Eartha Kitt and Ramsey Lewis Headlining Grand Hotel Annual Labor Day Jazz Festival

Eartha Kitt and Ramsey Lewis Headlining Grand Hotel Annual Labor Day Jazz Festival

MACKINAC ISLAND, Mich., Aug. 26 /PRNewswire/ -- Legendary performer Eartha Kitt and jazz great Ramsey Lewis will headline Grand Hotel's annual Labor Day Weekend Jazz Festival. The festival begins Friday, September 2, 2005 and runs through Labor Day. Kitt will perform on Sunday, September 4, 2005 and Lewis takes the stage on Saturday, September 3, 2005.

"We are thrilled to offer our guests the exciting entertainment available at this year's jazz festival," said R.D. "Dan" Musser, III, President of Grand Hotel. "From the headliners at the outdoor concerts to other jazz legends that are performing inside the hotel, this weekend promises to be a jazz lover's dream-come-true."

Musser said Chuck Mangione will perform in Grand Hotel's Theatre on Saturday evening and Judy Roberts will perform late nights at The Jockey Club at the Grand Stand.

Eartha Kitt, now 78-years-old, is still thrilling audiences with an hour- long show in which she walks audiences down memory lane, singing and dancing to timeless favorites like "It Was a Very Good Year," and "C'est Si Bon." Kitt is a star of stage, film and television. She is one of only a handful of performers to be nominated for Tony, Grammy and Emmy Awards. Her most recent work has included a Tony award-nominated performance in the Broadway production of George Wolfe's "The Wild Party." Her best-selling records include "Love for Sale," "I Want to Be Evil," and the Grammy-nominated "Folk Tales of the Tribes of Africa."

Ramsey Lewis is described as one of America's most influential and beloved jazz pianists, topping charts with "The In Crowd," "Hang on Sloopy" and "Wade in The Water." Lewis has received two ACE award nominations as host of Black Entertainment Television's (BET) weekly jazz program, "Jazz Central."

Packages are still available for the annual Labor Day Jazz Weekend. Packages include a cookout lunch in the Tea Garden on Saturday and Sunday, full breakfast, five-course dinner daily, and a fourth night of accommodations free. Receptions each evening are also included. Packages are $1,349/single and $1,649/double. A special day rate of $65, which includes the cookout lunch and admission to the outdoor concert, is available for visitors to Mackinac Island who are not staying at Grand Hotel. The day rate will be available both Saturday and Sunday.

Source: Grand Hotel

CONTACT: Ken Hayward, Vice President, Sales and Marketing of Grand Hotel, +1-517-349-4600; or Yavonkia Jenkins of Berg Muirhead and Associates, +1-313-872-2202, ext. 207, for Grand Hotel

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