Annual Plymouth Ice Festival includes game prizes to visitors
In addition to the artistic attraction of the 100 or so sculptures filling the downtown streets during the Plymouth Ice Festival this weekend, visitors will have another reason to visit downtown shops and restaurants.
Sponsored by the Downtown Development Authority and the Plymouth Rotary Club, the festival will include a Bingo game designed to bring visitors into local businesses. Last year, during the event, thousands of visitors enjoyed the game and the multiple prizes and gift certificates offered by local merchants.
James Gietzen, of JAG Entertainment which produces the festival, said the game was an added inducement to visitors and a help to both local merchants and the community.
“Once again, the Rotary Club has contributed to ensuring the success of this community event,” he said. The Rotary Foundation has helped subsidize the purchase of the ice carvings at the merchants participating in the Bingo games, he explained.
To play, visitors simply pick up an empty Bingo card at one of the participating merchants, and then begin collecting stickers from the others in the downtown area who are participating in the game. Visitors fill their cards with stickers from the various businesses until one line on the card is filled creating a Bingo. Visitors can then take a photo of the board and email it to bingo@plymouthmi.gov to enter the contest drawing. A grand prize winner will be randomly selected from entries that have filled the entire game card.
“It means more ice carvings which makes the event more successful,” Gietzen said. “This is one more time the Rotary Club has helped to ensure the success of a community event in addition to all the contributions the club and foundation make to so many area groups and clubs.”
Gietzen said he believes the game will be attractive to visitors because it is fun gathering the various stickers necessary to fill the card to complete Bingo. The cards are then turned into the DDA and entered into a drawing for gift cards and prizes. There are 24 local businesses participating in the game this year.
“It is fun,” Gietzen said. “Last year the merchants gave away more than 50 gift cards to players.”
The Bingo cards and stickers are available at the participating businesses identified by signage in the front of the individual businesses.
