Emily T Gail Talks Story with Vance Patrick, Detroit's Belle Isle Aquarium

Emily T Gail Talk Story

I met Vance Patrick at the farewell retirement party at the Detorit Historical Museum for Bob and Mary Ann Bury celebrating Bob's 16 years as CEO and Executive Director and their efforts as a team.
I had read about the reopening of the The Belle Isle Aquarium and when Vance Patrick who was at the helm along with others of getting the Aquarium reopened said come let me show you around I did so a few days later. As we were talking I decided to turn on my recorder and I am glad I did.
As always I record and no editing. It is what it is and I feel this was one very worthwhile conversation with Vance. I appreciate he took the time to educate me.
They get up to 5,000-6,000 people over the weekend who come enjoy the free admission and easy to walk through Belle Isle Aquarium. It was a steady stream of all ages coming through as we walked around.
Some history of the Belle Isle public aquarium located in Belle Isle Park in Detroit, Michigan. Designed by noted architects George D. Mason and Albert Kahn,[5] it opened on August 18, 1904, and was the oldest continually operating public aquarium in North America when it closed on April 3, 2005.[2] The aquarium reopened to the public on August 18, 2012, and is now run entirely by volunteers.[6] The 10,000-square-foot (930 m2) historic building features a single large gallery with an arched ceiling covered in green glass tile to evoke an underwater feeling.[1][7]
The aquarium was operated by the Detroit Zoological Society prior to the 2005 closure. It is currently operated by the Belle Isle Conservancy.
August 3, 2005, Detroit citizens voted to reopen the aquarium by an overwhelming margin (88% in favor, 12% opposed).[11] However, the vote was non-binding and the aquarium remained closed. In 2010, supporters of the aquarium were still trying to find donors to help defray the building's operating costs.[11]
Although the building was closed between 2005 and 2012, goldfish and koi from an outside pond were housed in the aquarium during the winter.[11] Each year in February, the aquarium opened for a day for the annual "Shiver on the River,"[11] a fund raising event to promote public support of Belle Isle non-profit groups including the Friends of Belle Isle Aquarium.[2]
On 14 August 2012, The Belle Isle Conservancy, a non-profit volunteer group established in 2011 from the merger of the Friends of Belle Isle Aquarium and other Belle Isle non-profit groups, announced the re-opening of the aquarium on a limited basis. The aquarium was reopened on 18 August 2012, the 108th anniversary of its opening.[citation needed] The aquarium is normally open Friday-Sunday However hours due to covid check their site. https://www.belleisleconservancy.org/belle-isle-aquarium