Hot Bands, Cool Activities At 9th Winter Blast

DETROIT (WWJ) - A lot of cool entertainment and activities are on tap for the ninth year of the Motown Winter Blast.

The full line up of festivities released on Monday includes snow shoeing, dog sledding, marshmallow roasting.

Event producer Jon Witz said this year's event, Feb. 8-10, will feature a few hockey themed activities, too.

"We have a new Hockey Shot on the Campus Martius rink, sponsored by Great Expressions Dental, with $5,000 in prizes, including, you know, great dental work packages, a weekend at the Book Cadillac hotel, tickets to Red Wings games," Witz said.

Witz said the Winter Blast music lineup, meantime, includes the area's finest talent -- with bands like the Refermen and Rock'it Science-- which includes WWJ Newsradio 950's own Bill Stevens.  (Click here to view the full main stage lineup).

Also new this year: Get a free skate rental courtesy of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, Blast Off with Science presented by the GM Foundation, check out the Detroit Red Wings Hockey Haven in the D, be there for the unveiling of the Girl Scouts of Southeastern Michigan's Cookie Van and tour the new University of Phoenix Learning Center.

Witz said organizers are expecting this year's event to draw quite a crowd.

"We're expecting attendance in the $75,000 to $95,000 range over three days," said Witz. "It's a great lift to downtown businesses, it's a great commercial for the city of Detroit, and it also showcases all the new additions, the new employees working downtown, the new businesses that are open ... It's just a wonderful thing for Detroit and we're excited to keep it going."

Get more information at winterblast.com.