Meridian Winter Blast to return, but organizers seek sponsor for 200-foot snow slide

The Meridian Winter Blast is coming back for another year, though one of its main attractions still hangs in the balance. 

Known as Detroit’s Motown Winter Blast until last year, the event is planned for Feb. 6-8 in Campus Martius Park and Cadillac Square. The festival features snow-shoeing, dog sleds, an ice sculpture garden and other winter-themed attractions. 

However, according to event producer Jonathan Witz of Pontiac-based Jonathan Witz & Associates, the popular snow slide is still in need of a sponsor. 

The slide, made from 2,000 tons of snow brought in by Shanty Creek Resorts in Bellaire, is 32 feet high and 200 feet long; it  takes eight days to build. According to Witz, the slide costs about $75,000 to build and brings in about $23,000 in revenue. 

“It’s the most expensive thing [at the festival] and also one of the strongest attractions. The good news is the festival can thrive without the slide, but obviously the crowds are stronger with it,” Witz said. 

Witz and his partners are still looking for a $45,000-$50,000 sponsor to offset the cost of the slide. 

The festival, which brings in an average of 80,000 people each year, has an approximate budget of $400,000 to $475,000, depending if the slide is produced. 

Winter Blast began in 2005; that year’s event was a test for the 2006 event, which coincided with the Super Bowl in Detroit. In 2005, the festival budget was $1.3 million; about 200,000 people attended. In 2006, the festival budget was $3.3 million; about 1 million people attended the event that year, Witz said.

“What’s really interesting is that it was the success of the festival in 2005, without the Super Bowl, that started the want to continue it on,” Witz said. “There was no big game and a few folks were skeptical, but it did well and we decided it could be an annual thing.” 

Detroit-based Meridian Health Plan is the title sponsor for the event and will run a free snowshoe course. Detroit-based Quicken Loans Inc. is the presenting sponsor of the event. The General Motors Foundation will sponsor the Winter Blast Off, an interactive winter-science presentation tent. Troy-basedFlagstar Bank will sponsor an ice sculpture garden. Ice skating, minus skate rentals, will be free all weekend sponsored by Warren-based St. John Providence Health System. The Whitney restaurant andMercury Burger Bar of Detroit have committed to be vendors at the event.