Motown Winter Blast Goes 'XL' for Super Bowl XL - 14-Block Festival Celebrates City, Embraces the Cold and Offers Cool Backdrop for Super Bowl

Motown Winter Blast Goes 'XL' for Super Bowl XL - 14-Block Festival Celebrates City, Embraces the Cold and Offers Cool Backdrop for Super Bowl

Smash Mouth, Clint Black and KEM Perform Free, Outdoor Concerts at Motown Winter Blast

DETROIT, Feb. 2 /PRNewswire/ -- The Detroit Super Bowl XL Host Committee is excited to kickoff Motown Winter Blast, the winter festival created as the backdrop for Super Bowl XL in Detroit. The event, happening February 2-5, opens to the public today at 4 p.m. ET and will occupy more than 14 city blocks in the heart of downtown Detroit and feature activities such as dog sledding and ice sculptures, performances by Olympic figure skaters, 40 restaurants and 60 musical performances including such national acts as Motown recording artist KEM, country music powerhouse Clint Black, blues and alternative rock hit makers Smash Mouth.

Motown Winter Blast features exciting outdoor entertainment zones, including the General Motors Ice Garden, Ford Motor Company Family Fun Zone, Chrysler Jeep(R) Dodge Taste of Detroit, and the michigan.org Winter Experience. The event is free and open to the public from 4 p.m. - 12 a.m. Thursday, 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 a.m. Friday and Saturday and 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. on Sunday.

The event attracted more than 200,000 people for its debut last year and is expected to entertain more than 250,000 Detroiters and visitors celebrating Super Bowl XL weekend. Nearly 1,000 volunteers will bring the event to life as one of the biggest festivals in Detroit history.

"We intend to deliver one of the best Super Bowl experiences in NFL history," stated Roger Penske. "Motown Winter Blast is an integral part in delivering that successful Super Bowl experience."

In the tradition of outdoor festivals at events such as the Winter Olympics, Motown Winter Blast features:

* General Motors Ice Garden -- Giant ice sculptures representing each of
the 32 NFL teams will amaze attendees. The new Detroit Marketplace will
feature local artists and vendors. The Sprint Stage will feature
national entertainment, including :

Thursday, February 2
Reefermen 6:00 p.m.
Mark Farner 7:30 p.m.
Smash Mouth 9:30 p.m.

Friday, February 3
Black Bottom Collective 6:00 p.m.
Kenny Wayne Shepherd 7:30 p.m.
Clint Black 9:30 p.m.

Saturday, February 4
Trey Songz 6:00 p.m.
Kindred The Family Soul 7:30 p.m.
KEM 9:30 p.m.

* Ford Motor Company Family Fun Zone -- This zone will offer free ice
skating in Campus Martius Park compliments of Ford Motor Company, Model
T rides and an afternoon with Red Wings alumni. Skating celebrities Todd
Eldredge, Yuka Sato, Elizabeth Punsalan and Detroit Skating Club member
Alissa Czinsy will also be on hand for live demonstrations. This zone
also features the Meijer Kid's Stage providing a wide variety of
children's activities.

* Chrysler Jeep(R) Dodge Taste of Detroit -- A taste of Detroit's finest
cuisine and top musical acts, 40 local restaurants and more than 60
local bands performing a mix of rock, R&B, jazz, country and other
music genres. Three stages include the Chrysler Jeep(R) Dodge R&B/Jazz
Stage, Fifth Third Bank Stage for a mix of music styles, and a Rock
Stage in Greektown.

* michigan.org Winter Experience -- Located right next to Campus Martius
Park, this zone will bring several fun winter events inherent to
northern Michigan such as dog sledding, snowshoeing and snowmobile
demonstrations right to the heart of downtown Detroit. The michigan.org
Winter Experience will also feature a giant 200-foot long snow slide.

Additionally, Winter Blast officials have created "DTE Energy Comfort Zones," where festival revelers can get "heat every 150 feet" to warm up from wintry weather.

Motown Winter Blast sponsors include General Motors Corporation; Ford Motor Company; DaimlerChrysler Corporation; michigan.org; AAA Michigan; Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network; BlueWater Technologies; Chase; Comerica Incorporated; Coors Brewing Company; DTE Energy; Fifth Third Bank; Gillette; Lear Corporation; Meijer, Inc; Motorola; Pepsi; Sharpie; Sprint; Visa and Visteon Corporation.

For additional information on the Motown Winter Blast, visit http://www.motownwinterblast.com/ or call 313.963.8418.

The Detroit Super Bowl XL Host Committee (http://www.sbxl.org/) is a private, self-funded non-profit organization serving as the official liaison between the National Football League and the metro Detroit community to prepare for Super Bowl XL in 2006. Coordinating efforts with the hospitality, government and corporate officials, the Host Committee was formed as part of the bid process specified by the NFL and crafted to suit metro Detroit's needs.

PLEASE NOTE FOR LIVE TELEVISION BROADCASTS:

Host Committee/Motown Winter Blast Stand Up/Live Location

The Detroit Super Bowl XL Host Committee has a platform in downtown Detroit for stand ups/live shots during Super Bowl week. The location is in the heart of the Motown Winter Blast.

The site will be active Monday, January 30 - Sunday, February 5, 2006. Scheduling begins at 5:00 a.m. and ends at 12:00 midnight daily.

Television and satellite truck parking is not permitted in the Motown Winter Blast zone.

There are a variety of options for broadcast. Costs vary per option.

For additional information contact: Sheldon Nueman at:
* 800.574.2290 or 734.266.0500 x14 or 248.789.2430 (cell)
* Email request can be sent to: superbowlmedia@jpitel.com

Source: Detroit Super Bowl XL Host Committee

CONTACT: Heather Shimkos George, +1-313-832-2210 x14, or +1-248-417-5773
cell, hjg@loviogeorgeinc.com, or Aamira Bussey, +1-313-832-2210 x17,
+1-734-546-1476 cell, akb@loviogeorgeinc.com, both of lovio|george|inc

Web site: http://www.sbxl.org/
http://www.motownwinterblast.com/

-------
Profile: intent