Little Rock Post Office Invites Community to Celebrate Release of New Flags of our Nation Arkansas Stamp

What:
In honor of the issuance of the Flags of our Nation postage stamps, the Little Rock Post Office is hosting a community celebration. The event is free and open to everyone.

Who:
Charlie Daniels, Secretary of State
Bill Gatewood, Deputy Director Old State House
Jeff Taylor, Arkansas District Manager, US Postal Service

When:
Saturday, June 14, 2008 – 10:30 am

Where:
Old State House
300 W Markham St
Little Rock, AR 72201

Background:
With the Flags of our Nation stamps the U.S. Postal Service will introduce a new multi-stamp series featuring the Stars and Stripes, the 50 state flags, five territorial flags and the District of Columbia flag.

Ten stamps will be issued in the spring (Stars and Stripes, plus Alabama through Delaware), followed by 10 more in the fall (District of Columbia through Kansas). The same process will be repeated in 2009 and 2010, for a total of 60 stamp designs. Four of the six groups of 10 will include a Stars and Stripes stamp.

In addition to the flag art, each stamp design includes artwork that provides a “snapshot view” of the state or other area represented by a particular flag. In most cases, an everyday scene or activity is shown, but occasionally the view is of something less commonplace — rare wildlife or a stunning vista. Unlike previous multi-stamp issuances, this series is not limited to official animals, flowers, or products, nor is it meant to showcase well-known buildings, landmarks, or monuments.

Arkansas Stamp: The state name and four stars, representing major milestones in Arkansas history, appear inside the flag’s central white diamond. The blue band bordering the white diamond contains 25 stars (Arkansas was the 25th state to join the Union.) The artwork shows the wood duck, often seen in state ponds and streams.

To see the Flags of our Nation stamps, go to the Postal Store at shop.usps.com, click on “Stamps” and “Coils.” To see other 2008 stamps click on “Stamps.”

All current stamps, philatelic products, and gift items are available by calling toll free, 800 STAMP-24, or 800-782-6724.

# # #

Please Note: For broadcast quality video and audio, photo stills and other media resources, visit the USPS Newsroom at www.usps.com/news. Select the Pathfire icon.

An independent federal agency, the U.S. Postal Service is the only delivery service that visits every address in the nation — 146 million homes and businesses. It has 37,000 retail locations and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to pay for operating expenses, not tax dollars. The Postal Service has annual revenues of $75 billion and delivers nearly half the world’s mail.