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NEWS
PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Judi McCullough 847-491-9608) – cell: 847-271-3181 judi2720@aol.com
Sarah Munley 312-373-7256 sm@shorelinesightseeing.com
Chip Collopy 312-321-0428 cell: 312-446-1520 cec@shorelinesightseeing.com
Liz Johnson 312-342-4304- ejohnson@brightsparkconsultants.com
July 25, 2009
SHORELINE SIGHTSEEING CELEBRATES 70TH BIRTHDAY JULY 30TH
Celebration Will Include 700 Free Skyline Tours and 700 Free Ferris Wheel Rides;
Will also Announce Free Skyline Tours for those born in 1939 and New Shoreline Water Taxi Docks.
Chicago, IL: Shoreline Sightseeing will hold an official 70th Birthday Party on Thursday, July 30th at 11:30 am at Navy Pier. The party site will be on the west wall on the South Dock of the Pier, right outside the entrance gates. As part of the celebration, Shoreline is hosting free Skyline Boat Tours for the first 700 passengers that day between 11:00 am and 3:00 pm. Navy Pier will also host 700 free Ferris Wheel rides between those same hours in honor of Shoreline’s 70th Birthday event. Tickets for both the Skyline Boat Tours and the Ferris Wheel free rides will be available at Shoreline’s ticket booth near their west dock on Navy Pier.
Special guests from Navy Pier and the MPEA (Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority) will attend as will two generations of the Collopy family who have owned and operated Shoreline Sightseeing since 1939. Charles Collopy, Sr., owner of Shoreline Sightseeing from 1978 to 2001 will emcee a short program. Sons Chip Collopy and Matt Collopy, current owners of Shoreline Sightseeing, will also take part. The program will include several special announcements including an invitation to anyone born in 1939 to enjoy free Skyline Tours for the rest of Shoreline’s 2009 season. Shoreline also will announce Water Taxi services from new docks at Erie Street and at Wells & Wacker opposite the Merchandise Mart.
“It’s an honor to be celebrating our 70th birthday as part of the Chicago tourism industry,” said Shoreline co-owner Chip Collopy. “We wanted to give something back for our birthday. The 700 free Skyline Boat Tours seemed fitting since this is the tour our great uncles offered in 1939. Our thanks to Navy Pier for offering 700 free Ferris Wheel rides on the day of our Birthday party,” said Collopy. “We were among the first tenants at Navy Pier and have always enjoyed being part of the Pier family.”
Shoreline will offer free Skyline Tours to anyone who was born in 1939 for the remainder of the season. “We thought it fitting to give a gift to any Chicagoan or visitor who was born the same year as Shoreline and what better way than to offer them a free Skyline Tour for the rest of the season,” said Collopy. The free Skyline Tours are available to anyone with valid Driver’s License or ID showing a 1939 birth date.
Shoreline’s Skyline Boat Tour leaves from Navy Pier and encompasses the entire panorama of Chicago’s famous skyline and landmarks in a dramatic 30-minute cruise. Shoreline Sightseeing began in 1939 with one speedboat giving Lake Michigan tours and has since grown to become Chicago’s largest boat touring company with nine major touring boats and ten water taxis. They offer Chicago River Architecture Cruises, Lake Michigan Skyline Boat Tours, Fireworks Cruises and a variety of themed cruises for holidays and special events as well as Water Taxis and private charters.
Complete information on all Shoreline Cruises is available at www.shorelinesightseeing.com.