Wanted: Resident Tourist

See Port Huron Through the Eyes of a Tourist
Twana Pinskey
Contributing Writer

People don’t always see everything their respective communities have to offer, often taking for granted the little things that make each community great. Every year, thousands of tourists ascend upon Port Huron and the Blue Water Area, which is commonly known as the Maritime Capital of the Great Lakes, to see its splendor and enjoy its blue waters.

Locals don’t always remember to appreciate all the area has to offer. Though, every day they are encouraged to celebrate all the things that make the area great, and one day each spring, they are invited to see Port Huron and the Blue Water Area through the eyes of a tourist

Blue Water Area Convention & Visitors Bureau is hosting its eighth-annual Be a Tourist in Your Own Town event Friday, June 5, at various locations across Port Huron.

Events designed to get residents out of their comfort-zone and into the community include, narrated trolley tours, cruises on the Huron Lady II, tours of the Thomas Edison Depot Museum, kids crafts and demonstrations at Studio 1219 and tours of the McMorran tower.

Additions to this year’s tourist-day include, Red Cross clowns, musical acts, face painting, actors performing in period dress, as well as the introduction of a Shipwreck Series.

Judi Stewart, Sales Manager for the Blue Water Area CVB, said the program was started for area residents who had never been to attractions in their own town.

She believes that the event is not only good advertising and promoting the area, but also gives residents a chance to experience first-hand what the Blue Water Area has to offer.

“We wanted our own residents to say, ‘Wow, that’s cool,’” she said.

Transportation between the event sites will be provided free of charge by the city transportation department on eight of its trolleys and busses. All events throughout the day are free, except for cruises aboard the Huron Lady, which are $5 each and leave the dock at corner of Military and Water streets at 10:30 a.m., 11:45 a.m., 1 p.m., 2:15 p.m., 3:30 p.m. and 5 p.m.

Lee Perry, Executive Director of Studio 1219, expressed excitement about the day’s events.

“What’s really cool is the Seaway Terminal,” he said, which will have several activities for every member of the family, including a marine flea market sponsored by the Port Huron Museum, a Great Lakes Nautical Society ship show, tours of the U.S. Coast Guard cutter Bramble, a game-zone and underwater videos.

Perry feels the event is a good opportunity for the people of Port Huron and surrounding communities to get in-line with what the Blue Water Area has to offer.

“They (residents) are truly the ambassadors for the area,” he said.

Stewart said the program promotes community and believes, that the more community is involved, the more the community will support local businesses and each other. She said it is important for residents to bond together as a community.

“Especially in these tough economic times, we really need that,” she said.

(((Be A Tourist In Your Own Town Schedule of Events)))