Yoopers Ride Free and Pictured Rocks Day

If you live in Michigan and have never seen the beautiful Pictured Rocks
National Lakeshore from the water, Saturday and Sunday, June 11 & 12 is your opportunity to do so for free. Pictured Rocks Cruises will be
hosting the annual “Yoopers Ride Free Days” and the “Pictured Rocks Days” festival hosted by the Alger County Chamber will be across the street at Bay Shore Park. The first year for the “free day” was in 2012 and had over 900 free riders from the Upper Peninsula. Each
year the event has grown and during the 2015 the event which had grown
from one day to two days, had over 3,000 free riders. The “Pictured
Rocks Days” festival which was added in 2013 has grown to over 6,500
with attendees from across the Upper Peninsula, the Munising community
and both international and domestic tourists. “Combining our efforts
with the Cruises has been a win-win for both us and them. While people
are waiting for their cruise, or before or after their ride, they can
enjoy the festival and we have something for people of all ages, stated
Kathy Reynolds, Alger County Chamber Executive Director.” The
festival includes bands, nature shows, vendors, food, interpretive,
demonstration and informational booths. Reynolds stated that “In
2012 we started with 60 vendors, last year we had 83 vendors and this
year we expect at least that many if not more. It has become a
signature event for the community and the region and in regards to
vendor participation, it has been record-setting for Munising’s Bay
Shore Park.”

John Madigan, the manager at Pictured Rocks Cruises raves about the
combined event’s success. “Providing this free cruise weekend for
Upper Peninsula residents gives people that may not otherwise take the
cruise have the opportunity to do so. Also with the Chamber providing
the festival event across the street, this has enhanced both of our
events and the partnership between a private and non-profit organization
has been exceptional” Madigan stated.

One of the sponsors of the event, the Munising Visitors Bureau has
watched the growth. Cori Gerou-Cearly, President of the Munising
Visitors Bureau notes that “Pictured Rocks Days is one of our
community’s signature events and has something for everyone. The past
few years’ attendance has increased steadily and the overall festival
has grown. What started out as a one-day event with no accompanying
festival has grown due to the partnerships in our community between the
Chamber, Pictured Rocks Cruises, the Munising Visitors Bureau, private
business sponsorships and the Downtown Development Authority. We are
proud to support this event and to have the collaborations that have
helped this community’s tourism flourish. We thank the Chamber and
Pictured Rocks Cruises for their hard work and partnership”.

If you are interested in taking the free cruise, live in Michigan’s
Upper Peninsula and weather-permitting, cruises will depart every hour
on the hour from the Munising City Pier on Saturday, June 11 and 12
starting at 9:00 a.m. and running until 7:00 p.m. Tickets will be issued
on a first-come, first-served basis on Saturday and Sunday, June 11 and
12 with a limit of 1,500 free tickets available per day. In order to
obtain your free ticket, you must present in person a photo ID with an
Upper Peninsula address at the Pictured Rocks Cruise ticket office those
days. A child must be accompanied by a parent in the ticket office to
receive a ticket. For more information about the free ride visit their
website at www.picturedrocks.com or call 800-650-2379. If you want
more information concerning “Pictured Rocks Days” events or want to
be a vendor, call the Alger County Chamber of Commerce at (906) 387-2138
or visit www.algercounty.org for a schedule of events.