Community arts building, theater at State Fairgrounds get upgrades, will house year-round auto fair

Tuesday, August 12, 2008
The State Fairgrounds is being highlighted in a collaborative effort to promote its -- and the region's -- automotive heritage. A week-long event, AutoFair,  runs through Aug 16 and will kick-off the grand opening of a permanent automotive display and meeting center that will operate year-round in the renovated theater and arts building.

The parties involved are MotorCities National Heritage Area, Motorcities Dreamakers and the Detroit Metropolitan Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Motorcities Dreamakers have completed renovations to the 24,000-square-foot community arts building and the 600-seat theater. After the AutoFair is over, the entities are partnering to mount a permanent exhibit and operate meeting and conference space. The DMCVB will market the facility nationwide to car clubs and companies with an automotive bent.

Proceeds from the AutoFair also will go towards refurbishing the Veterans Memorial Flame at the Fairgrounds. It has been out of commission for decades. The flame will be a hologram so it will have no carbon footprint.

Why all the auto focus at the Fairgrounds? The site has a significant auto industry and labor heritage: It was the home of early General Motors Autorama and competitive open-wheel auto racing in the 1940s and ‘50s that led to the formation of the National Street Rod Association. "For the MotorCities National Heritage Area, [we want to show] the Michigan State Fairgrounds for what it represents from an auto heritage point of view," says Gary Familian, managing director of the MotorCities National Heritage Area. "We're making it one of our places."

The Fairgrounds will now be featured on the organization's web site and in all of its auto-themed tourism materials.

Source: Gary Familian, MotorCities National Heritage Area
Writer: Kelli B. Kavanaugh

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