ComEd Offers Customers Once-in-a-Lifetime Experiences in "Coolest Summer Ever" Promotion

CHICAGO, June 17, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- With the official start to summer only a few days away, ComEd is kicking off the "Coolest Summer Ever," an 11-week social media promotion featuring once-in-a-lifetime prizes such as feeding a giraffe at the Brookfield Zoo, throwing out the first pitch at Cubs game, or camping out at the Morton Arboretum.

Beginning today and running until early September, visitors to ComEd's Facebook page (www.facebook.com/ComEd) get a chance to win backstage-access kinds of experiences at the top cultural and civic institutions in northern Illinois, which are also among ComEd's community partners.

"ComEd is partnering with some of Chicago's greatest summertime destinations for the Coolest Summer Ever," said Kevin Brookins, senior vice president, Strategy and Administration, ComEd. "This is a fun, easy and interactive way for our customers to learn how to conserve energy and save money, while giving them the opportunity to win the experience of a lifetime."

This year, ComEd is taking its promotion to the streets with a ComEd-branded ice cream truck offering customers free treats.  The ice cream truck will travel throughout ComEd's service territory visiting dozens of summer hotspots and events to promote the Coolest Summer Ever sweepstakes and provide customers with treats, hand fans and energy efficiency tips. The ice cream truck's stops will include:

• Forest Park's "Groov'n in the Grove" outdoor concert, June 18, 7-9 p.m., at Picnic Grove, 7824 Madison Street, Forest Park
• Downers Grove Children's Safety Expo, June 22, 9 a.m. – 12 p.m., at Lakeview Junior  High School, 701 Plainfield Road, Downers Grove

To participate in the Coolest Summer Ever promotion, participants can submit an entry every day for each week's prize by clicking the Coolest Summer Ever link on ComEd's Facebook page.  Entrants will be eligible to receive one of the 11 weekly prizes by answering trivia questions about that week's prize or energy efficiency and other programs offered to ComEd customers.  The list of Coolest Summer Ever prizes includes:

• Week 1: Ultimate Backyard Party (June 17 – June 23) – Cookout by a local caterer for 20 people with a DJ and performance by a local entertainer.
• Week 2: Your Run of the Field (June 24 – June 30) – Ten skybox tickets to a White Sox game and a chance to change the bases on the field during the fifth inning.
• Week 3: Front Row with Friends (July 1 – July 7) – Two tickets to Chicago Children's Choir, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Elgin Symphony Orchestra, Grant Park Music Festival, Merit School of Music, Old Town School of Folk Music, Ravinia, Rialto Square Theatre and Rockford Symphony Orchestra.
• Week 4: Garden Party (July 8 – July 14) – Six-person pontoon ride with Chicago Botanical Garden and fishing/camping experience at Morton Arboretum.
• Week 5: Chicago Architecture (July 15 – July 21) – Ten-person architecture boat tour on Chicago's First Lady, tour of private Kemper building observation deck, lunch at Howells & Hood at the base of the Chicago Tribune building.
• Week 6: The Coolest Animals (July 22 – July 28) – Behind-the-scenes tour for eight people at the Brookfield Zoo and Lincoln Park Zoo, including a chance to feed a giraffe at the Brookfield Zoo and encounter a rhino at the Lincoln Park Zoo.
• Week 7: A Theater Extravaganza (July 29 – August 4) - Two tickets to American Blues Theater, Black Ensemble Theatre, Chicago Children's Theatre, Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, Goodman Theatre, House Theatre, Lookingglass Theatre, Northlight Theatre, Steppenwolf Theatre, Victory Gardens Theatre and Silk Road Rising.
• Week 8: Tour the Galaxy (August 5 – August 11) – Recipient and 10 friends have lunch with an Adler Planetarium's astronomer in the Skyline Board Room, and get a private tour of the Doane Observatory, the largest public telescope in the Midwest. Winner also receives premium passes for the day.
• Week 9: A Penguin Encounter (August 12 – August 18) – Penguin party for 10 people at the Shedd Aquarium.
• Week 10: Field Museum (August 19 – August 25) – Private tour, dinner and "secret items" show-and-tell for 10 friends.
• Week 11: Make it to the Big Leagues (August 26 – September 1) – Ten skybox tickets to a Cubs game and chance to throw out the first pitch.

This year's promotion marks the second year of the Coolest Summer Ever. Last year's promotion increased ComEd's Facebook followers by more than 1,000 percent—from 1,700 to more than 32,000—over 10 weeks, making ComEd the most "Liked" electric utility on Facebook for a period of time.

The Coolest Summer Ever promotion ends on September 1. Additional information and sweepstakes rules can be found at ComEd.com/Coolest Summer.

Commonwealth Edison Company (ComEd) is a unit of Chicago-based Exelon Corporation (NYSE: EXC), the nation's leading competitive energy provider, with approximately 6.6 million customers. ComEd provides service to approximately 3.8 million customers across northern Illinois, or 70 percent of the state's population.

SOURCE ComEd