The Detroit/Wayne County Port Authority hosted a Port Day this past Saturday, in celebration of the return of Great Lakes Cruise Shipping, according to a press release.

The event has been organized in collaboration with the Detroit Historical Society (DHS), Visit Detroit, and American Queen Voyages (AQV). The DHS offered information about artifacts and the history of Great Lakes cruise ships, and Visit Detroit provided details about local institutions and tourist attractions.

The experience was enhanced by AQV, which gave a group of local officials a tour of the Ocean Navigator while it was docked for the day and presented the Port Authority with a plaque in appreciation of everyone’s cooperation and support for both cruising and the region’s tourism industry.

In addition to its educational context, the event provided its visitors with a range of other festivities, such as music and dancing with Paws, the Detroit Tigers mascot, who was also named the “Captain of the Day.”

“The event was a tremendous success that helped further our mission to bring awareness of the benefits of the Great Lakes to our community and local economy,” said Mark Schrupp, executive director, Detroit Port Authority.

The next Port Day will honor maritime professionals, including those aboard ships and dockside, and will be held on August 20, once again at the Port Authority’s headquarters, as further announced. The upcoming event will focus on current jobs and the history of marine work and double as a job fair for the industry. AQV’s Michael Hicks confirmed that his company will attend the event in order to recruit people from Detroit to work on their ships and riverboats across the nation.