I have a few items to share with you today. First, the tall ships are returning this August. There will be 9 ships that will make their way to Sturgeon Bay on August 3 for the night, then on to Green Bay for the Baylake Bank Tall Ship Festival August 5-7. Two of the nine ships are international. One is a Spanish War Galleon and the other is called the Draken Harald Harfagre, translated to mean the Dragon Harold Fairhair. The Draken Harald Harfagre is the world's largest Viking ship built in modern times. She was built in Haugesund, Norway with traditional craftsmanship and historical knowledge about the Viking ships found in archaeological findings and the Norse sagas. The ship is 111 feet long, 25 feet wide, with an 82 feet beam and weighs more than 90 tons. She is sailed with a 260 square meter sail, or rowed with 25 pairs of oars, and is maneuvered by a steering oar. 32 Viking sailors will take the ship from Norway to America on Expedition America 2016. Because of our plentiful Scandinavian heritage in Door County, the DCVB has opted to sponsor this ship. Although the name Door County can not be on the actual ship, our name will be in many promotional places prior to and at the festival. We believe this is another great opportunity to put Door County out there regionally as well as pay a bit of homage to our strong Scandinavian heritage. There will be more info in future newsletters, but if you want more information on this fascinating ship, go on-line and search for the ship's name.

 

Another item to share with you is of a great partnership opportunity.  We know that Door County has a strong Midwestern brand and if we combine that with the international brand of Green Bay and the Packers -a unique partnership is within our grasp. I have been working with Brad Toll, the CEO of the Green Bay Visitor Bureau, on areas we may be able to partner together to create a great draw to Northeastern Wisconsin, items that at times we could not accomplish alone. Our first endeavor of this partnership will be the IPW, the International Travel Marketplace held each year in the United States. Brad has attended before and relayed to me that many of the people they have talked to in the past have asked about Door County and its distance from Green Bay. After discussion it appears to be a perfect opportunity to present both destinations and their proximity, to the international marketplace. The show is this June so we will see if this works well for Door County. Hopefully there will other opportunities to partner with Green Bay.

 

Stay warm.  Winter has decided to settle in for a bit I believe. Brrr.