CROTON, Mich., Aug. 3 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Consumers Energy and
the Croton-Hardy Business Alliance announced today they will host
centennial activities during the weekend of Aug. 18-19 to celebrate Croton
Dam's 100 years of service to Michigan's electric customers.
The two-day celebration includes tours of the Croton Dam, history
displays, a vintage baseball game pitting the Ludington Mariners against
the Coopersville Muldoons, and many other community events.
The celebration starts at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 18 at the Community
Church Hall in Croton with a presentation on the history of Croton Dam and
Consumers Energy. The presentation will be provided by Jim Bernier, senior
natural resource manager for Consumers Energy's Hydro Generation.
"Renewable hydro power remains one of Michigan's most important
homegrown energy sources to serve the needs of customers," Bernier said.
"We're proud and pleased that Michigan has been able to count on this
reliable, renewable energy for a century and that Croton Dam will continue
to serve customers in the future."
Croton Dam tours will be conducted from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday,
Aug. 18. The tours will begin at nearby Conklin Park, the headquarters for
the celebration. Tickets for the tour are free and will be available at the
park. Food and information booths also will be located at Conklin Park.
The tour and vintage baseball game revisit events that took place a
century ago after the completion of Croton Dam in 1907. The Grand Rapids
mayor at that time, George Ellis, and several hundred business and
government officials journeyed by special train to the site to tour the
dam. Ellis, an avid baseball fan, then organized several games in the
fields near the dam, with his team of city officials emerging as the
victors.
The current mayor of Grand Rapids, George Heartwell, is expected to be
on hand for pre-game ceremonies scheduled for 3:45 p.m. and to toss out the
first pitch.
Events on Saturday, Aug. 18, also will include a kayak race, a
historical Croton village tour with interpreters, and a woodcarving
demonstration at Conklin Park. Activities on Sunday, Aug. 19 will start
with a pancake breakfast, followed by a community spirit walk, a boat
parade, a firefighter's water battle, and an old-fashioned ice cream
social.
"The Croton and Hardy Dams are as important to the local economy today
as they were to the emerging Grand Rapids economy a century ago. For us
this is a celebration of a century-long partnership between Consumers
Energy and the Croton-Hardy business community," said Tim Frisbie,
president of the business alliance.
The logo selected for the Croton Dam Centennial was designed by Newaygo
High School art student Brandi Fifield, one of 25 art students who took
part in the logo contest. All of the student entries will be on display at
the celebration.
All events are open to the public with parking at Conklin Park. For a
brochure about the Croton centennial celebration, visit
http://www.consumersenergy.com, and type "Hydro Welcome" in the search field. Then
click on the "Hydro Welcome" link and on that page, scroll down and click
on the link to the brochure.
Consumers Energy's 13 hydroelectric dams have the capacity to generate
132 megawatts of renewable electricity at facilities on the Au Sable,
Manistee, Muskegon, Grand and Kalamazoo rivers. The reservoirs created by
the dams provide recreational opportunities. Nearly 15,000 acres of
Consumers Energy land adjacent to the dams are open to the public.
Consumers Energy, the principal subsidiary of CMS Energy, provides
natural gas and electricity to nearly 6.5 million of Michigan's 10 million
residents in all 68 Lower Peninsula counties.
For more information about Consumers Energy, visit our Website at
http://www.consumersenergy.com
SOURCE Consumers Energy
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Related links:
http://www.consumersenergy.com
http://www.prnewswire.com/comp/203850.html /
CONTACT:
Kelly Farr, +1-989-891-3451, for Consumers
Energy
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