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(Photo
by
Montez
Miller/Tell
Us
Detroit)
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Quicken
Loans
Winter
Blast
expands
into
four
weekends
in
downtown
Detroit
DETROIT
– Winter
Blast,
Detroit’s
tradition
of
winter
fun, has
a new
name,
new logo
and new
schedule.
It’s
also now
free to
attend.
Quicken
Loans
Winter
Blast
Weekendsreturns
for the
14thyear
to
Campus
Martius
Park in
downtown
Detroit,
featuring
winter-themed
attractions
and
seasonal
family-friendly
entertainment.
The
event
has
grown to
12 days
in 2019,
and will
be
hosted
over
four
weekends:
Jan. 19
– 21, 25
– 27,
Feb. 8 –
10, and
15 –
17.*
The
first
weekend
will run
Saturday
through
Monday
(Martin
Luther
King Jr.
Day),
and all
other
weekends
are
Friday
through
Sunday.
The
first
two
weekends
of the
festival
will be
presented
by
Soaring
Eagle
Casino &
Resort
and will
coincide
with the
North
American
International
Auto
Show.
The
final
two
weekends
will be
presented
by Delta
Dental.
“Quicken
Loans
Winter
Blast
Weekends
have
become a
staple
event in
Detroit,
and
Quicken
Loans is
proud to
be back
supporting
this
festival
that not
only
highlights
our
beautiful
city,
but also
brings
families
together
for some
wintertime
fun,”
said
Helen D.
Johnson,
Vice
President
of
Strategic
Investments,
Quicken
Loans
Community
Fund.
“By
opening
the
event to
everyone,
free of
charge
and
without
fences
and
barriers,
this
winter
celebration
will
help
create
an
inclusive
environment
that
encourages
people
to
explore
and
discover
all that
Detroit
has to
offer.”
For
added
convenience,
Woodward
Avenue
will
remain
open
during
festival
weekends,
with the
opportunity
for
patrons
to take
the
QLINE to
the
event,
or to
visit
Midtown
and New
Center
following
the
festival.
“From
the
annual
tree
lighting
in
Campus
Martius
Park to
the
North
American
International
Auto
Show,
and
activities
at The
Cadillac
Lodge in
Cadillac
Square,
Quicken
Loans
Winter
Blast
Weekends
builds
on the
amazing
lineup
of
existing
downtown
winter
programming,”
said Jon
Witz,
Quicken
Loans
Winter
Blast
Weekends
festival
producer.
“Our
expansion
to four
weekends
entices
visitors
to
experience
Detroit
not just
one or
two
weekends
a year,
but to
return
again
and
again.”
WINTER
ACTIVITIES
ABOUND
For
the
first
time,
the
festival
has been
strategically
planned
to
maximize
the
weather
–
whatever
it may
be.
There
will be
something
different
to do
every
weekend,
including
recurring
activities
such as
ice
skating,
ice
sculptures,
marshmallow
roasting,
food
trucks,
family
activities
and live
music,
as well
as
rotating
activations
including
Boyne
City
Slopes,
The
Winter
Slide,
zip
lining
down
Cadillac
Square,
carnival
rides,
and the
opportunity
to skate
for free
all
weekend
long at
Campus
Martius
Park.
Free
ice
skatingtakes
center
stage in
the
heart of
downtown.
This
health
and
wellness
initiative
provides
festival
patrons
the
opportunity
to ice
skate
for free
at The
Rink at
Campus
Martius
Park for
the
opening
and
closing
weekend
of the
festival,
presented
by Delta
Dental.
The
weekends
for free
ice
skating
are Jan.
19 – 21
and Feb.
15 – 17.
Ice
skating
also
will be
available
during
festival
weekends
two and
three,
Jan. 25
– 27 and
Feb. 8 –
10.
Adults
can
skate
for $10;
children
12 and
under
and
seniors
(59 and
older)
skate
for $8.
Skate
rental
is $5
per
pair.
The
inaugural
weekend
of
Quicken
Loans
Winter
Blast
Weekend
will be
presented
by
Soaring
Eagle
Casino &
Resort
and
include
family
activities,
a local
music
showcase
and an
exclusive
SaturdayDJ
showcase
from the
Movement
Festival.
Weekend
two,
Jan.
25-27,
also
presented
by
Soaring
Eagle
Casino &
Resort,
will
have
Michigan’s
two
largest
ski
resorts,
Boyne
Highlands
of
Harbor
Springs
and
Boyne
Mountain
in Boyne
Falls,
deliver
a learn
to ski
and
snowboard
experience
to the
city of
Detroit.
The
resorts
will be
utilizing
their
proprietary
Boyne
Low-E
fan
guns,
the
world’s
most
energy-efficient,
marginal-temperature
snowmaking
system,
to make
snow for
the
event. A
Prioth
snowcat
will be
used to
expertly
build
and
groom a
slope
offering
beginner
level
terrain.
Event
goers
will
have the
opportunity
to be
fitted
for ski
or
snowboard
gear,
partake
in a
20-minute
beginner
lesson,
and walk
away
with
special
offers
from the
resorts
and
Boyne
Country
Sports.
The
popular
four-lane,
30-foot
high
Winter
Slidemakes
its
comeback
this
year on
the
third
Quicken
Loans
Winter
Blast
Weekend
presented
by Delta
Dental,
Feb. 8 –
10,
whisking
riders
through
a dark
tube at
up to 20
MPH, and
dropping
them at
a
40-degree
angle.
There
also is
a
30-degree
drop
slide
for
children
and
those
who like
their
adventure
at a
gentler
pace.
Returning
the
final
weekend,
Feb. 15
– 17,
presented
by Delta
Dental,
is the
longest,
fastest
mobile
zip
linein
Michigan.
The
20-second
ride
allows
two
riders
to zip
simultaneously
on
separate
lines,
34-feet
above
the
ground.
The
high-speed
experience
will
give
riders
panoramic
views of
Campus
Martius
from
high
above
Cadillac
Square,
as they
soar
through
the air.
Attendees
can stay
warm at
one of
the many
roasting
stations
located
throughout
the
event,
courtesy
of the
Detroit
Downtown
Development
Authority
(DDA).
Marshmallow
and
s’more
kits
will be
available
for
purchase.
Ice
carving
demonstrationstake
place
during
the
event
courtesy
of US
Ice.
“This is
what
Quicken
Loans
Winter
Blast
Weekends
are all
about,”
said
Alexis
Wiley,
Chief of
Staff,
Mayor
Duggan’s
office,
City of
Detroit.
“We are
a
welcoming
city,
and
Detroit
invites
everyone
to come
and have
fun
downtown.”
Leading
into the
Quicken
Loans
Winter
Blast
weekends,
visitors
will be
able to
experience
the
Downtown
Detroit
Markets
in
Cadillac
Square,
Capitol
Park and
1441
Woodward
Collective.
Over 35
local
entrepreneurs
have
popped
up shops
this
winter
in the
heart of
the
city.
More
than 90
percent
of the
small
businesses
are
minority
owned
and
operated,
while
over 75
percent
are
specifically
female
ran.
Bedrock
and the
Quicken
Loans
Community
Fund
have
created
the
Downtown
Detroit
Markets
and
surrounding
activations
as part
of their
ongoing
commitment
to drive
entrepreneurship
and
increase
diverse
retail,
food,
beverage
and art
focused
offerings
within
the
city.
The
Downtown
Detroit
Markets
are
opened
Wednesday-Sunday
now
until
Sunday,
Jan. 13.
COMMUNITY
SUPPORT—FEEDING
THE
HUNGRY
Quicken
Loans
Winter
Blast
Weekends
is
participating
in The
Kroger
Co.’s
(Kroger)
“Zero
Hunger,
Zero
Waste”
campaign.
All
food
trucks
participating
in the
Quicken
Loans
Winter
Blast
Weekends
will
receive
exhibition
space
for a
$500
donation
of food
to
Detroit-area
shelters.
See
schedule
below
for
lineup
of
participating
food
trucks.
Forgotten
Harvest
will
collect
and
distribute
the
donations
to local
shelters,
such as
Detroit
Rescue
Mission
Ministries
and Fort
Street
Presbyterian
Church.
“More
than 40
percent
of food
is
thrown
away in
the
U.S.,
while
one out
of eight
people
struggle
to have
enough
to eat,”
said
Rachel
Hurst,
Corporate
Affairs
Manager,
Kroger.
“At
Kroger,
hunger
relief
is a
priority
and it
has been
for more
than 135
years.
We are
committed
to
ending
hunger
in our
communities,
and
eliminating
food
waste in
our
company,
by
2025.”
The
festival
has a
number
of other
community
initiatives,
including
Special
Olympics.
Attendees
are
invited
to brave
the
chilly
winter
air and
take the
Quicken
Loans
Winter
Blast
Polar
Plunge
to
benefit
Special
Olympics
of
Michigan,
Feb.
8-10.
Community
members,
family
and
friends
are
encouraged
to take
the
“plunge”
into a
pool of
freezing
water on
the
south
side of
Campus
Martius
park,
all
while
benefiting
a great
cause.
Volunteers
from
Matrix
Human
Services
in
Detroit
will be
onsite
at the
festival
to
support
the
Winter
Slide
and
receive
a
portion
of
revenues
from the
slide
operations
throughout
the
weekend.
Matrix
Human
Services
advocates
for and
serves
the most
vulnerable
in the
metro
Detroit
community,
and
empowers
individuals
and
families
to
enhance
the
quality
of their
lives
and
achieve
self-sufficiency.
QUICKEN
LOANS
WINTER
BLAST
WEEKEND
SCHEDULE
Subject
to
change
Jan.
19 - 21,
2019:
Presented
by
Soaring
Eagle
Casino &
Resort
Saturday
11 a.m.
– 11
p.m.,
Sunday
11 a.m.
– 9
p.m.,
Monday
11 a.m.
– 8 p.m.
○
Free ice
skating
at
Campus
Martius
Rink
(normally
$10 per
adult)
○ Food
truck
rally –
courtesy
of
Kroger
○
Marshmallow
roasting
–
courtesy
of the
Detroit
Downtown
Development
Authority
(DDA)
○ Ice
sculptures
–
courtesy
of US
Ice ○
Family
activities
○ Local
music
showcase
○
Saturday
nightonly:DJ
showcase
from the
Movement
Festival
Food
Truck
Rally
Participants
○ Beans
&
Cornbread
○ Taste
of
Nawlins
○ Chick
a D ○
Fortune
Cookin'
○
Imperial
Ferndale
Jan.
25 - 27,
2019:
Presented
by
Soaring
Eagle
Casino &
Resort
Friday 4
p.m. –
11 p.m.,
Saturday
11 a.m.
– 11
p.m.,
Sunday
11 a.m.
– 8 p.m.
o
City
Slopes
(skiing
and
snowboarding
exhibition)
–
courtesy
of Boyne
Mountain
and
Boyne
Highlands
○ Food
truck
rally –
courtesy
of
Kroger
○ Family
activities
–
courtesy
of
Chemical
Bank
○
Marshmallow
roasting
–
courtesy
of the
DDA ○
Strolling
entertainment
○ Local
music
showcase
Food
Truck
Rally
Participants
o Hero
or
Villain
o The
Nosh Pit
o
Soaring
Eagle
Cuisine
Machine
Feb. 8 -
10,
2019:
Presented
by Delta
Dental
Friday 4
p.m. –
11 p.m.,
Saturday
11 a.m.
– 11
p.m.,
Sunday
11 a.m.
– 8 p.m.
○
Special
Olympics
Polar
Plunge
○ Food
truck
rally –
courtesy
of The
Kroger
Co. ○
Ice
sculptures
–
courtesy
of US
Ice ○
Family
activities
–
courtesy
of
Chemical
Bank
○
Marshmallow
roasting
–
courtesy
of the
DDA ○
Winter
slide
○ Local
music
showcase
Food
Truck
Rally
Participants
○ Beans
&
Cornbread
○
Bigalora
○ Hero
or
Villain
○
Buffy's
Mexicasian
Grill
○ The
Nosh Pit
○
Soaring
Eagle
Cuisine
Machine
Feb.
15 - 17,
2019:
Presented
by Delta
Dental
Friday 4
p.m. –
11 p.m.,
Saturday
11 a.m.
– 11
p.m.,
Sunday
11 a.m.
– 8 p.m.
○
Free
skating
at
Campus
Martius
Rink
(normally
$10 per
person)
○ Ice
sculptures
–
courtesy
of US
Ice ○
Marshmallow
roasting
–
courtesy
of the
DDA ○
Zipline
○ Local
music
showcase
○ Family
activities
○
Strolling
entertainment
Food
Truck
Rally
Participants
○
Imperial
Ferndale
○ Chick
a D ○
The
Monkey
Truck
Quicken
Loans
Winter
Blast
Weekends
is
grateful
for the
generous
support
of its
sponsors,
which
include:
Quicken
Loans,
Boyne
Mountain
and
Boyne
Highlands,
Chemical
Bank,
Delta
Dental,
Detroit
Downtown
Development
Authority,
The
Kroger
Co. and
Soaring
Eagle
Casino &
Resort.
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