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| Great Lakes Maritime Heritage Center |
 The June 15 opening of NOAA's Great Lakes Maritime Heritage Center won't be the only summer highlight for the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary. In July, the sanctuary will host its 8th Annual Thunder Bay Maritime Festival, which is open free to the public and includes live entertainment, family-friendly activities and plenty of good food.
During the festival, visitors can explore the newly opened visitor's center and its interactive exhibits, watch films about the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary and nationwide sanctuary program and shop at the store. They will learn about NOAA programs by visiting various booths and participating in activities that highlight the National Marine Sanctuary Program, Coast Survey, Great Lakes Environmental Research Lab, National Geodetic Service, National Weather Service and Sea Grant.
Other government agencies also attend the festival to educate the public. In the past, these have included the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, U.S. Coast Guard and Michigan Department of Natural Resources Fisheries Division.
And there's plenty of pure fun. Last year, festival-goers toured the tall ship Highlander Sea, the Sea Cadet training vessel Pride of Michigan and several NOAA research vessels and participated in live scuba and remotely operated vehicle (ROV) demonstrations. Children built and sailed their own model boats, learned about underwater archaeology and played games. Everyone enjoyed the annual Family Boat Building Event.
For those who are first-time visitors to the sanctuary, the festival is a great opportunity to investigate the nearly $6 million Great Lakes Maritime Heritage Trail, which opened to the public last year and features a National Geodetic Survey marker. The 2,800-foot trail runs through the 29-acre Historic Fletcher Paper Mill Redevelopment Complex and features a foot bridge to Rotary Island, a new dock for visiting tall ships, outdoor maritime exhibits and 20 historic markers.
To learn more about the Thunder Bay Maritime Festival, and to check for an updated list of activities and events, call (989) 356-8805 or visit http://thunderbay.noaa.gov.
For More Information:
Alpena Convention & Visitors Bureau
(800) 4-ALPENA
www.alpenacvb.com
Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary
Visitor's Center: (989) 356-8005
thunderbay.noaa.gov
Thunder Bay Scuba
(989) 356-6228
www.tbscuba.com
NAUI
(800) 553-6284
www.nauiww.org
PADI
(800) 729-7234
www.padi.com
SSI
(970) 482-0883
www.divessi.com
YMCA Scuba
(800) 872-9622
www.ymca.net/scuba/
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