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Newsroom
March 13, 2007 GM PRESENTS DETROIT INTERNATIONAL RIVER DAYS TO DEBUT ALONG DETROIT’S NEW RIVERWALK FROM JUNE 22 – 27, 2007 DETROIT – The Detroit International Riverfront will be in the spotlight this summer in a first-ever six-day festival taking place along Detroit’s new RiverWalk. Detroit International River Days, which will be an annual event, is organized by The Detroit RiverFront Conservancy (DRFC), The Parade Company and General Motors, and will kickoff on Friday, June 22 and culminate with one of Detroit’s greatest traditions, the 49th Annual Target Fireworks, on Wednesday, June 27. "With all of the significant developments that have taken place on the Riverfront in the past four years, we are thrilled to finally invite the community down to the RiverWalk to not only see the progress, but experience everything it has to offer," said Faye Nelson, president of the DRFC. The family-friendly event, which will feature activities and entertainment spanning from the new Gabriel Richard Plaza & Pavilion to the GM Plaza & Promenade and beyond, will be free to the public and will take advantage of the natural assets the Riverfront provides. Festival-goers can look forward to live musical entertainment on three stages, interactive games, exhibitions, carnival elements and activities involving metro Detroit’s fishing and boating community, including a Venetian Night on the Detroit River. The Parade Company will program a Family Fun Zone at Rivard Plaza & Pavilion during River Days. It will also continue to provide its family-focused event Rhythm & Rhymes from the Hart, featuring AM 910 Radio Disney, that takes place in Hart Plaza on Wednesday, June 27 prior to The Parade Company-produced Target Fireworks and its VIP Rooftop Party, the major fundraising event for The Parade Company. "We are expanding one of the most highly-anticipated events of the summer," said Joan LeMahieu, president of The Parade Company. "River Days is a fabulous way to ramp up to the nation’s most amazing fireworks display and a nearly 50-year Detroit tradition – the Target Fireworks." Presenting sponsor General Motors will also provide engaging and interactive activities throughout the festival as well as utilize the many amenities within the Renaissance Center, including great restaurants and retail shops, the GM Wintergarden, GM World and the GM Plaza & Promenade for additional event programming. "GM believes in partnering with communities and is proud to be actively involved in the development of the Detroit International Riverfront," said Matt Cullen, general manager, Economic Development and Enterprises Services, General Motors. "River Days will serve as a catalyst that will draw people from the community and across the region to rediscover Detroit and this spectacular riverfront." "Detroit International River Days will serve as the keystone festival for our summer downtown," said Mayor Kwame M. Kilpatrick, City of Detroit. "From Memorial Day to Labor Day, we have some of the nation’s most exciting events, and River Days is one more gem for us to enjoy, showcasing our transformed Detroit riverfront." In just four years, the DRFC has transformed a significant portion of public space along the Detroit International Riverfront from a vision to reality. More than 75 percent of the east Riverfront project, which includes two of the four plazas and pavilions along with significant portions of new RiverWalk, will officially open this spring, joining already completed Riverfront parcels such as the GM Plaza and Promenade and the Tri-Centennial State Park Harbor. Additional elements of the east RiverFront, such as the Dequindre Cut and second phase of Tri-Centennial State Park, will begin construction later this year. A successful public-private partnership has been the driving force in launching the $300 million east riverfront transformation, which is anticipated to leverage more than $1 billion of investment in future years. The DRFC is currently working to raise its final $47 million for the east RiverWalk project. Detroit RiverFront Conservancy The Parade Company General Motors |
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