Are You (Like Me) Getting Worried About Bay City?

Is It Just Me - Or Does 'GOOD STUFF' Seem to be Happening Everywhere Else?

June 17, 2007       3 Comments
By: O. J. Cunningham

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I keep having this dream . . . My Dream Weekend in Bay City, Michigan . . .

In my dream, I am always a family of four from the Detroit suburbs. We head North on Friday after work, up I-75 and exit at the Downtown Bay City Exit.

Ahhhhhhhhhh, Bay City - Home of the Great Wolf Indoor Water Park. http://www.greatwolflodge.com

The kids' heads are already filled with images of cascading waterfalls and they are giddy with memories of screaming fun and hysterical laughing from the last time we visited Bay City - After all, we come at least 3 times a year.

Tomorrow (Saturday) is already planned. My wife and I (being from Detroit) are big baseball fans. So we've got box seats behind the third base dugout for the Bay City Rollers Semi-pro baseball game at River's Edge Park against the Lansing LugNuts.


It's going to be a great family day at the new ballpark along the Saginaw River. Bay City has such a wonderful baseball heritage - The ball park was a perfect fit for the town.

And then, back to the Great Wolf Water Park for another night of play for the kids -- And a special anniversary dinner.

Sunday, (before we head downstate) we're going to have brunch at the Rivers Edge Restaurant ("Cars & Trucks") that serves as host eatery for both the Historical Car Museum and the Antique Fire Truck Museum that are both within walking distance of our hotel.

Nobody EVER comes to Bay City without visiting "Cars & Trucks Restaurant."

But then I wake up, and realize:

There's no water park in Bay City - even though Bay City has easy access to the water supply of the the Saginaw River. Frankenmuth has the water park.

There's no baseball stadium in Bay City. Midland has the baseball team, The Great Lakes Loons.

Bay City's historical cars are buried in a hard-to-find corner of downtown. And the Fire Truck Museum is located so far off the beaten path, that many will certainly have trouble finding it.

I realize that my dream is actually a nightmare.!

Now, I don't mean to go off on a rant here . . . (apologies to Dennis Miller) . . .

First . . . let me say for the record that I LOVE BAY CITY, Michigan. I was born here, grew up here, went away, came back here and have been in business in Bay City for the past 32 years.

Nonetheless . . . and apologies (in advance) to anyone's toes that get stepped on during the next 500/1000 words . . . But, I got a problem . . .

TOPIC: Marketing & Tourism, Bay City, MI.

Let's review . . . What have we tried for um-teen (that means lots) years to make Bay City the Traverse City of the Sunrise Side?

Hometown with a Downtown . . .

Home of the Bay City Rollers . . .

Mural City . . .

City by the Bay . . .

Come Play by the Bay . . .

Madonna buys peanuts at St. Laurent Brothers . . .

Come See What Everyone Is Talking About . . .

A Beautiful View . . . of Life . . .

Not Working too good so far, is it?

We seem to be FLOUNDERING in our own bland rhetoric, and it's been going on for a long time.

I know, I know . . . Not everybody is overly fond of the tourism business. There's a lot of old-school type residents and a ton of very conservative businessmen in Bay City.

But the old-timers and the conservatives don't always get it right.

Like the old-time Real Estate Broker once said to me back in the mid 1990s. . . "We got what we got and it's workin' fine. We don't need no stinkin' fax machines . . . and we sure don't need them damn new-fangled computers and cell phones . . ."

Some old-timers are still talking the same way about tourism -- "And we sure don't need all them there outsiders/tourists clogging up the roadways . . . What we need is JOBS."

HeHeHeHe! (That is funny.) Too many locals still want to believe that some international manufacturing company is going to come along, build an automotive plant and hire 2,000 people at $45,000 per year.

That day is gone.!

Here's what I see.

Grayling's getting a Disney-like Theme Park . . . WE DON'T NEED NO THEME PARK.

Tawas is getting Cruise Ships . . . WE DON'T NEED NO CRUISE SHIPS.

Midland's got the baseball Great Lakes Loons . . . WE DON'T NEED NO BASEBALL TEAM.

Frankenmuth's got the Water Park and all that beer . . . WE DON'T NEED NO STINKIN' WATER PARK.

Standish is getting a Casino . . . WE DON'T NEED NO CASINO.

Soooooo . . . while everyone else SEEMS to be moving forward . . . Bay City's Getting "Bupkus."

Now, Don't Get Me Wrong . . . Bay City has plenty of good stuff . . .

Bay City's got WONDERFUL EVENTS:

Wednesday at the Wenona Park Bandshell . . .

Wine Festivals . . .

Art Festival . . .

Car Festivals . . .

Gallery Walks . . .

The Planetarium . . .

Historical Museum . . .

Downtown Shopping . . .

Midland Street Entertainment District . . .

No Crime . . .

River Roar . . .

Festivals of EVERY kind (St Stans, Potato, Corn, Pickle, Pig Gig, Bike Bash, Beer Bash, and on and on) . . .

The Kiosks (Waterfall & Planetarium) . . .

Appledore Tours . . .

Princess Wenona Boat Rides . . .

No Crime . . .

Walleye . . .

Kingfish Deck on the River . . .

Hooters' Deck on the River . . .

Antiques and more Antiques

Condos on the Water . . .

More Condos on the Water . . .

Downtown Condos . . .

Boat Slips and dockage . . .

Did I mention the condos? . . .

Vet's Park, Ball Diamonds & Boat Launch . . .

Wait . . . I almost forgot . . . Unity Park!

Center Avenue Historical Homes . . .

ABOVE = ALL GOOD . . .!

Now For THE BAD. BELOW = ALL BAD

What about these strange oddities in tourist marketing strategy . . .?

Bay County Civic Arena (Ice Skating Rink) is stuck in the middle of nowhere . . . on Bay City's West Side behind a bowling alley. Why not build it by the Planetarium? Why not downtown?

Antique Toy and Fire Truck Museum - It's glorious but nobody can (nor will they ever) find it . . . According to their web site, "This museum, located in Bay City, Michigan, is home to over 60 motorized fire trucks - the largest collection of fire trucks in the world. The museum also contains more than 12,000 antique and collectible toys, many of them fire, police and rescue vehicles." (Why not in Uptown at River's Edge? Why not Downtown?)

The USS Edson is going to be stuck out in the boondocks. It will probably only be found by lost and wandering tourists who are looking for the never-to-be-found Fire Truck Museum. (Why not downtown with the Appledores and the Princess Wenona Fleet?) (Why not downtown where the Cruise Ships dock?)

Historical Car Museum . . . Historical Car Museum has over a hundred vehicles on display throughout their facility. Nearly all the cars on display are for sale and are ready for someone to take them home. Or, (as their brochure states) "simply enjoy looking at the cars almost everyone has dreamed about for years. Maybe your high school hot rod is on display right now."

I bet most of you reading this column have no idea where the Historical Car Museum IS! I bet you fifty cents that you can't find it! (Bay City needs to get this company out of the back alleys of Bay City and upfront where its car collection can be enjoyed.)

We have proof that people will come to Bay City.

Remember . . . Tall Ship Celebration comes to Bay City every two or three years. People flock by the hundreds of thousands to Bay City during Tall Ship Celebration.

So it's an easy assumption to make . . . if there WAS something grand to do in Bay City, we already know that people will come . . .

Maybe it's just a Marketing problem.

VIOLA!
EUREKA!
WATSON . . . come in here!
YOIKS, and away!

That's it . . . We need to build our one big thing.

Whatever happened to "Uptown at River's Edge?"

If we build it, they will come. When they come, they will be in search of a good time, in a safe environment for a fair price. They will bring wallets full of money. And Bay City will prosper once again as the tourist capital of the Sunrise Side.

But we'd better get at it . . . before all the good ideas (Theme Park, Water Park, Pro Baseball, Casino) are taken.

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"The BUZZ" - Read Feedback From Readers!

maskedman24 Says:       On March 15, 2017 at 04:34 PM OJ june of 07?? tens yrs too late.... we have more than you mentioned fireworks fest along with uptown at downtown.... condos empty....crime increasing....pavillion with skating... you can have all that....I will enjoy what I can

O J Cunningham says:       On March 15, 2017 at 06:03 PM Bob... Ten years ago ... Wow! I guess I had it right all along, Bob I don't know if bay city will ever get out of its own way. But like a hungry Golden Retriever... I remain ever hopeful. Oj

steve Says:       On March 15, 2017 at 07:09 PM I saw the comments and read the article. I kept thinking it didn't sound completely up to date. THEN I thought to look at the date.... TWO THOUSAND SEVEN! It's an oldie, but a goodie.

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O. J. Cunningham
O. J. Cunningham is the Publisher of MyBayCity.com. Cunningham previously published Sports Page & Bay City Enterprise. He is the President/CEO of OJ Advertising, Inc. More from O. J. Cunningham

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