Getting the Word Out

This weekend we tried to spread the word about our trip around Lake Michigan and I would say we were pretty darn successful! On Friday we were able to have a setup with the boat at Michigan City’s First Fridays. This is a relatively new event for Michigan City’s downtown area – a variety of galleries, shops, and restaurants stay open on the first Friday of each month for some art, food, drinks, and good times. We thought it would be a fun idea to show the boat, auction off a few of the leftover topographical maps of Lake Michigan that Mary made, and tell people about what we are doing very shortly. We printed out some business cards with our website address, made a poster, packed our newly printed flag, and piled the dugout and outriggers into the back of a truck.

We were lucky to be able to set up on the sidewalk in front of a great little gallery called Walnut Ink. This is a hot spot on the First Friday’s line-up and always draws a crowd for their beautiful gallery space and awesome featured artists. 

 

The forecast called for rain all week so we were prepared to get a little wet and stand in the rain – we figured we would just tell people it was good practice for the trip ;) Fortunately the weather turned around and it ended up being a cool evening with lots of people wandering the streets. Many friends, family, and interested folks perused past our setup and stopped by to chat about our adventure. 

 

Many familiar faces, many new ones, and even some newspapers! The dugout and topographical maps were a big draw at first glance just because they are works of art in and of themselves. Then when people saw our sign or overheard us talking about actually getting in this boat and using it as a means of transportation, that’s when the interest was really peaked. 

It was great to get to tell so many people about our trip and get a little support as well. Don’t worry Mr. Applegate – we will be sure to use your donation for a good six pack of beer after a hard day of paddling! (This was a promise he made us make – we will surely not break it.)   

On Saturday morning we were invited to be on one of the local radio stations. Our friend Mallory works at WIMS 1420 and was able to set up an interview during the morning talkshow. Both Mary and I were pretty nervous about it and were sure we would be pretty awkward – I know I don’t even like listening to my own voice on the answering machine, let alone a radio?! We were greeted with a great group of interviewers though and things went very smoothly. Except for the guy who called in and told us to get life insurance, everything went very smoothly. We’ll just forget about him. The radio station said that they would like to have us call in to the show every Saturday and give them updates on how the journey is going. We love this idea! The show is on Saturday mornings from 8-10am and replays from 6-8pm CST, so be sure to tune into 1420AM or www.wimsradio.com for a live stream to hear our voices chatting about crazy adventures!

Then this morning I found an article about the trip in the Beverly Shores Sand Tracks publication as well. 

 Be on the look out for more newspaper articles!