Harlem Ambassadors come to Eielson in December Published Nov. 8, 2007 By Press Release Harlem Ambassador public affairs office FORT COLLINS, Colo. -- Each December for the past six seasons, the Harlem Ambassadors have headed north to the cold weather of Alaska and have always received a warm reception, making another stop to play 5 p.m. Dec. 6 at the Baker Field House here. "The Alaska fans are the best. They always show us so much love," said Ambassadors' veteran performer and Alaska tour director "Juggling Jazz" Copeland. Originally the Ambassadors began stopping in Alaska as a way to break up the lengthy trans-Pacific flights en route to performing at United States military bases in Japan and Korea. When the Harlem Ambassadors expanded into two touring units three seasons ago, the team made a greater commitment to play in Alaska. In December of each season since, the Ambassadors have played between 10 and 15 games with the team's Stars and Stripes unit. "As crazy as it sounds, December is the ideal time in our schedule to play Alaska," observed Harlem Ambassadors President Dale Moss. "The sport of basketball is so big that we get a great reception in every community." In previous seasons the team has played in Ketchikan, Wrangell, Sitka, Skagway, Haines, Cordova, Yakutat, Valdez, Kodiak, Unalaska, Anchorage, Fairbanks, Kotzebue, Nome and Barrow. Many of these are multiple appearances in a particular community. The Harlem Ambassadors perform on behalf of community youth and social service organizations and, in Alaska, this has included Habitat for Humanity, Boys and Girls Clubs, Rotary and various Chambers of Commerce. The Harlem Ambassadors are also the largest provider of entertainment services to the United States military worldwide. The team has also performed at Elmendorf AFB, Fort Richardson, Fort Wainwright, Clear AFS and the Coast Guard Station-Kodiak. With the schedule just taking shape, the Harlem Ambassadors have added visits for the first time this season to Homer, Seward and Petersburg. For more information on the Harlem Ambassadors, see www.harlemambassadors.com.