FAIRBANKS, Alaska — The timing of USO's "Sesame Street" show at Fort Wainwright this month couldn't have been better for Ashley Bierman.
Her husband, Lonny, deployed to Afghanistan more than two weeks ago with the 28th Field Artillery, leaving 26-year-old Ashley back home in Fairbanks with four children between the ages of 2 and 5.
"He gets mad when his daddy leaves," Bierman said of 5-year-old Michael, who was standing at her side while she pushed 3-year-old Julian and 2-year-old Kayden in a double stroller. The "Sesame Street" show helped Michael and Ashley focus on something besides their missing father and husband, she said.
"It's something to get us out of the house, it's entertaining and it's free," Bierman said after attending the first of three "Sesame Street" shows April 23 at the Fort Wainwright Physical Fitness Center. "When we pulled into the parking lot he said, 'Where's Elmo?'"
Now in its fourth year, the Sesame Street/USO Experience for Military Families kicked off a six-month tour at Fort Wainwright on April 23. The show was originally designed to help military families cope with the effects of deployment, multiple deployments or when a parent comes home injured.
But this year's show features a new theme based on the transient nature of military life — how to make new friends in new places — and a new character. A young Muppet named Katie, a 6-year-old girl who is normally a happy, cheery child is saddened by news that her father, who is in the military, has been transferred to another base. Katie, who has moved several times already in her short life, is sad about leaving her friends on Sesame Street.
"The whole idea is to give kids lessons on how to make new friends," USO tour manager Lonnie Cooper said.
During the course of the 30-minute show, the "Sesame Street" characters — Elmo, Rosita, Grover and Cookie Monster — show Katie, through much singing, dancing and requests for cookies from you-know-who, that there are lots of ways to make new friends in new places and that change can be a good thing.
Bierman, the mother of four, could definitely relate to the theme of the show.
"He's 5, and we moved four times in the last five years," she said, nodding down at Michael.
The Sesame Street/USO tour's Fort Wainwright stop is the first of approximately 110 performances on 43 bases in Alaska, Hawaii, Guam, Korea, Turkey, Italy, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, the United Kingdom and Spain. The tour wraps up in Spain in September.
The tour also had shows slated for Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage and the U.S. Coast Guard installation on Kodiak Island. The show is open to military ID card holders only.
On April 23, the gym at Fort Wainwright was packed with excited children holding Elmo twirly light toys that each child was given at the door.
Mary Jo "MJ" Lohrenz, director of Fort Wainwright's morale, welfare and recreation department, said the USO contacted installations in Alaska to see about ones were interested in hosting the "Sesame Street" tour.
"We jump at these chances whenever we can get them," she said. "The timing is perfect with our soldiers deploying."
Randy Hay of the 1st Battalion, 52nd Aviation Regiment stood bopping to the music of the "Sesame Street" song while his 3-year-old son, Randall, sat on his shoulders taking in the show.
Hay's wife, Casey, who was standing next to him holding their 1-year-old daughter, Annabella, admitted the kids weren't necessarily big fans of "Sesame Street."
Randy Hay, who has been deployed to Iraq and most recently Pakistan, said the show gave him a chance to spend quality time with his family before a third deployment.
"I know it's coming and I'm going to spend as much time with my family as I can," he said.
Information from: Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, http://www.newsminer.com