The Mason County Press probably has published the most fact-filled article on a new addition to the area's summertime entertainment, a celebration and contest of our past called HistoryPrize:

Ludington selected to host History Prize in 2016.

October 24, 2014

LUDINGTON — Ludington was selected among nine Michigan cities to host a new History Prize event – a historically-inspired, 19-day event of reenactments, collections and fixed exhibits competing for $150,000 in prize money. A social experiment inspired by Grand Rapids’ ArtPrize, the event will be a creative platform for everything history that will be free and open to the public.

“We are ecstatic to be selected as the host city of this innovative new event that complements our local efforts to develop and showcase cultural assets as visitor attractions,” said Brandy Henderson, executive director of the Ludington Area Convention and Visitors Bureau who spearheaded the bid process for Ludington. “This brings our region to a whole new level as a visitor destination – not to mention offering an enriching cultural experience for our residents.”

Ludington was chosen among nine cities to host the competition, including Sault Sainte Marie, Marquette, Traverse City, Muskegon, Holland, Grand Rapids, Bay City and Detroit. MacKay credited the city’s strong community collaboration, proactive approach to cultural enrichment through its Cultural Economic Development Council, and existing historic assets such as the S.S. Badger and Historic White Pine Village that will add to the visitor experience. She also noted that the Badger will serve not only as a historic visitor attraction, but also as a key transportation link for visitors and exhibitors in neighboring states in the Midwest.

“Ludington is an authentic community where history is a part of its every fiber – from maritime, to agricultural, to Great Lakes resort/tourism history. Its history is all encompassing, making it a natural fit,” said event founder Mara MacKay, a Michigan-based history author. “Plus, we were looking for community collaboration and enthusiasm in a host city – and Ludington demonstrated those qualities in spades.”

MacKay won the Jump Start contest by the Michigan Lodging and Tourism Association at the 2014 Pure Michigan Governor’s Conference on Tourism that funds the best tourism-related start-up business idea among five finalists.

“My vision of History Prize is to create an open platform – something that has never been done for history – where anyone can find a voice in the conversation about what is history and why it matters,” said MacKay. “My dream is that this event also will serve as an important catalyst for heritage tourism in Michigan.”

History Prize will feature three categories of historic expression where individuals can participate as exhibitors: Living History, Historical Collections and Fixed Exhibits. The event is open to any historical means of expression and any era, collection, culture, performance and innovation of heritage tourism.

“This history event will emulate the spirit of Art Prize in that it is a multi-day event with members of the public competing for a prize. We also hope it will spur conversations about history like Art Prize did about art,” said MacKay. “That being said, it is a separate, unrelated entity – in fact, the name most likely will change. But we can learn much from ArtPrize’s successes, and we are grateful to have Art Prize representatives on our statewide advisory committee.”

History Prize is scheduled to debut in the summer of 2016. It will feature approximately 1,000 exhibits throughout the Ludington area. Winners will be determined by a popular vote, with prize money totaling $150,000. MacKay estimates that the event will draw 100,000 people to Ludington over the 19-day event, booking up to 12,000 hotel room nights within a 60-mile radius. She also said the potential estimated economic impact to Ludington and the surrounding community could be $5 to $10 million.

Now that the location has been selected, planners will move to elect a governing board that will complement a statewide advisory group comprised of Michigan historians, directors of regional history centers and museums, members of the Historical Society of Michigan, artists and Art Prize representatives. Registration for exhibitors and venues will open around summer 2015.

Information about History Prize will be posted on its Facebook page at www.facebook.com/HistoryPrizeLudington

Like art, most everyone should be able to appreciate history, so the concept is perhaps well-founded, but the planners of this event do have a lot of tasks in front of them to display what took place behind them.

The initial History Prize is tentatively scheduled to run between June 20 and July 8, 2016, a time where Ludington is notoriously crowded already with tourists for Gus Macker, Lakestride, and through the Independence Day weekends.   If History Prize is as successful as imagined, will our small borough known as Ludington be able to handle logistically the deluge of tourists at a time when lodging facilities are often full anyway?

Will we have the ability to successfully handle showcasing up to 1000 historical exhibits, collections, and re-enactments?

Will this 'social experiment inspired by ArtPrize' have a positive impact on the community and its heritage, or perhaps drown it out?

Will the free contest attract more private funding than it has already, or receive a significant portion of its funding through grants and other taxpayer-funded channels experimenting with Cultural Economic Development (CED) as the rationale? 

Ludington has already put a lot of public money towards CED planning and to back a historic district down Ludington Avenue, both of which haven't worked out that well for the time, money and effort spent.  Time will tell whether this history contest has a future or is better relegated to the past.  

What are your thoughts on this historical development? 

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I agree X. The timing seems to be out of sync. Not enough hotels to handle all the extra people. My other concern is if taxpayers will be footing the bill for unmentioned expenses. I think the concept is good and I would like to see it succeed if my wallet is not robbed to pay for it.

HistoryPrize's brainchild Mara MacKay looks to have joined earlier today and added a few pictures, so hopefully we can have some additional insight into the planning of the event.  Hopefully this can be made to work without too much government subsidization.  Heaven knows our tax money is not being used for what it should be, and I can see the local government further neglecting the basics to spruce up the waterfront and downtown. 

A rather surprising turn of events was announced earlier today, and the two local media (COLDNews and MCP) seem to differ on their reportage of it.  The COLDNews says:  The Ludington Area Convention and Visitors Bureau announced this afternoon that an 11-member panel has withdrawn Ludington as a possible host city for the 2016 History Prize.  Then interviews CVB President Brandy Henderson and Bill Anderson to stress the lack of financial fortitude.

The MCP says:  "The Ludington Area Visitors and Convention Bureau has separated itself from History Prize. However, the founder of the organization says she will continue to bring the event to Ludington. A press release from the CVB stated the History Prize Board met recently and voted unanimously to not be part of the event and further that the CVB was backing that decision."  Then the MCP interviews the founder Mary MacKay who still wants to use Ludington for the event and has still scheduled two meetings in March and April to work out details. 

Apparently, the CVB and the other parties that used a lot of money to be awarded this honor, now are backing off for some reason.  I bet the reason has to do with not being able to get more grants and other subsidies from the state than they originally thought, beyond the fact that History Prize could leave the area at a moments notice.

It will be interesting to find out exactly what is going on with the History Prize event. 

Dear Torch Readers:

Informational meetings are being offered at the Book Mark and you can register your spot at one of the 90-minute educational meetings by emailing mara@historyprize.org ~ I look forward to being in Ludington this summer and hope to meet many Torch readers once I have relocated in Ludington. Currently, I am staying in the UP as planned to allow my kids to finish the school year here. Although there is a great deal of work to do, I'm looking forward to advancing this project for Mason County. Hopefully on track for 2016 since notable historical groups have reached out to participate in the History Prize event. Again, many details will be provided during the informational meetings in March and April. All openings for March have been taken but the April 21-23 meetings from 4:00-5:30 and 6:00-7:30 are available. Thank you Torch readers for your continued interest, support and positive energy to make this event happen on West Michigan's shore! Also, I have donated books to the Ludington Public Library which can provide a different perspective of the project and it also allows readers to get to know who the History Prize founder is (as a person) and what some of my hopes are for The History Prize Project, overall.  Again, please feel free to email: mara@historyprize.org  - to reserve a place at the introductory, educational meetings for History Prize in Ludington. :) Historically, Mara 

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If the school year is the main determining factor of the timing, then I wouldn't promote it either. I'd rather see the very interesting history of the area shared with the locals, say Sept.-Oct..  I didn't see any mention of the industrial side of the area either. Founded in the timber era, then industrializing with the carferry/railroad/manufacturing that was the base for a strong vital year-round economy. There is a lot of people locally with pictures and souvenirs of history more than willing to share too. If the idea is geared at whom will appreciate it and has time to invest the most, the locals, this could catch on, jmo.

Good luck Mara, I hope this succeeds.

I can't talk for everyone here, but I am extremely interested in how history prize is progressing, and hope to make the April meeting.  Can you record the March event and share it with us here, or provide it on the History Prize Facebook page (which I would invite Facebookers to friend like I did)?

This would greatly benefit the snowbirds and those people who want to attend but can't fit it in with their busy schedule.  Historically, the people around here are very interested in history.  Please do not get dissuaded by those of our community leaders that do not have both forward and backward vision.  Just remember what happened here when History Prize becomes a success and the Convention and Visitor's Bureau wants to get a piece of it.   I definitely second Willy's sentiments.

I just found out that the Ludington Convention and Visitor's Bureau (CVB) bid $30,000 to get History Prize for Ludington way back in October 2014:  Last year, the LACVB bid $30,000 to host the event, which is based ...

Then three months later, they decide that they are not going to be able to pull it off, so they retreat.  The $30,000 mostly comes from area lodging facilities who pay a 'room tax' to the CVB for each occupancy they have for their establishments.  It's not clear that the bid is refundable, it probably isn't, but the CVB's leadership (Former Mayor Henderon's daughter, Brandy, pictured left) should come under scrutiny after making Ludington leadership look foolish.  Everyone knows that's my job, LOL. 

Mr. Anderson makes some valid points. I'm sure he was all excited about Ludington sponsoring the event. But a million dollars is a lot of money and the fact that even with the possibility of extensive infrastructure that may be needed he required some assurance that the venue would stay in Ludington. It probably would have helped if a contract had been drawn up that gave Ludington exclusive rights to host History Prize for a set number of years but I guess it was not in the cards.

Anderson's concerns about funding is not groundless, and you can be sure this was not an easy decision for him to make, be it an official board or not. 

But the CVB Board on the other hand has to look at its involvement in their expenditure of $30,000.  Brandy Henderson, the mostly inexperienced and nepotistic executive director is the easy scapegoat to point at, but if you look at the rest of the CVB staff, you have Brandy's old boss, current executive director of the Ludington Scottville Chamber of Commerce, and current DDA Treasurer, Kathy McLean serving as co-finance director of the CVB. 

Is it a red flag to anybody that this one woman is intimately involved with the monetary/administration of three groups, one a public body (the DDA), one a public/private body (the CVB), and a private body (the L/S CC)?  Was it a red flag to anyone when I mentioned that she was also involved in fraud and other unethical acts?  As Brandy's mentor, she was more than likely highly involved in this gambit.

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