children's Bureau, an agency within the Department of Health and Human Services that carries forward a legacy of protecting our Nation's children and strengthening families through programs like the Permanency Innovations Initiative. Over 5 years, this initiative is investing $100 million in new strategies to identify permanent homes for youth in long-term foster care, including more than 100,000 children awaiting adoption, and to reducing time spent in foster care placements.

National Foster Care Month is a time to reflect on the many ways government, social workers, foster families, religious institutions, and others are helping improve the lives of children in foster care, and it also serves as a reminder that we cannot rest until every child has a safe, loving, and permanent home. Together, we give thanks to those individuals from all walks of life who have opened their hearts and their homes to a child, and we rededicate ourselves to ensuring a bright and hopeful future for America's foster youth.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim May 2012 as National Foster Care Month. I encourage all Americans to observe this month by dedicating their time, love, and resources to helping youth in foster care, whether by taking time to mentor, lending a hand to a foster family, or taking an active role in their communities.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this second day of May, in the year of our Lord two thousand twelve, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-sixth.

BARACK OBAMA