Provo, Utah – February 27, 2010 –

Underwood is a five-time Grammy Award winner, a member of the Grand Ole Opry, the 2009 Academy of Country Music Entertainer of the Year and three-time CMA and ACM Female Vocalist winner. Carrie Underwood has amassed more than 11 million in U.S. album sales since her debut CD in 2005, more than any other American Idol winner. Along the way, she has consistently broken new ground and became the first country artist in history to achieve eleven consecutive #1 singles.

“I am really excited about being invited to Stadium of Fire’s 30th anniversary celebration! Our country has a lot to celebrate this Independence Day, and I want to do my part to make it unforgettable,” said Carrie Underwood.

“We’re sure that this year’s Stadium of Fire will be seen by the biggest audience in our history, so we’re working hard to make it the most memorable,” said Carl Bacon, America’s Freedom Foundation trustee and senior executive producer of the event. “Carrie is a big part of that.”

In recognition of the 30th anniversary of Stadium of Fire in 2010, tickets will be available this year for as low as $30. Traditional elements of Stadium of Fire will continue and expand, including the spectacle of the Stadium of Fire dancers, a military flyover as only Stadium of Fire does them, and the largest Stadium fireworks show in America.  There will also be a special feature celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Boy Scouts of America.

For an unprecedented eighth consecutive year, the Pentagon has invited Stadium of Fire to televise the celebration to US military men and women and their families in more than 100 countries around the world.

“We have so many spectacular surprises planned for the 2010 Stadium Fire,” said Brett Walker, this year’s Freedom Festival president. “We’ve worked diligently to make it the greatest Independence Day celebration in the country and we’re confident it will be the most outstanding show Utahns and our guests from around the nation and world have seen in years.”

For the sixth consecutive year, the event will be created, produced and directed by the award-winning production team of Wayne Baruch and Chuck Gayton. “Each year they have set a higher standard of quality and excitement,” said Bacon.

Tickets for Stadium of Fire will go on sale to the general public on Friday morning, March 5th, at midnight and will be sold simultaneously online at www.stadiumoffire.com, www.byutickets.com and at the BYU Marriott Center ticket office in Provo. Members of the Freedom Festival’s email list will have the option to purchase tickets before the general public, so fans are encouraged to visit www.freedomfestival.org to sign up for advance ticket opportunities.

The Stadium of Fire event, now in its 30th year, is the initial creation of Alan Osmond, the original lead singer of The Osmonds. Over the years it has grown to become one of the United States’ premier patriotic celebrations, attracting an average attendance of 50,000 people.

Stadium of Fire is presented by America’s Freedom Foundation, a nonprofit, non-partisan organization supporting educational programs and events that promote freedom and democracy.

Over one hundred boys, chosen throughout Utah and the Western United States, will be honored for achieving their Eagle Scout Rank, the highest rank in Boy Scouting, and will receive the Eagle Scout Charge in a brief Centennial Eagle Court of Honor. Witnessed by approximately 50,000 people in LaVell Edwards Stadium, the Centennial Eagle Court of Honor will be a unique and rare event, unparalleled in the history of Scouting.

All Boy Scouts that earn their Eagle Scout Award between January 1 and June 1 of 2010 are eligible to apply to participate in the ceremony. Scouts should visit www.utahscouts.org/freedomfestival to complete an application. They must have completed their Eagle Scout requirements before applying online, including completion of their Board of Review. Those chosen to participate in the ceremony will be notified soon after applying.

“This is a special year for the Boy Scouts of America, who are celebrating their 100th anniversary,” said Carl Bacon, executive producer of the Stadium of Fire. “Because of our shared values with the BSA, we felt it would be special to have a segment during the Stadium of Fire honoring these Eagle Scouts. And we have some great surprises planned for the Scouts participating in the Court of Honor and for those watching inside the stadium.”

Dignitaries from the Boy Scouts of America will be present at the Court of Honor, including Tico Perez, National Commissioner for the BSA, and Bob Mazzuca, Chief Scout Executive for the BSA. Eagle Scouts throughout the stadium will also be recognized in history’s largest Eagle’s Nest, a tribute to all Eagle Scouts attending a Court of Honor.

Applications to participate in the Centennial Eagle Court of Honor will be accepted through June 1, 2010, or until all available spots are taken. Eagle Scouts involved in the special program may still hold a separate, private ceremony to celebrate their individual accomplishments.

Eagle Scouts taking part in the ceremony will receive a free ticket to enter the Stadium of Fire and will be seated together in a special section. Family members of the Scouts may purchase tickets at www.stadiumoffire.com when they become available, though family members will not sit with the Eagle Scouts during the Stadium of Fire.

The Centennial Eagle Court of Honor is organized by America’s Freedom Festival at Provo and the BSA’s Utah National Park Council, though Eagle Scouts in other councils are welcome to apply to participate. Involvement in the ceremony is subject to limited seating and provided on a first-come, first-served basis.

Take the story of a young boy from Virginia, for example. His father was a mediocre businessman that owned relatively little. His mother grew up an orphan and was, at times, difficult to deal with. The young boy’s hopes for a formal education were dashed when his father died. Nobody had any expectations for him to grow up to be particularly successful or important.

But he was inspired by his half-brother, who took him hunting and fishing and told him stories of military adventures in far-away lands. The young boy was stirred to work hard and become a soldier, which he did, and would successfully lead the American forces to independence from Great Britain as General George Washington.

Our new blog will probably not leave as profound an effect upon this great nation as Washington did, but we want it to inspire. We want it to inform. And we want it to engage. In the upcoming months we’ll highlight patriotic stories, Freedom Festival event news and national current events relevant to our mission to celebrate, teach, honor and strengthen traditional American values.

Stay posted!