First lady Michelle Obama kicked off Thursday’s second-year anniversary of her Let’s Move! campaign with a celebration at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, Iowa — complete with dramatic lighting, mass-dancing and a performance from “American Idol” top-eight-finalist Katelyn Epperly. Also there were a host of fitness celebrities including “The Biggest Loser” fitness guru Bob Harper, NASCAR’s Carl Edwards, Olympic figure-skating champ Michelle Kwan, Olympic gymnast Shawn Johnson, and 2011 WNBA MVP Tamika Catchings. A crowd of about 14,000 cheering kids joined Obama in singing happy birthday to her campaign — and she even had a towering birthday cake made of fruit featured onstage.
The first lady was there with Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack as Iowa Governor Terry Branstad proclaimed February 9 as “Let’s Move! Iowa Day.” And Vilsack and Branstad even joined Obama while she led the crowd in the Interlude Dance — a dance created by University of Northern Iowa students which has become famous on the internet. “I’m proud that you guys are eating your fruits and vegetables … I’m proud that you guys are walking to school instead of taking the bus,” the first lady told the crowd, going on later to praise Iowa’s Healthiest State Initiative – as it falls in line with her own campaign, which has pledged a renewed focus on exercise, sports and active play in the next year. “We want every state in the country to do exactly what Iowa is doing,” said Obama.
