City chosen as host destination for ‘Fireball Run’ film tour

The 2012 Fireball Run, a 2,500-mile adventure tour in which teams of cars will stop at eight sites across the country to hunt for popular landmarks, has selected the city of Watertown as a host destination.

An executive from Universal Studios in Orlando, Fla., will visit Watertown from March 5 to 7 to plan a scavenger hunt for the tour, which will be from Sept. 21 to 29, said Lynn M. Pietroski, president and CEO of the Greater Watertown-North Country Chamber of Commerce. A film highlighting the tour destinations will be produced by Universal Studios, and the competition will be streamed live on the Internet.

Not all of the destinations for the “Northern Exposure” tour have been announced yet, Mrs. Pietroski said, but Watertown is expected to be featured on the sixth day of the tour. From here, the cars will visit Burlington, Vt., and finish the tour in Bangor, Maine.

Mrs. Pietroski explained that the tour seeks to showcase destinations across the country that have distinctive features and history but sometimes fly under the radar. By giving Watertown exposure to a national audience, the tour should have a significant economic impact.

“It’s a way to get Watertown on the map,” she said, adding that many of the people on the tour are business executives seeking to make investments in new markets.

While visiting Watertown, teams will earn points by solving clues to find popular landmarks and curiosities in the city, said Kylie S. Peck, director of membership development for the chamber. The list could include stops at Fort Drum or the Thousand Islands, historic downtown landmarks and activities like kayaking on the Black River. Teams also will earn points by shopping at downtown businesses and becoming members of the Chamber of Commerce.

“We want people to discover the secrets that Watertown holds,” Ms. Peck said, adding that the plan is still a work in progress. “We’ll find out from the producers what they’re looking for when they visit in March.”

She added that cities that hosted the tour in the past have profited immensely.

“People watching this movie will tell their friends and family about Watertown,” she said. “The impact will be huge.”

For more information, visit www.fireballrun.com.