Michael J. Folsom
CLAYTON, New York (December 5, 2014) – The Antique Boat Museum (ABM), North America’s premier freshwater nautical museum based in
Clayton, New York, announced today that Michael J. Folsom has been appointed to
the New York State Tourism Industry Association’s (NYSTIA) Board of Directors,
representing the ABM and New York’s Thousand Islands region.
Folsom
joined the ABM in March 2013 as Director of Marketing & Communications and
oversees all marketing and communication functions, as well as overseeing the
museum store and special events, including the annual Antique Boat Show &
Auction. In addition, he works closely with the ABM’s more than 150 volunteers.
Frederick
H. Hager, the ABM’s Executive Director, commented: “We are extremely proud to
have Mike on the Board of this top-level, State-wide tourism
organization. This is a wonderful opportunity for Mike professionally and
for the ABM as an institution.”
Prior
to joining the Museum, Folsom was best known throughout the Thousand Islands
region for operating the website, The Ship Watcher (www.theshipwatcher.com), which is considered a news source for St. Lawrence Seaway
shipping information. He also founded the heavily attended Sailing Seaway
Clayton festival at Frink Park in downtown Clayton in 2011. During the first
four years of the festival, he helped to lure more than 28,000 people to the
1000 Islands region by bringing historic tall ships, live music, DockDogs
competitions and more to the riverside park.
Folsom
currently serves as a Board member for the Clayton Chamber of Commerce and
Greater Watertown North Country Chamber of Commerce. In addition, he serves on
the steering committee of the international tourism organization, 1000 Islands
RiverQuest. He is a recent past Board member of the Lynx Educational Foundation, operators of the tall ship Lynx.
His
term on the NYSTIA Board will begin in 2015 and expire in December 2017.
About
NYSTIA
NYSTIA
is a 501c6, New York State not‐for‐profit corporation with more than 150
members which was created for the purpose of bringing together New York State
tourism industry interests to: advocate government policies and programs which
will strengthen the industry; to raise the level of professionalism within the
industry; to encourage the development of cooperative relationships and
partnerships among its members; and to raise consumer awareness and
appreciation of travel and vacation opportunities in New York State. For more
information, visit nystia.org.
About
ABM
Located
on the St. Lawrence River, along the Canadian border of upstate New York, the
ABM features a collection of over 300 antique and classic boats, among
thousands of recreational boating artifacts. The Museum is home to the world’s
largest runabout of its kind and a 111 year old gilded-age two-story houseboat.
In 2015, the ABM will host the 51st annual Antique Boat Show and
Auction, the longest running such show in North America. For more information,
please visit the Museum’s website at abm.org.
