Sesame Street comes to Shippensburg

On March 23, 2025, Sesame Street lit up the stage at the Luhrs Performing Arts Center on the campus of Shippensburg University. 

The Sesame Street crew sang, danced, and played alongside many friends in the audience. The live event featured some of their iconic staples including Elmo, Cookie Monster, Big Bird, Oscar, and The Grouch. As well as friends like Count Von Count, Abby Cadabby, Gover and Rosita. 

The live show opened with a familiar game for many, “Head Shoulders Knees and Toes.” A civilian acted as Simon. “Give them a great big hug, touch your ears, head, shoulders, knees and toes,” Simon said. Even the grown-ups joined in. The show made a point to include adults and create interactive moments for the audience to join in as well. 

“I was happy to see that it was very cross-generational because not only did the little ones enjoy the show, but  family members did too, whether it was the parents or the grandparents, it was really exciting to see,” commented Robin Dolbin, Director of The Luhrs Center. 

Elmo vibrated through the room as Tango the dog played hide and seek. This game set the rest of the show’s path that introduced Abby, Cookie Monster, and friends. 

The cast engaged the audience while searching for Tango by engaging interactive counting, a letter of the day, greeting and seeking solutions to problems that came along. The atmosphere was upbeat and positive throughout the show. 

Families in the crowd danced, blew bubbles, and enjoyed every sing-a-long song. As each member of the Sesame Street gang walked on stage, friends of the cast and crowd welcomed them with a big “Hello!” 

Elmo and friends focused on being gentle and kind. While also promoting teamwork and education. “Elmo is our daughter's favorite character, she’s learned a lot from him," one mother in the audience said. 

During the food donation scene, Elmo and Abby Cadabby introduce Oscar the Grouch. The unique experience featured hope for change. The scene focused on a food pantry and the importance of eliminating child hunger in a positive and exciting way. 

Cookie Monster brought a box of cookies for children and sang, “C is for cookies, that’s good enough for me.” The efforts of the song and the props engaged a cookie and re-iterated the letter C while encouraging several educational moments. 

The next scene introduced Rosia, a Mexican-American character who said ‘hello’ in Spanish and danced the Tango. Sesame Street and friends sang T-A-N-G-O for further spelling and engagement efforts. The crowd clapped as the scene transitioned to a dog park. 

Sesame Street and friends eventually found Tango’s paw prints all through the park. The efforts led Elmo and friends to find Tango. The group celebrated with a song and introduced the number of the day. 

At the conclusion of the show, children clapped and cheered as their favorite characters provided a wonderful evening of learning and fun!