It was a memorable experience to be a part of the first Motown Winter Blast in Detroit. I was very impressed!! There was lots of things to see and do. The snow slide was a big hit, with lines as long as 1 to 2 hours. People also seemed to enjoy the sled dogs and the ice skating rink.

Snow sculpting went very well. We finished our sculpture without having to rush very much, but we didn’t place in the top 4 either. It’s still fun, but it would be nice to place in an event!! See my Motown Winter Blast 2005 gallery for all the pictures.

The festival was larger than they had planned. They expected 100,000 people to attend, but 275,000 people actually attended. Everything was planned out very well, so it didn’t seem too crowded. I talked to one of the people who was in charge of keeping everything organized, and he said that there were 800 volunteers for the festival this year! That was a lot of people, and you could tell, since just about everywhere you looked you could see a person wearing a Motown Winter Blast jacket. But next year during the Super Bowl, there will be 8,000 volunteers!! There definitely are lots of people trying to make a difference for Detroit!

So far, I think they’re doing a good job making a difference, too. My view of downtown Detroit has changed. Before, I would only go downtown for Lions or Tigers games, but now I wouldn’t mind going there more often. I have to say that I was a little skeptical—and I don’t think I was alone—when I heard about how they’re trying to change Detroit’s image. But I think they’ve really done a lot to help it, especially if they can continue the success of the festival even after the Super Bowl.