Jump to content

Motown Winter Blast


Brother Ray

Recommended Posts


  • Replies 7
  • Created
  • Last Reply

They way it was explained is a new tradition to try and get people around the Metro area to rediscover Detroit with different concerts and events. However, it does look like an event to cater to the people who will be in town during the superbowl. Just look at the timing of it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

They way it was explained is a new tradition to try and get people around the Metro area to rediscover Detroit with different concerts and events.  However, it does look like  an event to cater to the people who will be in town during the superbowl.  Just look at the timing of it.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Oh, ok. That makes sense.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

This was announced not too long after Detroit got the rights to SuperBowl XL. It's just festivities that go on in any other SuperBowl city, except Detroit's will be Winter oriented. When it was first announced, people were wondering about the bad January weather and how it would affect the SuperBowl, but instead of fighting it Detroit embraced it.

Hopefully it'll become an annual tradition, but this thing is meant for the SuperBowl; this coming Winter is just like a test drive for Winter Blast.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I just saw this site too. It looks like it is a kind of winterfest to promote the city of Detroit...it kicks off on the weekend of Jan 21-23, 2005. I went to the website and they're asking for a bunch of volunteers...you get a free jacket (and unlimited hot cocoa ) out of it too. I think I'm to volunteer for it; it will be good to see some of the things that are actually going on downtown.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

Here's some more info from today's paper:

m029-blast1-1104y.jpg

Kenneth Snapp, 9, of Detroit skates around the ice rink at Campus Martius Park in downtown Detroit. The Motown Winter Blast will be centered in and around the park from Jan. 21-23, the weekend of the annual auto show at Cobo Center.

Detroit festival promises visitors blast of winter fun

Super Bowl organizers give the Metro area a preview of their 2006 plans.

By Mekeisha Madden / The Detroit News

DETROIT -- Each winter, Lucinda Marinelli prepares her family for three or four months of self-inflicted hibernation in their Livonia home.

This year could be different. The Motown Winter Blast hopes to draw the Marinellis and other Metro Detroiters outside for three days of activities in January.

The family-friendly festival is expected to attract hundreds of thousands of people to downtown Detroit during the weekend of the North American International Auto Show. The group organizing it, the Detroit Super Bowl XL Host Committee, says it'll give Metro Detroiters a glimpse of what they can expect when the Super Bowl arrives in the city in February 2006.

The festival, centered in and around the new Campus Martius Park from Jan. 21-23, will feature a 200-foot-long snow slide, ice skating, marshmallow toasting, professional snow sculpting competitions and a laser light show.

"That sounds so cool," said Marinelli, 27, a high school teacher who saw the skating rink while downtown recently for a concert at the Detroit Opera House.

She said her husband, Eric, could skate at the ice rink while she and her son, Lincoln, 4, enjoy the snow slide.

Nine-year-old Kenneth Snapp of Detroit said he would ice skate and ride the snow slide, because "it's cool, and I've never been on anything that big." His mother, Jennifer Snapp, 36, said she's not into winter sports as much as her son, but believes she'd enjoy Winter Blast.

"I think it's going to be great," she said. "It's something different for people to do during the winter time."

Indoor events include a Sports Bowl at Ford Field; Tour d'Art, a free museum and gallery crawl in the Cultural Center; a nightclub component called Winter Blast Bounce; and a yet-to-be determined concert or two.

The host committee, which also is throwing Motown Winter Blast in 2006, will officially announce its plans for the event today. The committee plans to give more details, including additional Winter Blast attractions, in mid-December.

Sponsors of the event include Michigan.org, Rock Financial and DTE Energy Co.

"Winter Blast 2005 is a great opportunity for a practice run," said Susan Sherer, executive director of the Detroit Super Bowl XL Host Committee. "Winter Blast is the backdrop for the Super Bowl.

"Every city has a central area where people gather. This is what Winter Blast will be for Detroit."

You can reach Mekeisha Madden at (313) 222-2501 or [email protected].

winter_blast_grfx_112904.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.