USPS Issues Lasting Tribute to Tejano Superstar Lydia Mendoza

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USPS launched its new Music Icons stamp series today with the release of a Forever® stamp honoring Tejano star Lydia Mendoza.

LydiaMendoza-Forever-single-v5Known for her artistry with the 12-string guitar, Mendoza had a career that spanned seven decades. Her repertoire consisted of ballads about historical figures and songs about hard work, lost love, and the joys of everyday life.

In 1982, she received a National Heritage Award from the National Endowment for the Arts, and in 1999, she was awarded the National Medal of the Arts by President Clinton. She also has been inducted into the Tejano Music Hall of Fame.

“Mendoza was a true American pioneer, whose unique voice and style of singing, paved the way for a whole new generation of Latino performers,” said USPS Government Relations and Public Policy VP Marie Therese Dominguez. “Her impact on music guarantees her place in American music history, and today her legacy continues on 30 million postage stamps.”

The Lydia Mendoza Forever® stamps are available now at usps.com/stamps, by calling 800-STAMP24 (800-782-6724), and at Post Offices nationwide.

Later this year, we will honor Johnny Cash and Ray Charles on two more stamps in the Music Icons series.

We’re Giving Away Another Vintage Seed Packet

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It’s time to give away another vintage seed packet! Today’s prize is the digitalis packet.

DSC03546The front of the seed packet depicts stalks of yellow, pink, and coral digitalis. The back of the packet describes the flower in more detail:

A very beautiful and interesting old fashioned plant whose culture is very simple. The bell-shaped flowers borne on long spikes make an exceedingly handsome and stately border.

To win the digitalis seed packet, all you have to do is answer one question: What is the common name for digitalis?

Email your answer, along with your name and address, to uspsstamps [at] gmail [dot] com. One winner will be selected at random. The deadline for entries is 11:59 p.m. EDT, Wednesday, May 15. (NOTE: The digitalis seed packet is empty; no seeds are included.)

The correct answer is Foxglove. Congratulations to Chad Crabtree, the lucky winner of the vintage digitalis seed packet! Check back next week for another chance to win.

After today there will only be four more chances to win. Check back next week for another vintage seed packet giveaway.

The Vintage Seed Packets stamps are Forever® stamps. (Forever stamps are always equal in value to the current First-Class Mail® one-ounce rate.) Find them in your neighborhood Post Office, or order them online today.

Muscle Cars Stamps Dedication Ceremony This Wednesday

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What do you get when you bring the U.S. Postal Service and Mecum Auctions together at the Indiana State Fairgrounds? A muscle car extravaganza!

1970HemiCuda-Forever-single-v6Since it began 26 years ago, Dana Mecum’s Original Spring Classic Auction in Indianapolis has featured the largest auction of muscle cars in the world. This year, USPS will celebrate the raw power of the performance vehicle at the Spring Classic event by dedicating five, limited-edition stamps featuring iconic muscle cars: the 1966 Pontiac GTO, 1967 Shelby GT-500, 1969 Dodge Charger Daytona, 1970 Plymouth Hemi ‘Cuda and 1970 Chevelle SS.

The Spring Classic Auction will take place from May 14 to May 19, 2013, at the Indiana State Fairgrounds (1202 E 38th St, Indianapolis, IN). Gates open daily Tuesday through Sunday at 9 a.m. Greater Indiana District Manager, Operations Programs Support Dale Sparks will dedicate the five Muscle Car stamps at a ceremony scheduled for Wednesday, May 15, at 11 a.m. EDT.

The third in the America on the Move series, the Muscle Cars stamps are being issued as Forever® stamps in self-adhesive sheets of 20 stamps (four stamps of each design). Forever stamps are always equal in value to the First-Class Mail one-ounce price, which currently is 46 cents. You can find the Muscle Cars stamps online, by called 1-800-STAMP24, or in a Post Office near you.

Kentucky Derby and Oaks Collectibles Now Available

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Good news for fans of horse racing! USPS is selling commemorative envelopes marking the running of the 2013 Kentucky Derby and Oaks races, and the accomplishments of 2011 Kentucky Derby winner, Animal Kingdom.

The collectibles include envelopes with wide-angle images from last year’s Kentucky Oaks winner, Believe You Can, and Kentucky Derby winner, I’ll Have Another, along with Churchill Downs Kentucky Oaks and Derby logos.

news09s4-largeAlso available is a commemorative envelope and a limited-edition matted art piece celebrating Animal Kingdom’s victory. The art piece features a close-up color photo taken during the race.

The matted art piece is available for $40 plus an additional $10 handling fee while supplies last. The commemorative envelopes are available for $10 plus an additional $3 handling fee while supplies last.

Click here for the order forms and instructions.

Special Ceremony Will Spotlight Endangered Species

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SaveVanishingSpeciesFC-single-BGv1Since it was issued in 2011, the Save Vanishing Species™ semipostal stamp has raised $1.8 million for animal conservation. We are proud to announce that on Friday, May 17—Endangered Species Day—the U.S. Postal Service will team up with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and other organizations for a special stamp cancellation ceremony and sales event at the Detroit Zoo.

The ceremony, which is free and open to the public, will begin at 1:30 p.m. on Friday, May 17, outside the zoo’s admission gates. It will be followed from 2 to 4 p.m. with stamp sales at the Meet Your Best Friend at the Zoo event. Special event cachets will also be available for sale.

Money raised by the sale of the stamp will be divided equally among the Multinational Species Conservation Funds administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. As of 2011, these funds include the African Elephant Conservation Fund, the Asian Elephant Conservation Fund, the Great Ape Conservation Fund, the Rhinoceros and Tiger Conservation Fund, and the Marine Turtle Conservation Fund. Between 2005 and 2009, these programs distributed more than 45 million dollars in grants. The grants helped to protect elephants from poaching, monitor sea turtle nesting sites, create ecotourism programs with local communities, and fund hundreds of other projects.

The Save Vanishing Species™ stamp is available online, by calling 1-800-STAMP24 (1-800-782-6724), and in Post Offices around the country.