Issue Date: May 5, 2000

WASHINGTON-The thrill of watching and participating in athletics will be celebrated May 5 with the issuance of a new United States postage stamp honoring Summer Sports. The 11:00 AM dedication ceremony will be held outside the Spokane, Wash. Convention Center, on a floating stage at the Riverfront Park, in conjunction with the city's Lilac Bloomsday Run.

The Summer Sports stamp artistically portrays the graceful stride of runners' legs during a race. Track-and-field events are representative of the summer season's invigorating athletic activities and competitions.

With nearly 60,000 registrants, the Lilac Bloomsday Run is one of the largest individually timed races in the nation. A world-class field of open and wheelchair racers will lead the way for runners, joggers and walkers who participate in the 12-kilometer event.

Taken by noted sports photographer David Madison of Portola Valley, Calif., and designed by Richard Sheaff, Scottsdale, Ariz., the color photo on the stamp graphically portrays the swift pace of a summer track event, capturing only a blur of legs as the runners raced past. Madison is well known for his sports photography.