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Rock
superstar
Ann
Wilson
of Heart |
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GM River
Days
announce
national
headliners
for
annual
event
June
23-25
DETROIT
- The
Detroit
RiverFront
Conservancy
(DRFC)
announced
details
today
regarding
Detroit’s
unofficial
kickoff
to
summer,
the 11th
Annual
GM River
Days
presented
by
Soaring
Eagle
Casino &
Resort
on June
23-25,
2017.
This
year’s
GM River
Days
will
include
new
activities,
entertainment
and
restaurants,
as well
as the
return
of
festival
favorites
on land,
water
and in
the sky.
“GM
River
Days
brings
Detroiters
and
visitors
together
to enjoy
our
beautiful
riverfront,”
said
Matt
Cullen,
Board
Chairman,
Detroit
RiverFront
Conservancy.
“Earlier
this
year, we
announced
plans to
add even
more
park
space to
improve
community
access
to the
riverfront.
Our goal
is to
continue
to
provide
a
vibrant
waterfront
for
everyone
to
enjoy.”
“For
more
than a
decade,
GM River
Days has
celebrated
the
transformation
of the
Detroit
riverfront
into a
world-class
gathering
place,”
said
Mark
Wallace,
president
& CEO of
the
Detroit
RiverFront
Conservancy.
“The
Detroit
RiverWalk
brings
out the
best in
our
community,
and GM
River
Days is
a great
time for
us to
gather
together
and
enjoy
this
great
city.”
“GM is
proud to
continue
to
support
a
wonderful
organization
and a
Detroit
summertime
tradition,”
said
John
Blanchard,
director
of local
government
relations,
General
Motors.
“GM
River
Days is
a great
way to
bring
Detroiters,
as well
as
people
across
the
region,
together
for a
fun-filled
weekend.”
Headlining
National
Music
Acts
This
year’s
festival
will
feature
a
star-studded
music
lineup
on the
Quicken
Loans
National
Stage
including
rock
superstar
Ann
Wilson
of Heart
along
with
local
tribute
band
FiftyAmpFuse
on
Friday
evening.
Soul
sensation
The
Isley
Brothers
featuring
Ron
Isley,
along
with
Grammy-nominated
Soul and
R&B
singer
Freddie
Jackson
will
perform
on
Saturday
night.
Grammy-winning
R&B
group
112 will
perform
on
Sunday
evening
along
with
Grammy-nominated
R&B
singer
Joe. VIP
premier
seats
are
available
for
purchase
during
the
headlining
concerts.
Tickets
cost $35
and
include
admission
to the
festival.
Tickets
can be
purchased
online
through
RiverDays.com.
A full
music
lineup
of more
than 50
music
acts
across
four
different
stages
will be
announced
in the
coming
weeks.
New
Festival
Activities
Adventure
seekers
will get
a thrill
on the
all-new
30-foot
high
massive
slide in
the
William
G.
Milliken
State
Park and
Harbor.
Riders
will go
through
a
pitch-black
tube
that
quickly
drops
them at
a steep,
40-degree
angle
with
speeds
up to 20
mph for
a
nominal
charge.
Motorcyclists
are
invited
to park
their
bikes
for free
on
Atwater
Street
between
St.
Antoine
and
Rivard
starting
at 6
p.m. on
Bike
Night on
Friday,
June 23.
Bikers
and
their
passenger
will
receive
free
admission
wristbands
to
rock-n-roll
with Ann
Wilson
of Heart
for the
evening
if
arriving
on a
motorcycle.
Festival
Favorites
on Land
The
Flagstar
Bank
Kids
Zone
produced
by The
Parade
Company
is
introducing
a new
carnival-themed
kid
zone.
Families
are
invited
to “step
right
up” into
The Kids
Zone
action,
which
will
include
story
time,
magic
shows,
strolling
carnival
buskers,
as well
as
activities
with the
Detroit
Institute
of Arts,
Michigan
Science
Center,
Arts &
Scraps
and
more.
Additionally,
an
entertaining
lineup
will
perform
on the
Meijer
Kids
Stage.
Rivard
Plaza
will
also be
the site
of a
50-ton
sand
sculpture
presented
by Blue
Cross
Blue
Shield
of
Michigan
and
designed
by Team
Sandtastic.
Parents
can pick
up a
free
sticker
for
additional
activities
in the
Kids
Zone
from the
Flagstar
Bank
booth at
the
festival.
The
Michigan
Department
of
Natural
Resources
(DNR)
will
provide
a
variety
of
hands-on
activities,
including
a rock
climbing
wall for
children
and
adults
in the
William
G.
Milliken
State
Park &
Harbor
during
the
festival.
Guests
can
stroll
through
the park
and talk
with
wildlife
and fish
experts,
foresters
and
conservation
officers.
Booths
will be
set up
across
the park
to learn
about
Michigan’s
birds of
prey and
reptiles.
Festivalgoers
will
also
have a
chance
to try
their
hand at
archery
and
other
outdoor
skill
challenges.
Festival
Favorites
in the
Air
Adrenaline
seekers
will get
a chance
to soar
directly
above
the GM
River
Days
action
on The
MetroPCS
Zip Line
again
this
year.
The
300-foot
long zip
line
will
send two
people
at a
time
straight
through
the
festival.
Tickets
will
cost $15
for one
ride or
two for
$25.
The air
show, a
crowd
favorite,
will
return
over the
Detroit
River
for its
third
year.
Staged
by the
Tuskegee
Airmen
National
Historical
Museum,
show
performances
will be
at 1
p.m. on
Friday
and 3:30
p.m. on
Saturday
and
Sunday.
New this
year,
the show
will
include
a
Heritage
Flight
which
consists
of a
WWII
aircraft
and its
modern
equivalent
flying
individually
and then
joining
together
for
passes
with the
modern
aircraft
flying
on the
wing of
the WWII
aircraft.
Also
scheduled
to
appear
are
aerobatic
pilots
flying
upside
down and
sideways,
jets
from the
World
Heritage
Air
Museum,
an
airplane
flown by
the
Tuskegee
Airmen
in World
War II,
several
racing
airplanes,
and a
demonstration
of
precision
formation
flying
by the
museum’s
own
four-aircraft
demo
team.
The
airshow
will
feature
emcees
at all
festival
stages.
This is
one of
the very
few
airshows
in all
of North
America
that
features
mostly
local
performers.
Festival
Favorites
in the
River
As
always,
festivalgoers
can take
advantage
of great
fun on
the
water
with
Diamond
Jack
River
Tours.
In
addition,
festival
favorite
Typhoon
Tommy
and his
world-class
jet ski
team
will use
the
Detroit
River as
their
stage
when
Typhoon
Tommy
brings
the
Detroit
River
USA
Freestyle
Championships
to GM
River
Days.
Pilots
will use
a
variety
of
freestyle
jet-skis
and
hydroflight
devices
to
perform
big air
jumps,
backflips,
corkscrew
spins
and
underwater
dives
for the
crowds
along
the
riverfront.
The
United
States
Coast
Guard
Auxiliary
will
help
celebrate
the
weekend
with
rescue
demonstrations
and the
opportunity
to board
and tour
a Coast
Guard
cutter.
Pepsi
Taste of
Detroit
Food
Court
The
Soaring
Eagle
Cuisine
Machine
will
once
again be
the star
of the
Pepsi
Taste of
Detroit
Food
Court.
In
addition,
more
than a
dozen
local
eateries
will
present
a wide
variety
of
dining
options
throughout
the
weekend,
including
Soaring
Eagle
Cuisine
Machine,
AA Ice
Cream,
Amicci’s
Pizza,
Andre’s
Louisiana
Seafood
Sandwich
Shop,
Atwater
Bistro,
Beans &
Cornbread,
Big
Mike’s
Mexican
Grill,
Build-A-Burger,
Bowlder’s
Concession
Smoothie
&
Lemonade,
Detroit
Shrimp &
Fish,
Doggs
Your
Way,
Famous
Dave’s,
The
Smoke N
Pig,
Jackson’s
Five
Star
Catering,
Mercurio
Foods,
Mr. Deep
Fried,
Niko’s
Gyros,
Sister
Love
Treats
Italian
Ice and
Panda
Express.
“The
Soaring
Eagle
Casino &
Resort
looks
forward
to
bringing
delicious
food to
the
riverfront
again
this
year,”
said
Raul
Venegas,
director
of
marketing
&
entertainment,
Soaring
Eagle
Casino &
Resort.
“We
enjoy
interacting
with the
community
and
giving
them a
taste of
our
cuisine
and
fabulous
restaurants
with our
food
truck,
the
Soaring
Eagle
Cuisine
Machine,
all
while
participating
in an
outstanding
community
festival
in
Downtown
Detroit.”
The 2017
GM River
Days
presented
by
Soaring
Eagle
Casino &
Resort
starts
on
Friday,
June 23
at 11
a.m. The
festival
spans
from the
William
G.
Milliken
State
Park and
Harbor
to the
Detroit/Wayne
County
Port
Authority
Terminal
& Dock,
just
past the
Renaissance
Center.
Festival
hours
are 11
a.m. –
10 p.m.
on
Friday,
Saturday
and
Sunday.
The
Conservancy
will
charge a
$3
admission
fee (and
$5 after
3 p.m.)
to help
underwrite
programming
and
operational
costs
for the
festival.
Admission
to the
festival
is FREE
before 5
p.m. on
Friday,
June 23.
Visit
RiverDays.com
for a
full
lineup
for
events.
GM River
Days
presented
by
Soaring
Eagle
Casino &
Resort
is
supported
by
General
Motors,
Soaring
Eagle
Casino &
Resort,
Blue
Cross
Blue
Shield
of
Michigan,
Flagstar
Bank,
AARP,
Pepsi,
Michigan
Lottery,
SPAM ®,
Meijer,
Detroit
Marriott
at the
Renaissance
Center,
National
Vision,
Imperial
Beverage,
Lagunitas
Brewing
Company,
Sprint,
MetroPCS,
T-Mobile,
Eagle
Security,
Help
Eliminate
Auto
Thefts,
Tito’s
Handmade
Vodka,
Barefoot
Winery
and Made
in
Detroit.
About
the
Detroit
RiverFront
Conservancy
The
Detroit
RiverFront
Conservancy
is a
non-profit
organization
founded
in 2003
with the
mission
to
develop
public
access
to
Detroit’s
riverfront
and to
serve as
an
anchor
for
economic
development.
As the
permanent
stewards
of the
RiverWalk
and the
Dequindre
Cut, the
Conservancy
is
responsible
for
raising
the
funds
needed
for
construction,
operation,
maintenance,
security
and
programming
of the
public
spaces
located
along
the
riverfront.
The
Conservancy’s
ultimate
vision
is to
develop
five-and-a-half
miles of
riverfront
from the
Ambassador
Bridge
on the
west to
Gabriel
Richard
Park,
just
east of
the
MacArthur
Bridge
to Belle
Isle.
Visit
www.detroitriverfront.org
for more
information.
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