Program from Seattle's Oscar Night America Gala "FilmAid" 2001 (left) and the red carpet entry for Santa Cruz's Oscar Night America Gala "Santa Cruz AIDS Project" 2001.

The thrill of walking down the red carpet on Oscar Night won't be felt by the stars in Hollywood alone; thousands of Americans in 38 cities across the country will encounter Oscar's unique brand of magic at Oscar Night America fundraising galas, each one sanctioned by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

From Washington, D. C. to Honolulu, Oscar Night America parties will attempt to re-create the glamour and excitement of the Academy Awards ceremony, complete with limousine rides, walks down red carpets, celebrities, paparazzi and press interviews of arriving guests. Last year, 37 Oscar Night America parties raised over $1.5 million for local charities. All money raised stays in each community; none of it goes to the Academy.

The 38 cities hosting Oscar Night America parties in 2002 are Atlanta, Augusta, Baltimore, Boston, Buffalo, Charlotte, Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Honolulu, Houston, Kansas City, Las Vegas, Louisville, Memphis, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Nashville, Oklahoma City, Omaha, Orlando, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Portland, Sacramento, Salt Lake City, San Diego, San Francisco, Santa Cruz, Seattle, St. Louis, Tampa, Tucson and Washington, D.C. All of the parties will feature a live broadcast of the 74th Academy Awards^® Presentation, which is being televised by the ABC Television Network.

"Oscar Night has been America's party night for years," said Ric Robertson, executive administrator of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Among the thousands of parties every Oscar Night are hundreds of charity fundraisers. "We developed Oscar Night America as a way for at least some of those events to benefit by virtue of a relationship with the big show out here in Los Angeles. Receiving official Oscar Night America status seems to make those parties a bit more special."

The Academy provides official Oscar Night America parties with the same printed Academy Award show programs as those handed out at the ceremonies in Los Angeles. The Academy also provides copies of the 74th Academy Awards poster designed by graphic novel artist Alex Ross. Official parties are also permitted to use the image of the Academy's copyrighted Oscar statuette on invitations and other material.

Most of the parties are black-tie affairs, though some are less formal, with varied and distinctive touches. Some events require partygoers to dress up as famous couples, and many feature photographers or "paparazzi" to shoot the arrivals.

Only one charity party in a given city may participate in Oscar Night America. Events are completely produced by local non-profit organizations, with the active participation of the local ABC-TV affiliate station. Among the charities presenting parties this year are the Arthritis Foundation, Ronald McDonald House, Volunteers of America, Variety Club, Minnesota AIDS Project, FILMAID, The Ellie Fund, Detroit Institute of the Arts, Denver Film Society and other local arts foundations and film festivals.

	Oscar Night America, San Diego "Visual Arts Foundation," March 25, 2001.

Seven cities welcomed an Oscar® statuette to their Oscar Night America charity parties. The lucky seven were among a group of 11 charities that submitted proposals describing what they would do to welcome Oscar if he were to visit their city. A panel whose decisions were based on the originality and feasibility of the proposals chose the winning seven.

The winning events are located in:

Charlotte, North Carolina
Honolulu, Hawaii
Las Vegas, Nevada
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Orlando, Florida
Tucson, Arizona
Washington, D. C.

Each winning charity's proposal detailed an arrival event welcoming Oscar to its city several weeks before Oscar Night. Oscar arrivied in style by land, sea and air. In Honolulu, the Oscar statuette arrived via an authentic Hawaiian outrigger canoe powered by Hawaiian paddlers. In Orlando, the statuette arrived via helicopter accompanied by a secret agent, and Oscar arrived in Tucson on a stagecoach at a historic western movie set.

The Academy's Oscar Night America program, which has raised over $7 million for local charities since 1994, provides thousands of movie fans across America the chance to experience the thrill and excitement of Oscar Night in their own hometowns. Most parties roll out a red carpet, hire limousines and paparazzi and attract the attendance of local celebrities.

The Oscar statuettes designated for the seven Oscar Night America parties were accompanied in each city by guards from Inter-Con, the international security firm, which provided security for the 74th Academy Awards Presentation. At the parties, Inter-Con guarded each statuette throughout the evening.

When the parties were over, the Oscars returned home to the Academy in Beverly Hills, where they were tucked away until 2003 when they may be presented to winners at the 75th Academy Awards Presentation.

• Oscar Night America (ONA) began in 1994 with parties in two cities, Minneapolis and San Francisco.
  
  
• The ONA program has raised over 7 million dollars. Last year alone, over $1.5 million was raised, all of it staying in the participating communities.
  
  
• The parties range from casual receptions to black-tie affairs, with ticket prices from $25 to $150.
  
  
• Last year 37 cities participated in ONA; 33 participated in the 72nd award season, and 39, the largest number of participants to date, participated this year (74th Awards).
  
  
• Last year's cities chosen to host Oscar statuettes were Dallas, Denver, Oklahoma City, Salt Lake City, San Diego and Washington, D. C.