Tampa-area Resident Wins Hallmark's 'Daddy of All Dance-Offs'

Tampa-area Resident Wins Hallmark's 'Daddy of All Dance-Offs'

Online voters select Tampa resident and father of three as 'No. 1 Dancing Dad'

KANSAS CITY, Mo., June 15 /PRNewswire/ -- Fending off friendly competition from his fellow Tampa dads, and dads from seven other cities, Tampa-area resident Dr. Craig Bythewood, a finance and economics professor at Florida Southern College, danced his way to the top and today was named the "No. 1 Dancing Dad" by more than 54,000 voters who selected the Temple Terrace, Fla. dad as their favorite dancing daddy. Videos of the eight finalists could be viewed and voted on at Hallmark.com from the company's recent "Daddy of All Dance-Off" events. With Father's Day around the corner, Bythewood wins the bragging rights of being Hallmark's "No. 1 Dancing Dad," as well as the $5,000 grand prize.

During each "Daddy of All Dance-Off" event, brave dads boogied to popular tunes from Barry White, The Romantics, MC Hammer, and Smash Mouth - songs featured in Hallmark's greeting Cards With Sound. By rocking out to MC Hammer's "U Can't Touch This," Bythewood was able to win the hearts of both the crowd on hand at Citrus Park Mall and later, the voters who selected him as the "No. 1 Dancing Dad" on Hallmark.com. The experience was quite memorable for Bythewood, whose family was on hand to cheer him on, along with hundreds of other spectators as he became a finalist for the competition in his hometown of Tampa.

"It's been amazing. Current students, old students, my family, and friends all have been contacting me to show their support. I never would have thought a dance contest would allow me to connect and reconnect with so many people I care about," said Bythewood. "I happen to be a huge Hallmark greeting card fan and I have a passion for dancing too, so it was really interesting for these two worlds to come together."

Hallmark's "Daddy of All-Dance Off" events took place on June 2nd and June 9th in Charlotte, N.C.; Denver, Colo.; Hartford, Conn.; Houston; Phoenix, Ariz.; Sacramento, Calif.; St. Louis; and Tampa, Fla. Celebrating Father's Day with music and dancing gave the participating dads and their families the chance to celebrate Father's Day in a fun and memorable way. Hallmark also helps consumers celebrate the contributions fathers make to their families with a collection of nearly 800 Father's Day cards available at Hallmark Gold Crown stores nationwide. Hallmark's line of Father's Day cards includes the traditional Signs of Gratitude collection for Dad, the hilarious Shoebox cards for Dad, the innovative Cards With Sound, which play high-quality original clips from movies and songs, and culturally-relevant cards from Hallmark's Mahogany and Sinceramente collections.

For more information about Father's Day cards and gifts available at your local Hallmark Gold Crown store, or to view videos of each "Daddy of All Dance-Off" finalist, visit http://www.hallmark.com/.

About Hallmark Cards, Inc.

Kansas City-based Hallmark Cards, Inc. is known throughout the world for its greeting cards, related personal expression products, and television's most honored and enduring dramatic series, the Hallmark Hall of Fame. The company's Crayola subsidiary provides fun and imaginative ways for children to colorfully express themselves. The company publishes products in more than 30 languages and distributes them in more than 100 countries. In 2006, Hallmark reported consolidated net revenues of $4.1 billion.

Contacts:

Angie Read
Fleishman-Hillard
(816) 512-2322
angie.read@fleishman.com

Deidre Parkes
Hallmark Cards, Inc.
(816) 274-5768
dparke1@hallmark.comhttp://pressroom.hallmark.com/

This release was issued through eReleases(TM). For more information, visit http://www.ereleases.com/.

First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact:

Source: Hallmark Cards, Inc.

CONTACT: Angie Read, +1-816-512-2322, angie.read@fleishman.com, for
Hallmark Cards, Inc.; or Deidre Parkes of Hallmark Cards, Inc.,
+1-816-274-5768, dparke1@hallmark.com

Web site:

http://www.hallmark.com/
http://pressroom.hallmark.com/

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