FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 25, 2007
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Contact Anna Sacks at 920 493 3334
or pat mAcdonald at 920 559 9693
pmAcd333@gmail.com
Eds.: The spelling of mAcdonald is correct.
STURGEON BAY, WISCONSIN. Holiday Motel Management, LLC, announced today that the corporation had completed the purchase of the historic Holiday Motel. Opened for business in 1952, the first motel in Door County is located at the approach to the Michigan Street Bridge in downtown Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin.
The consortium of investors includes noted singer/songwriter Jackson Browne of Santa Monica, California; local rock legend pat mAcdonald; historic preservationist Paul Wozniac; two out-of-state entrepreneurs; and several members of the Door County business community. Anna Sacks, a songwriter from San Francisco who relocated to Sturgeon Bay after attending last summer's Steel Bridge Songfest, will manage the motel.
"We're honored to be the proprietors of this little piece of Door County history," said mAcdonald, creative director for the project, "We're going to keep it running as a motel, keep the classic look and feel of the place, while making little improvements. We'll continue to host the songwriters for Steel Bridge Songfest, and eventually hold events year round. We're going to fire up the local scene by bringing in creative influences from all over the world."
The gathering of investors was itself a creative endeavor. Many were involved in the 2006 Steel Bridge Songfest, a music festival founded by mAcdonald and his sister Christie Weber. The Songfest was designed to raise money and awareness to preserve the Michigan Street Bridge. In its second year, the festival featured a songwriter's workshop where 25 songwriters joined in collaboration and wrote and recorded more than 60 songs. The experience was so inspiring that Sacks wanted to continue it year-round. mAcdonald knew the motel was on the market and the idea took hold.
Plans are to have quarterly songwriting festivals at the motel and to install an on-site recording studio. Steel Bridge Songs Vol. 1, a collection of songs from the 2006 sessions recorded at the motel, will be released this summer.
Browne has performed at the last two Songfest concerts and was present at the songwriting workshops when the idea was presented. His interest in historic preservation, original music and artistic collaboration led him to join the investment group.
The corporation will submit an application for listing the motel on the National Register of Historic Places. Any upgrades and renovations will be undertaken with the idea of preserving the motel's original beauty and charm. Noted bluesman Chris Aaron will manage the on-site recording studio.
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