Detroit Group Flies Friendship Banner Over Detroit River

A community group in Detroit will fly a 30-by-9-foot aerial banner over the Detroit River on Monday, October 12, between Belle Isle and the Gordie Howe International Bridge to thank Canadians and recognize the cross-border relationship between Detroit and Windsor.

The Detroit Downtown Partnership is supporting the initiative, which celebrates the opening of the Gordie Howe International Bridge and will display the message "Detroit and Canada are bridged in friendship." The flight is scheduled from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., weather permitting.

The Detroit Downtown Partnership, an organization founded in 1922, said the project was started after local residents proposed a public gesture of appreciation. CEO Eric B. Larson said the effort reflects the long relationship between communities on both sides of the border.

"It was an idea that was actually brought to us by some civic-minded citizens, and [they] felt that not only is this a good time to send a gesture of gratitude to our neighbours and friends in Canada, but also important to recognize the leadership and just the consistent ability to show up as it related to the completion of the Gordie Howe bridge," said Eric B. Larson, CEO of the Detroit Downtown Partnership.

Larson said the organization continues to work with Canadian partners, particularly in Windsor-Essex, while acknowledging ongoing political discussions affecting Canada-U.S. relations.

"We have been working hard with our partners in Canada, especially in Windsor-Essex, to continue to make sure people recognize that despite some of the conversation that's taking place in the political halls, there are opportunities for us to engage," said Eric B. Larson, CEO of the Detroit Downtown Partnership.

The banner initiative also recognizes the cooperation involved in completing the Gordie Howe International Bridge, which connects Detroit and Windsor as a new border crossing.

"We have for a long time, well before the current conversation that's going on, recognized the importance of this relationship. We have friends, family, and obviously co-workers that are so critically important to not just our daily lives but just the joy and quite frankly the success that our bi-national border has represented," said Eric B. Larson, CEO of the Detroit Downtown Partnership.

Larson said the community effort highlights the importance of the relationship beyond political disagreements and focuses on the connections between residents, workers and businesses.

"Really wanted to reflect the leadership and the proactive nature and the consistent showing up that the Canadian, not only the people but just the overall leadership, showed in the Gordie Howe Bridge," said Eric B. Larson, CEO of the Detroit Downtown Partnership.