White Horse Mounted Patrol Press Release

· Sioux City, IA: The White Horse Mounted Patrol unit of Abu Bekr Shrine Temple is in its 83rd year as a member supported show and parade unit that serves as a goodwill ambassador for Sioux City and the Siouxland area. The White Horse Mounted Patrol maintains about 25 horses, and is the only all white pink skinned horse unit in the Western Hemisphere. The White Horse Mounted Patrol has performed from coast to coast and into Canada throughout its history, beginning with its first major trip to Washington D.C. in 1923. The Patrol has since made journeys to Philadelphia, Baltimore, Cleveland, Denver, Kansas City, St. Louis, New Orleans, Tulsa, Dallas (Cotton Bowl), Minneapolis, Seattle, San Francisco (East-West Shrine Game) and Los Angeles (Rose Bowl Parade).

· In 1994, the White Horse Mounted Patrol made a triumphant return to Washington D.C. as a guest of the National Cherry Blossom Festival Parade.

· Memorial Day 1998, the White Horse Mounted Patrol appeared in the IPALCO Indy 500 Festival Parade in Indianapolis, Indiana. The parade attendance exceeded 250,000 persons.

· April 1999, the White Horse Mounted Patrol performed in the prestigious 44^th annual Pegasus Parade during the Kentucky Derby Festival in Louisville, KY. The White Horse Mounted Patrol won first place for all equestrian units in this parade. Attendance exceeded 200,000 persons.

· On Thanksgiving Day in 1999 and 2000 the White Horse Mounted Patrol appeared in the Marshall Field's Thanksgiving Day "Jingle Elf" Parade in Chicago Illinois.

• The Patrol participated in the prestigious St. Louis, Missouri “Mid-America Holiday Parade” on Thanksgiving Day, November 28, 2002. Pictures from this event are available on the Abu Bekr Shrine website.

• The White Horse Mounted Patrol was honored with an invitation to parade and perform at the 2004 and 2005 Pella, Iowa Tulip Festival. The Patrol participated in the afternoon parades and in the Friday night lighted evening parade. In addition, Silver Flash IV and Snowman, the two White Horse trick horses performed a variety of tricks in front of the grandstand followed by the famous White Horse Mounted Patrol Square Dance.

• The White Horse Mounted Patrol took first place in September, 2004 in the Central States Shrine Association equestrian drill competition held at the Des Moines, Iowa fairgrounds.

• The White Horse Mounted Patrol was honored with an invitation to parade at the 2005 State Street Thanksgiving Day Parade in Chicago, IL. The parade is watched annually by approximately 350,000 people on the street, plus a television viewing audience wide of 90,000,000 viewers.

· The White Horse Mounted Patrol took first place honors in 1999 and 2000 in both the Parade and Show competitions for equestrian units of the Central States Shrine Association. In 2001 the White Horse Mounted Patrol won the first place trophy for parade units and second place in the show competition for the Central States Shrine Association.

• In August, 2003, the Patrol took first place in the Midwest Shrine Association competition in Sioux Falls, SD. Then in September, the Patrol took second place in the Central States Shrine Association competition in Omaha, NE.