Planning For Return Of The Spectacular Denim And Diamonds

West Palm Beach, FL—March 11, 2002—The planning for the return of the spectacular Denim and Diamonds got under way during the final week of the Cosequin Winter Equestrian Festival’s stay in Wellington.

Co-Chairmen Mason Phelps of Wellington, Beverly Lake Wilkes and Angela Koch, both of Palm Beach, have announced that the long-awaited return of Denim and Diamonds will come on February 15, 2004. The last Denim and Diamonds in 2000, a tribute to the Olympic Games, raised more than $400,000 for the United States Equestrian Team, its largest fundraiser ever. The return in 2004 coincides with the next Olympic Games in Athens.

“Ever since the last Denim and Diamonds, we have been overwhelmed with people asking when we would do it again,” said Phelps who has run all the Denim and Diamonds fundraisers since it began in 1996. “I am thrilled to announce that we will be back, bigger and more spectacular than ever, in anticipation of the next Olympic Games in 2004.”

Phelps, Wilkes and Koch have announced that the theme for 2004 will be, “The Best of Denim and Diamonds” with a touch of all past themes—Country & Western, the Circus, A Visit to the Big Apple, and the Tribute to the Olympics. Negotiations have begun to bring back the most popular of past Denim and Diamonds entertainers including the Village People, Lynn Anderson, Sleepy LaBeef, Blood Sweat and Tears, the Pointer Sisters, Donna Summer, Gloria Gaynor, Taylor Dayne and Grace Jones.

Bruce Sutka of Sutka Productions International, Inc. is assisting Phelps and his co-chairmen is planning Denim and Diamonds. “While we are planning to incorporate much of the best of past Denim and Diamonds, we also plan to bring in some new surprises,” Phelps said. “Beverly, Angela and I have promised each other to make this a night that Palm Beach and the equestrian world will remember for the rest of their lives.”

The United States Equestrian Team is a non-profit organization that selects, trains, equips and finances equestrians of the highest possible standard to represent our country in major international competition, including the Olympic Games and the World Championships. To accomplish this, the USET seeks out and nurtures the development of talented athletes - riders, drivers and horses - and provides the support and guidance they need to help them attain their fullest potential. For more information on the USET, please call (908) 234-1251, or visit USET ONLINE at www.uset.org

For more information on the Cosequin Winter Equestrian Festival and all the exciting events and activities, please call Stadium Jumping, Inc. at (813) 253-2782 or in Wellington at (561) 793-JUMP or visit www.stadiumjumping.com.