News Releases

May 23, 2005
COUNTRY HOME MAGAZINE TO HOST BE CREATIVE NEW YORK!, A CELEBRATION OF PERSONAL STYLE IN CENTRAL PARK ON OCTOBER 1ST

Interactive Fair will Connect Consumers with Leading Style Experts and Authorities from Fields of Decorating, Cooking, Music and More

Grammy Musician Mary Chapin Carpenter to Perform

NEW YORK (May 23, 2005)Country Home magazine today announced it will bring its upcoming October "Creativity Issue" to life with the first annual Be Creative New York!, a day-long, outdoor festival combining live performances and interactive demonstrations and activities to inspire creativity, passion and self expression. Country Home's Editor-in-Chief Carol Sheehan and Creative Director Mary Emmerling will host the event and Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Mary Chapin Carpenter will perform material from her acclaimed latest album, Between Here and Gone, as well as classics spanning her career.

Country Home has gathered a long list of today's leading style makers for Be Creative New York! including: Shabby Chic founder Rachel Ashwell who will showcase holiday tabletop ideas and other ways to host with style; Caterer and food style expert Serena Bass; TLC's "While You Were Out" star Leslie Segrete; A&E's "All Year Round" host Katie Brown; and JunkMarket Masters Ki Nassauer and Sue Whitney demonstrating their trademark trash-into-treasure projects. The day-long festival will also feature other celebrated authors, chefs and style mavens bringing their do-it-yourself tips to life.

"Be Creative New York!, like Country Home, is all about helping people develop their personal style and infuse it in their homes and lives," commented David Kahn, publisher of Country Home. "We are giving attendees an amazing opportunity to learn - in an intimate setting - from the very experts they usually only see on TV or read about in magazines. Anyone who attends will leaving knowing that great, creative personal style is totally attainable."

Be Creative New York! is open to the public and will be held in Central Park on Saturday, October 1st from 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. KitchenAid will provide a state-of-the-art display kitchen where celebrity chefs will be hosting cooking demonstrations and Wish-Bone will show off unique ways to cook with their popular salad dressings. W Hotels will offer travel packages as the preferred hotel for the event.

Be Creative New York! will coincide with the magazine's October 2005 creativity issue and the event's activities will be modeled after Country Home's trademark editorial departments:
The Nest- projects and products that help consumers layer their own personality into the house of their dreams.
Shopgirl - tips that show people how to take home repairs into their own hands.
The Dish - eating and entertaining ideas for today's tables.
Here & Now - a gallery of shopping tents, including unique boutiques and new artisans.

Other event highlights include a 3 p.m. performance by Mary Chapin Carpenter. Also, proceeds from the event and a silent auction will benefit the City Parks Foundation, which helps revitalize city parks and the neighborhoods that surround them.

Advertisements promoting Be Creative New York! will run in each issue of Country Home from June-October and the magazine will launch an interactive event microsite at www.countryhome.com in June. Advance tickets for the event will be available on the site for $25 for VIP passes that include top-of-the line gift bags. Day-of tickets will sell for $10.

About Country Home
For 25 years, Country Home magazine has redefined the vision of country. Country Home speaks to the desire for creativity and self-expression with editorial features that blend formal and familiar, classic and casual, to inspire readers to explore their own personal tastes. The magazine presents fresh, actionable ideas that are relevant to all aspects of readers' lifestyles, including home décor, food and entertaining, fashion and well-being, travel and shopping. Country Home, published by Meredith Corporation (NYSE: MDP), has over 7.5 million readers, is published 10 times per year and has a rate base of 1.25 million. The magazine was nominated for a 2005 National Magazine Award in photography.