• by Karlene Lukovitz  @KLmarketdaily, September 16, 2009

Elsie's "private birthday party," a barnyard bash to be held on Oct. 10 at the Texas State Fair, will feature songstress Selena Gomez leading attendees in singing "Happy Birthday," eating cake and ice cream with fans and sampling a "birthday cake-flavored" milk created by Borden to mark the occasion.

Elsie, introduced to the world at the 1939 World's Fair in New York, will, of course, be on hand to accept her own special birthday cake.

The party attendees will be Selena and Elsie fans who have won invitations during special Radio Disney events that are being held this month throughout Texas and Louisiana.

The event is designed to tie in with a Gomez record launch. Consumers who purchase specially marked gallons of Borden Milk through Sept. 18 will receive a code on the cap for a free pre-release download of Gomez's new single, "Kiss & Tell" (to be officially released to the public on Sept. 29). Two additional songs will also be available through the promotion in the following weeks.

Party attendees will also be the first to receive a copy of Say Goodnight, Beauregard, a children's book telling the story of Elsie and her family that Borden is publishing in celebration of the birthday and as part of its ongoing support of Reading is Fundamental (RIF).

This year, Borden funded 30 RIF programs in Texas and Louisiana, donating both English and Spanish-language books about health and wellness, hosting read-a-long events with Elsie, and offering kids healthy eating tips from local registered dieticians.