PRESS RELEASE

May 20, 2011

MEDIA CONTACT: Elizabeth Pierce, (513) 368-2139, epierce@cincymuseum.org or Sally Thelen, (513) 419-5966, Sally.Thelen@duke-energy.com

Duke Energy Gifts Holiday Trains and Displays to Cincinnati Museum Center at Union Terminal
Trains will become part of the Holiday Junction at Cincinnati Museum Center

CINCINNATI- Duke Energy announced today plans to gift the priceless holiday trains and supporting displays to Cincinnati Museum Center.

The train display will become a part of an annual expanded experience called the “Cincinnati Museum Center Holiday Junction Featuring the Duke Energy Holiday Trains” beginning in the 2011 holiday season.

“This was not an easy decision,” said Johnna Reeder, vice president of Community Relations. “Our employees and our company take a lot of pride in this annual tradition. We simply ran out of space in our lobby and finding volunteers and skilled employees to build and run the trains has been challenging. We wanted to make sure the display would live on in Greater Cincinnati forever.”

“We are thrilled to welcome the Duke Energy Holiday Trains to Cincinnati Museum Center and Union Terminal,” said Douglass W. McDonald, president and CEO of Cincinnati Museum Center. “Families, children and grandparents love the holiday tradition of trains and the magic of Union Terminal."

This gift from Duke Energy expands the rich and memorable family experiences that are so highly attended at Museum Center and so deeply appreciated by our community. Duke Energy continues to be a vital community and business partner in our region.”

Beginning Nov. 5, much earlier than in past years, families will be able to experience a new annual holiday tradition from the minute they walk into the grand rotunda of Cincinnati Museum Center.

Visitors will be surrounded by the hustle and bustle of folks of all ages, wreaths and ribbons, super-size trees, presents, seasonal music, and the magic of the Tri-State’s most historic train station with a full slate of activities sure to thrill railroad enthusiasts of all ages.

The trains in the Holiday Junction exhibit continue to be a favorite must see. Here, visitors will experience a collection of model trains zipping around a winter wonderland.

While grownups and kids enjoy the model trains together, children can escape to their own holiday wonderland as they ride through a magnificent winter scene on a special kid-size train.

Santa Claus will take time from his busy schedule at the North Pole to visit with children at Holiday Junction, while Pogie and Patter, the reindeer from the former Pogue’s Department Store, will be part of the exhibit.

An interactive play area will engage children with Brio trains, tracks and houses to create their own train display, and a gift shop will be filled with trains and other toys for gifts and stocking stuffers. Don’t worry moms, dads and grandparents, there will also be an area for you to “re-energize” in this newly-created, larger space.

Through the partnership with CMC, all Ohio and Kentucky Duke Energy customers will receive a mailed postcard in mid- to late-October good for four free admissions to visit Cincinnati Museum Center’s Holiday Junction featuring the Duke Energy Holiday Trains from Saturday, Nov. 5 – Saturday, Dec. 24.

Visitors will have to present the postcard to the box office at the time of arrival. Additional tickets can be purchased online or through the CMC ticket office.

While the exhibit is also open to the public from Monday, Dec. 26 – Sunday, Jan. 1, only CMC annual membership holders will be able to enter at no cost. CMC is closed Nov. 25 and Dec. 25 for the holidays.

CMC’s “All-Museums” admission pass ($12.50 adult/$8.50 child) or the Cincinnati History Museum admission pass ($8.50 adult/$6.50 child) include free entry to the Holiday Junction featuring the trains.

Duke Energy contracted with METRO to provide a “Holly Jolly Holiday Trolley” every Friday – Sunday from Nov. 5 – Dec. 24 to provide free roundtrip rides every 20 minutes between CMC and Fountain Square.

“Our goal was to tie together the holiday functions and activities in the center city with the Museum Center featuring our trains,” Reeder said. “Visitors can easily travel between events and locations without ever having to move the car.”

Duke Energy Ohio and Kentucky’s operations provide electric service to approximately 820,000 customers and natural gas service to approximately 500,000 customers.

Duke Energy is one of the largest electric power holding companies in the United States. Its regulated utility operations serve approximately 4 million customers located in five states in the Southeast and Midwest, representing a population of approximately 12 million people. Its commercial power and international business segments own and operate diverse power generation assets in North America and Latin America, including a growing portfolio of renewable energy assets in the United States.

Headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., Duke Energy is a Fortune 500 company traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol DUK. More information about the company is available on the Internet at: http://www.duke-energy.com/.

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About Cincinnati Museum Center
Cincinnati Museum Center at Union Terminal is a nationally recognized institution dedicated to sparking community dialogue, insight and inspiration. As one of the top cultural attractions in the Midwest, Cincinnati Museum Center has served as an educational, research and entertainment resource to millions of visitors from around the world. Organizations within Museum Center include the Cincinnati History Museum, Duke Energy Children's Museum, the Museum of Natural History & Science, the Robert D. Lindner Family OMNIMAX® Theater, and the Cincinnati Historical Society Library. These organizations combine to serve more than one million visitors annually, reaching out to nearly 400,000 young people through hands-on exhibits and programs. Originally built in 1933 as a train station, Union Terminal stands as one of the last remaining grand-scale Art Deco style railroad terminals. The building is a National Historic Landmark and was renovated and reopened as Cincinnati Museum Center in 1990. For information, call 1-800-733-2077 or visit www.cincymuseum.org.