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In the News

NEW SPONSOR OFFERS FREE ADMISSION TO TALL SHIP CELEBRATION: BAY CITY
July 5, 2010
[Bay City,Michigan] The Tall Ship fleet won’t arrive in Downtown Bay City until July 15th, but a new sponsor is already making a splash. Valvoline Instant Oil Change (VIOC) customers will attend Tall Ship Celebration for free with the purchase an oil change.

Today through July 18 (or as long as supplies last) every participating Valvoline Instant Oil Change location in Flint and the Tri-Cities will provide one token to each customer who purchases an oil change. Customers can present the tokens along with their VIOC oil change sales receipt at any Tall Ship Celebration ticket gate to receive a free day pass for admission to any one of the Tall Ship Celebration event days July 15 – July 18, 2010 (a $6 value).

Customers who purchase any extra service will receive a free Tall Ship Passport at the time of purchase (a $15 value). Souvenir Passports provide festival admission for the entire three and a half days of the event (July 15-July 18) and include the opportunity to board and tour each vessel one time. Qualifying extra services at VIOC include: Transmission Fluid Exchange, Radiator Service, A/C Service, Power Steering Fluid Exchange, Serpentine Belt Replacement or Entire Fuel System Cleaning.

Bay City’s award-winning Maritime festival, Tall Ship Celebration features three and a half days of family fun including hands-on craft activities for children, internationally-acclaimedMaritime musicians, interactive ship tours and so muchmore. Attendees are welcome to get hands on in the “Color Our World” giant mural, which is sponsored by Valvoline Instant Oil Change for 2010. Created by a local artist and with the artistic guidance of Studio 23/ The Art Center, guests can grab a brush and color a “tile” that will eventually create a 6 x 40 ft. mural in Wenonah Park. For more information regarding Valvoline Instant Oil Change and participating locations, visit www.vioc.com.

Henley BlueWater, LLC is an independent licensed franchisee of Valvoline Instant Oil Change Franchising, Inc. Valvoline Instant Oil Change is one of the nation’s largest providers of “do-it-for-me” automotive fluid maintenance services and is a subsidiary of Ashland Inc. (NYSE: ASH), a Fortune 500 company.

FREEDOM SCHOONER AMISTAD CANCELS GREAT LAKES TOUR
Dutch Barque Europa on deck to replace her at Tall Ship Celebration
May 27, 2010
[Bay City, Michigan] Organizers of Tall Ship Celebration in Bay City learned yesterday that the Freedom Schooner AMISTAD has backed out of plans to participate in the Great Lakes United Tall Ships© Challenge and, therefore, the community’s popular maritime festival. The ship’s rigging failed along the Florida coast in heavy seas and she is currently in Mystic, Connecticut undergoing extensive repairs.

“We’re really disappointed because AMISTAD is a beautiful ship and she carries such an important message,” explained Chairman Kevin Dykema. “But, as with all incidents aboard an operating Tall Ship, we are very glad no one was injured and are happy to learn the ship can be repaired.”

The damage to AMISTAD occurred when the ship was returning from an historic visit to Havana, Cuba marking a United Nations global day of remembrance for victims of the Atlantic slave trade. AMISTAD is a 140-foot replica of a vessel at the center of the 1841 slave rebellion case argued successfully by John Quincy Adams which led to the US Supreme Court case freeing the African captives. The original AMISTAD was built in Cuba in 1839 and sailed from Havana, the center of the illegal slave trade.

Barque Europa
Ironically, the Dutch Barque Europa is currently off the cost of Cuba, making her way to the United States after participating in the “Velas Sudamerica 2010 Regata Bicentenario,” the first South American Tall Ships race that was conceived by the Argentinian and Chilean Navies. Europa representatives were busy finalizing arrangements for a tour of the Great Lakes this summer and were pleased to accept an invitation to fill the Bay City berth left momentarily vacant by AMISTAD.

Europa was built in Hamburg, Germany in 1911 and used as a lightship on the River Elbe. She was relocated to the Netherlands in 1986 and, for 8 years, completely rebuilt and rigged as a three-masted sailing vessel. With a professional crew of 14 and a complement of up to 48 voyage crew members, Europa is best known in the sea faring world for her regular expeditions to Antarctica.

Europa is not new to Bay City. She was a crowd favorite during Tall Ship Celebration 2003.

The Amistad was recently selected by Major Sponsor The Bay City Times/The Saginaw News. Upon learning the ship will be replaced with the Europa, Advertising Director Cynthia Orr commented “We are very happy to sponsor the Europa on her Tall Ship Celebration trip to Bay City. She is a beautiful ship that was very impressive when she visited Bay City in 2003 and we look forward to presenting her to the community and our visitors in July.”

A “GREEN VILLAGE”IS GROWING AT TALL SHIP CELEBRATION
April 22,2010
[Bay City, Michigan] What started as a way to talk about the importance of water conservation has become a hands-on primer on sustainable communities. Indeed, it is a “community” of area businesses and organizations that are growing into the Great Lakes United Green Village at Tall Ship Celebration. Located just south of the admission gate under Vets Bridge in Veterans Memorial Park, the Green Village will feature interactive experiences and information about the little things individuals can do that will make a big difference to the Great Lakes. There is no additional fee for the Green Village experience. All that is required is a passion for the Great Lakes and a thirst for information.

“The Green Village is an exciting and timely addition to Tall Ship Celebration,” explained Mike Kelly, Director of the Great Lakes Office for The Conservation Fund and administrator of the Saginaw Bay Watershed Initiative Network (WIN), local sponsor of the Green Village. “The principles of sustainable communities—balancing the interests of the environment, the economy and society—are the cornerstone of our organization. We are pleased to play an integral role in bringing the Green Village to life for the guests of Tall Ship Celebration.”

Participants in the Green Village are businesses and non-profit organizations who agree to provide an appropriate interactive experience that complements the overall theme of sustainable community. Confirmed participants include Tall Ship Celebration Major Sponsors Dow Corning, Dow Chemical and Consumers Energy that will demonstrate a variety of solar and wind turbine applications.

In addition to seeing a solar array and watching a wind turbine up close, visitors to the Green Village will stroll through a rain garden, visit a mini-Farmer’s Market and learn why wetlands are important to the health of the Great Lakes. A small stage will host demonstrations and presentations throughout the event by organizations like Great Lakes United and the Shedd Aquarium. The Wildlife Recovery Association will be on-hand with live birds of prey.

Tall Ship Celebration: Bay City occurs in conjunction with the TALL SHIPS CHALLENGE®, a series of races and rallies produced by the American Sail Training Association held approximately every three years in the Great Lakes. The Bay City event is presented by Dow Corning and sponsored by The Bay City Times and Neighborhood Michigan Ford Dealers with additional support from the Dow Chemical Company, St. Mary’s of Michigan, Consumers Energy, CMU Public Broadcasting, Wildfire Credit Union and Citizens Bank.

In 2010, ASTA has partnered with Great Lakes United to bring a fleet of international Tall Ships to the Great Lakes, the world’s largest body of fresh water. Great Lakes United is a bi-national advocacy organization with offices in the US and Canada. Vessels participating in the Great Lakes United TALL SHIPS CHALLENGE® 2010 will race through all five Great Lakes making port appearances in cities throughout the US and Canada. Across six ports, the Great Lakes United TALL SHIPS CHALLENGE® 2010 will carry a message of freshwater conservation in celebration of waters worth protecting.

The Tall Ship Celebration Green Village is sponsored locally by the Saginaw Bay Watershed Initiative Network. WIN is a community-based, voluntary initiative that connects people, resources, organizations and programs to improve the quality of life in the Saginaw Bay Watershed. It develops projects, supports related organizations and strives to increase communication between existing efforts. WIN’s members are diverse and include business people, farmers, conservationists, tourism specialists, city planners, government representatives and community members.

GREAT LAKES BAY REGION WELCOMES ELEVEN TALL SHIPS FOR JULY 2010 MARITIME FESTIVAL
March 19, 2010
[Bay City, Michigan] The largest fleet of Tall Ships to visit Michigan this summer will arrive in Downtown Bay City on July 15th and kick off the 2010 Tall Ship Celebration. From July 15 through 18, nine ships ranging from movie stars to a Cold War relic will be available for boarding and touring. Two additional ships, Bay City’s own Appledore IV and Appledore V, will offer sailing excursions throughout the festival. “We are very pleased to present a diverse fleet of Tall Ships this summer and we’re confident there will be something for everyone to enjoy,” explained Event Coordinator Shirley Roberts. “The size and rigging of the ships are as diverse as their colorful stories. The fleet this year will include the best combination of Tall Ship Celebration favorites and some striking new additions.”

Returning to the maritime festival are festival favorites Pride of Baltimore II, Maryland’s flag ship and Michigan’s own Madeline from Traverse City. The HMS Bounty, based on Long Island, New York, has been completely renovated since her last Bay City appearance in 2003.

Docking in Bay City for the first time in 2010 are the “Freedom Schooner” Amistad from Connecticut, the “Twin Brigantines” Pathfinder & Playfair from Toronto and Roseway, a National Historic Landmark operating from the US Virgin Islands. The hard-working sail training vessel Roald Amundsen gets the nod for traveling the farthest, having left her home port of Eckernförde, Germany on February 20th to make her way to the United States, the Great Lakes and Michigan. Wisconsin’s Denis Sullivan, with her strong environmental programming, is the flag ship for the Great Lakes United Tall Ships® Challenge, a series of Tall Ships races and rallies that see the fleet in Toronto (June 30—July 4), Cleveland (July 7—11), Bay City (July 15—18), Duluth (July 29—August 1), Green Bay (August 12—15) and Chicago (August 24—29).

Tickets for the four-day festival go on sale May 1. Souvenir Passports which are required to board and tour the visiting Tall Ships will be available for $12.00 each through the end of June and $15.00 each as of July 1. The Passports include admission to all four days of the event and the opportunity to board and tour each ship one time. For those who are not interested in actually touring the Tall Ships, but would like to attend and enjoy all the other activities offered during the festival, Daily Admission is $6.00 and available each day at the festival gates. Tall Ship Celebration: Bay City is presented by Dow Corning and sponsored by The Bay City Times/Saginaw News, Dow Chemical Company, St. Mary’s of Michigan, Consumers Energy, CMU Public Broadcasting, Wildfire Credit Union and Citizens Bank.

Bay City has produced Tall Ship Celebration previously in 2001, 2003 and 2006 and has won “Port of the Year” honors for its efforts in 2001 and 2006. When it welcomes the American Sail Training Association Tall Ships fleet in July 2010, Bay City will again be the only official host port for the state of Michigan.

SEVEN REGIONAL COMPANIES JOIN DOW CORNING CORP. TO SPONSOR THE 2010 TALL SHIP CELEBRATION FLEET
March 19, 2010
[Bay City, Michigan] Tall Ship Celebration organizers will shell out more than $170,000 to host a fleet of nine visiting Tall Ships from July 15—18 as the foundation for their nationally-acclaimed maritime festival. With Appearance Fees ranging from $7,500 to $35,000 each, and complementary services from pump outs to concert tickets, hosting Tall Ships can be an expensive proposition. Seven Great Lakes Bay Regional companies have joined Port Sponsor Dow Corning Corporation as Major Sponsors of the event, together providing an investment of $140,000 to offset these costs.

Shirley Roberts, Event Coordinator for Tall Ship Celebration today announced The Bay City Times/The Saginaw News, the Dow Chemical Company, St. Mary’s of Michigan and Citizens Bank have signed on again to be Major Sponsors of Tall Ship Celebration. The event welcomes several new companies to the Major Sponsor category including Consumers Energy, CMU Public Broadcasting and Wildfire Credit Union. Each company has agreed to invest between $10,000 and $30,000 to support Tall Ship Celebration, the only official host in the State of Michigan for the 2010 Tall Ship fleet.

“The companies and organizations that have agreed to invest in Tall Ship Celebration recognize the importance of the event to our community and our region,” explained C. Kevin Dykema, Chairman of the Tall Ship Celebration Board of Directors. “Representing the State of Michigan to the Tall Ship fleet, the other Great Lakes states and the 100,000 people from around the world who are expected to attend is a humbling and daunting task. It would not be possible without the strategic investment of our sponsors.”

Major Sponsors will select “their” Tall Ships at a reception in April. Before that time, event organizers hope to secure one additional corporate commitment so each of the visiting Tall Ships has a sponsor. Bay City has produced Tall Ship Celebration previously in 2001, 2003 and 2006 and has won “Port of the Year” honors for its efforts in 2001 and 2006. When it welcomes the American Sail Training Association Tall Ships fleet in July 2010, Bay City will again be the only official host port for the state of Michigan.

DOW CORNING WILL BE PORT SPONSOR FOR TALL SHIPS
by Midland Daily News | January 29, 2010

The Dow Corning Corp. has made another significant investment locally.

The silicon-technology leader headquartered in Bay County’s Williams Township has taken the helm of Tall Ship Celebration as its newest Port Sponsor. The award-winning maritime festival returns to Bay City July 15-18 with a new focus on renewable energy and sustainability.

“We are committed to creating a bright and sustainable future for the region that is our home, and part of that is supporting great family events like this,” explained Dow Corning chairman, president & CEO Stephanie A. Burns. “Tall Ship Celebration is a nationally-acclaimed event that not only generates economic benefits spanning the entire area, it also reminds us of the wonderful history and natural resources that characterize the Great Lakes Bay Region.”

The American Sail Training Association earlier announced the 2010 series of Tall Ships races and rallies in the Great Lakes will be sponsored by Great Lakes United, a coalition of diverse interests that believes the Great Lakes are the energy that fuels the region’s economy, culture and health.