Hip in Detroit's Picks for the Weekend: May 28-31

Friday, May 28th - Funk Night @ Tangent Gallery: Get your dancing shoes ready! Funk Night returns this Friday night! DJs Head, Brad Hales, Frank Raines will be spinning funk & soul at Tangent Gallery all night and there will be a live performance by Deep Sequence: Funk-A-fied (Feat Hazmat Live). The party goes from 8 p.m. - 2 a.m. and they're asking for a $5 suggested donation at the door. 

Friday, May 28th & Saturday, May 29th - Umphrey's McGee @ The Crofoot Festival Grounds: The Crofoot planned to have a series of outdoor socially distanced concerts at their new venue Riverside Station Detroit this summer, but the city had a different idea. So, the shows have been moved to The Crofoot Festival Grounds across from The Crofoot in Pontiac. Concertgoers will be separated into pods to keep everyone safe, and drink and merch sales will be done from your phone in your pod. It's a pretty cool concept and this weekend they have a pretty cool shows booked with Umphrey's McGee. For more details and tickets, click here. 

Friday, May 28th - Monday, May 31st - Micro Movement: It's Memorial Day Weekend in Detroit and you know that means it's Movement Weekend! Of course, due to COVID-19, Movement as we know it couldn't happen this year. But, Paxahau & the Movement team are keeping the party going this weekend with Micro Movement! Shows will be happening all weekend as part of this mini festival at TV Lounge, The Alley Deck, and Spot Lite, a new spot in town. Check out the lineup and get all of the details here. 

Monroe Street Midway Opening Weekend: The area that was transformed into a drive-in over the winter is now a midway featuring fun outdoor activities all summer! Located near Campus Martius, this space features roller skating, basketball, DJs, and more. Even if you aren't really into these activities, it's worth checking out just for the murals! Get all of the details on this new outdoor space here. 

Gravity Wants to Bring Art, Skate, and Community Together

Do you remember community gatherings? Do you remember what it feels like to spend your Saturday browsing the makers at a local art fair? It's been well over a year since any sort of large-scale gathering has taken place, but thanks to the vaccine it's time for that to change. Reveal Productions recently announced a new outdoor festival called Gravity and we can't wait for it!

This unique Summer event will feature an art fair with over 50 local makers, skateboard, scooter and BMX contests, food trucks, and family activities. This includes some amazing makers like KEPT, Arsenal Handicraft, LadyForge, The Foxy Hipster, The Brave Wimp, and more.  Family events will include YMCA's Project Play and a climbing wall. All of the skate contests will be run by Modern Skate and Surf and all ages are welcome to enter to compete.

Gravity will take place at Geary Park on Saturday, June 12, 2021, from 11 a.m.-7 p.m. If you would like to sign up to compete in one of the skate contests click here. If you would like to see a full list of makers click here. If you would like to stay up to date with everything Gravity-related follow them on Facebook or Instagram.  

This festival is 100% free to attend and any proceeds that are raised from the event will be donated to The Ferndale Parks.

We hope this is the beginning of the return of community and connection!

~S

For the Love of Sugar is the Perfect Place to Meet Your Friends for Coffee and a Treat

Do you have a sweet tooth? Are you the kind of person that wants something sugary with your coffee? If you dream about mid-day macaroons or what it would be like to eat a three-layer cake a 2 p.m., you will simply adore For the Love of Sugar, where you can have your cake and eat it too.

This one-of-a-kind sweet shop's menu features around 10 different types of cake, 15 types of macaroons, and a full coffee and latte menu. They have a few signature cakes, including Rainbow Fruity Cereal Cake, Strawberry Shortcake, and Carrot Cake, and a wide selection of macaroon flavors, including Lavender and Honey, Nutella, and Birthday Cake. They also offer a variety of gluten-free and vegan options so that everyone can find something that they like and their cake is so good that even your friend that usually passes on dessert will be asking for a second bite.

For The Love of Sugar's Downtown Bakery features a limited amount of indoor booth seating and a large open-air patio. You can purchase treats to go or enjoy them right there with your coffee. This is the perfect place to meet up with a date or reconnect with an old friend post-COVID.

Pro Tip: They also specialize in wedding and event cakes!

Make the time to treat yourself to For the Love of Sugar sometime soon!

~S

Hip in Detroit's Picks for the Weekend: May 21-23

Friday, May 21st - Eastside Still Alive @ Cadieux Cafe: The weather is nice which makes it an awesome night to hang out outside and listen to some live music. Eastside Still Alive is a cover band featuring Laura Mendoza, Ricky Rat, Brian McCarty, and Joe Leone. The show goes from 7-11 p.m. and cover is free. 

Saturday, May 22nd - Chains & Leather Up Your A** @ Outer Limits Lounge: This event isn't quite as crazy as the name makes it sound. Head to Outer Limits Lounge for a night of "heavy metal hell". Heavy & Beyond is teaming up with their friends from Philly to spin heavy metal vinyl all night long. Throw on some leather, grab a few beers, and listen to some heavy tunes. Cover is free and the event goes from 6 p.m. - 11 p.m.

Saturday, May 22nd - The Hitch-Hiker @ Senate Theater (outdoors): The Senate Coney Island burned down years ago and never reopened and now the Senate Theater has transformed the area into an outdoor movie theatre. Local artists Blight Hernandez and Naye-Taye hand painted a 400 square foot mural that resembles a movie screen and this Saturday, the Senate will be projecting The Hitch-Hiker on this new outdoor "screen".  Admission is free. Doors open at 8 p.m. and the movie starts at 9. 

Sunday, May 23rd - The Goonies @ The Redford Theatre: This Sunday, The Redford Theatre will be showing the classic '80s film The Goonies! Tickets are only $5 and kids 12 and under get free admission. The movie starts at 2 p.m. Goonies never say die! 

~C

Movies Return to New Center Park

This summer, you'll once again be able to enjoy a movie under the stars at New Center Park! The park will be showing free movies on Wednesday and Friday evenings throughout the months of June, July, and August. The first movie of the season is Godzilla (2014) on Wednesday, June 2nd. The entire lineup for this year's movies is great! Some of the highlights include Minari on June 9th, Soul on June 25th, and The Little Things on July 21. Check out the full schedule for the season below.

Wednesday Night Movies

June 2nd - Godzilla (2014)

June 9th - Minari

June 16th - Promising Young Woman

June 23rd - Miss Juneteenth

June 30th -  Amazing Grace

July 7th - The Broken Hearts Gallery

July 14th - Sylvie's Love

July 21st - The Little Things

July 28th - Queen & Slim

August 4th - Tenet

August 11th - Wonder Woman 1984

August 18th - Ford v. Ferrari

August 25th - Blade Runner 2049

Friday Night Movies

June 4th - Trolls World Tour

June 11th - Toy Story 4

June 18th - Sonic the Hedgehog

June 25th - Soul

July 2nd - The Croods A New Age

July 9th - Tom & Jerry (2021)

July 16th - Onward

July 23rd - Pokemon Detective Pikachuu

July 30th - Raya and the Lost Dragon

August 6th - Spies in Disguise

August 13th - Avengers: Endgame

August 20th - Aladdin (2019)

August 27th - Jumanji: The Next Level

The movies are free to attend and there isn't a way to reserve tickets in advance. Gates open at 8 p.m. on movie nights and moviegoers are welcome on a first come first serve basis until capacity is met. In June, the movies will begin at 9:15 p.m. In July they will start at 9:00 p.m. and in August at 8:30 p.m. Patrons can bring their own blanket to sit on or there are chairs in the park. There are also rules in place to keep everyone safe, including social distancing and mask requirements. You can check out all of the rules on New Center Park's website here. 

Last, but not least, concessions will be available during movie nights at the park. Each patron will receive one free bag of Poppin Top Hat Popcorn upon entry, but there will be other food and drinks available for purchase. The menu includes candy, chips, bottled water, pop, juice, and even beer, wine, and seltzer. 

New Center Park is located at 2998 W. Grand Blvd. in Detroit. For all of the details on this year's movie schedule and the park in general, visit NewCenterPark.com and follow the park on Facebook.

~C

The Maker Community Comes Together for a Second Backyard Art Fair

Last year, COVID closed down everything and made the possibility of gathering indoors non-existent. This meant there were no festivals, no markets, and no maker events in the works until 10 local artists decided to come together to create a newish way for Metro Detroit locals (Oak Park, Ferndale, Pleasant Ridge, Hazel Park) to shop in person last Spring/Summer. The Backyard Art Fair brought together a small group of artists that set up shop in their backyards. Then, they handed out a map to let everyone know where all the socially distanced sales would be. The turnout was huge and everyone said they loved it, so the team behind the first show (Carey Gustafson aka Glass Action, Kelly Kaatz aka Kelly Kaatz Ceramics, and Yvonne Spampinato aka KEPT) decided to do it again this year.

This year's Backyard Art Fair will feature 65 artists in over 30 different backyards on Saturday, May 22nd from 11 a.m. - 6 p.m. The curated show will feature a variety of artists, including local favorites like Gingerly Made, Michigan Hot Glass, and Reware Vintage. You can see the full list of artists and get all the addresses that you need by clicking on/downloading this Google document that the organizers have put together. There are even some food vendors on the map!

To learn more about the fair and to stay up to date with news and announcements, follow the event on FB here.

Support local makers, get out of your house, and have some fun this Satrday!

~S

Ferndale Welcomes Its First Refillery!

Let's take a moment to talk trash. We create a lot of it. We recycle some of it and if we're being honest we know our addiction to single-use plastic isn't good for us, but we also don't know what to do about it. Sure, we can reduce, recycle, and reuse, but to make a significant impact we need a packaging revolution. If you're ready to revolt and find a new way to be a little bit kinder to the planet, you will love Ferndale's newest shop Walking Lightly.  

This new refillery specializes in zero-waste home and body goods, including soaps, washes, scrubs, removers, shampoos, bath salts, and more. Everything is sold by weight, which means you can purchase as much or as little as you need. The best part is it's easy. You can either bring a clean and dry container and fill it up (price based on weight) or purchase a reusable container from the shop that they can refill over and over again every time you visit. Their direct fill service is available in their new shop or by delivery within their service area. Some people like to stop in for something here and there and others want to be on a weekly schedule to ensure that they have the products that they need whenever they need them. You can find out more about the shop, look at what they carry, or place your first order here. You can also mask up and stop in during their in-person service hours. Make sure to bring some containers and a reusable bag to bottle up and bring home whatever you need!

Walking Lightly is currently open Thursday & Friday 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.; Saturday & Sunday 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Delivery and shop by appointment on Wednesdays; Closed Monday & Tuesday.

Follow Walking Lightly on Instagram or Facebook to stay in the loop!

~S

Hip in Detroit's Picks for the Weekend: May 7-9

Don't forget, Mother's Day is this Sunday! She gave birth to you. Do something nice for her. If your mom isn't around, do something nice for yourself or another mom in your life. 

New Center First Fridays - May Edition - Friday, May 7th @ 6 PM:

Pick up a gift for Mom and grab dinner Friday night in New Center for First Fridays! Urbanum will be have bouquets for Mom available from Mimi LaRou Designs and live music from Jerome Clark. The shop will be open until 8 p.m.! If you don't need a gift for Mother's Day, pick up something nice for yourself, then grab food from one of the great restaurants in New Center, like Yum Village!

Dear Darkness, The Cult of SpaceSkull, n Sros Lords @ Cadieux Cafe - Friday, May 7th @ 7 p.m.:

Last year, Cadieux Cafe added a new Beer Garden with a stage and this Friday night you have the chance to see three great bands play on that stage. The lineup for the night is: 

7 p.m. - Doors Open 

8 p.m. - Sros Lords

9 p.m. - Dear Darkness

10 p.m. - The Cult of SpaceSkull

This show is outdoors, so dress accordingly. Masks are required and cover is $7. 

The Rust Belt Market Turns 10 - Saturday, May 8th & Sunday, May 9th:

The Rust Belt Market is celebrating a milestone birthday this weekend! They're turning 10 years old! To celebrate, they will be throwing a party both inside and outside of the market. There will be food trucks and live music outside and the market will be open inside, along with the Spring Ferndale Vintage Fashion Market! 

Check out the lineup for music and food trucks:

Saturday

Full Rack BBQ and Satellite Food Truck

11-11:45 a.m. - Nick Schillace

12-1 p.m. - Ryan Dillaha

1:30-3:30 p.m. - DJ Joe Vargas

4-5:30 p.m. - J Rose Loops

5:45-6:30 p.m. - Mike Harrison and Willa Rae

7-8 p.m. - Via Mardot

Sunday

Pita Post and Full Rack BBQ

11 a.m. - 1 p.m. - DJ Joe Vargas

1:30-2:15 p.m. Vernon David

2:30-3:15 p.m.- Ian Lee Lamb

3:30-4:15 p.m. - Frenchtown Playboys

Utica Antiques Market - Saturday, May 8th & Sunday, May 9th:

If you're up for a drive to the suburbs, the Utica Antiques Market is worth the trip! This huge outdoor antique market happens a few times a year and this is the kick off for 2021! The event is held at the K of C Picnic Grounds on 21 Mile near Van Dyke. The event features tons of vendors selling everything from furniture to toys. It's like a giant treasure hunt! Admission is $5 per person and parking is free. The market is open from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. on Saturday and 8 a.m. 'til 4 p.m. on Sunday.

2nd Sunday Makers Market @ The Congregation - Sunday, May 9th:

This weekend is all about the markets! The Congregation will be holding their first 2nd Sunday Makers Market of the season this Sunday from 11 a.m. - 3 p.m. The market will be held outdoors in their greenspace. There will be handmade goods and vintage goods, along with a pop-up from Verna Detroit and music from DJ Applejuice. Check out the full list of who will be at the market here. 

~C

Support Small's!

This past year has been really rough on everyone, but especially on music venues. Their doors have been closed for over a year and although we are starting to possibly see a light at the end of the tunnel, one thing that we have learned from COVID is that nothing is guaranteed. Some venues have held fundraisers, some have been able to secure grants, some have done both. But even that is barely enough to stay afloat. 

Small's in Hamtramck is one of our all time favorite local venues and bars, and it is ran by some of the best people around. They have managed to keep their head above water throughout the pandemic, but it hasn't always been easy. They've sold merch. They've hosted carryout pop-ups with Renegade Kitchen. This week, they are doing the best fundraiser of them all! Small's has teamed up with their musician friends to release a compilation. The album will feature songs from 49 bands. The list of bands includes: Flogging Molly, Pigface, Descendents, ACTORS, The Suicide Machines, Assemblage 23, NOFX, Easy Action, Supersuckers, Ego Likeness, Chris Shiflett, Tim Barry, Heavy Water Factory, Thee Trash Brats Legacy, Haujobb, Murphy's Law, Josie Pace, Less Than Jake, Stoneburner, Some Uncoordinated Bastards-S.U.B, Koffin Kats, PIG, The Business, RELIC, Swingin' Utters, The dramedy, GRENDEL, Against the Grain, The Goddamn Gallows, BANG BANG, Heads Will Roll, Telegraph, Ricky Rat, The Amino Acids, Avoid One Thing, Schedule IV, Stone Clover, The Alison Lewis Band, Grande Nationals, Steve Harvey Oswald, Glass Chimera and J. Navarro & the Traitors. Some of these songs are even unreleased tracks that you won't be able to get anywhere else! You can pick up your copy this Friday, May 7th at 3 a.m. on Small's Bandcamp page: https://smallsbar.bandcamp.com/

Coincidentally, this Friday is Bandcamp Friday, which means that Bandcamp will be waiving their fees. So, make sure you pick up the compilation on Friday so Small's can get all of the proceeds! 

We've all been through a lot over the past year and we're so close to being able to get back together and enjoy live music once again! Let's make sure that Small's is one of the places that we can go to do that! 

~C

Live Music Returns to The Whitney!

The Whitney has announced that they will be bringing live music back to their grounds this spring and summer! Once a month there will be Garden Parties, and weekly there will be performers on the Patio Stage. 

This year's Whitney Garden Parties kick off on May 13th at 5 p.m. with The Firewalkers. Tickets are required and range from $10 - $90. For $10, you will be guaranteed standing room on the deck. Or, you can purchase tickets for a table of 2, 4, or 6 people. Tickets can be purchased online here. Check out the full schedule below:

5/13 - THE FIREWALKERS (Vintage Blues & Popcorn R&B)

6/17 - JILL JACK (Americana Pop)

7/15 - TWISTIN' TARANTULAS (Jump Blues & Rockabilly)

8/19 - OLIVIA DEAR (Indie-Pop with a pinch of Folk)

On weekend evenings and some Thursdays there will also be live music on the patio. Tickets are not required for these events and seating is on a first come first serve basis. Here's the schedule of who is booked to perform this season:

Friday 5/14 - Scott Gwinnell and vocalist, Emma Aboukasm (Jazz )

Sunday 5/16 – Djangophonique (Parisian Jazz )

Thursday 5/20 - Jarrod Champion (New Orleans-based Jazz )

Friday 5/21 - Jennifer Westwood & Dylan Dunbar (Americana/Roots )

Sunday 5/23 - Kate Hinote Trio (Alternative Folk )

Friday 5/28 - Scott Gwinnell and tenor saxophonist, Janelle Reichman (Jazz )

Thursday 6/3 – Djangophonique – (Parisian Jazz )

Sunday 6/6 - Jarrod Champion (New Orleans-based Jazz )

Friday 6/18 - Scott Gwinnell and trumpeter, John Douglas (Jazz )

Thursday 6/24 - Danny Runey (Rock )

Friday 6/25 - Jarrod Champion (Duo) (New Orleans-based Jazz )

Saturday 6/26 - Jennifer Westwood & Dylan Dunbar (Americana/Roots )

Sunday 6/27 – Djangophonique (Parisian Jazz )

Live music at The Whitney is subject to change due to weather and/or COVID restrictions. For more details on these events and other upcoming events at The Whitney, visit TheWhitney.com/events.

~C

Bargain Block is Restoring Detroit's Homes One Block at a Time

It's no secret that there are a lot of houses in Detroit that need some help. There are blocks and blocks of abandoned homes and then there are some that are just in great need of repairs. Luckily, there are people like partners Keith Bynum and Evan Thomas that are willing to do the job. This duo has been renovating and saving homes in Detroit and now it is being documented on a show on HGTV. 

Bargain Block isn't the first HGTV show to shine a spotlight on Detroit, however this show is a bit different from Rehab Addict with Nicole Curtis. On this show, Bynum and Thomas are restoring homes in Northwest Detroit that are often purchased from the Detroit Land Bank. The purchase prices range, but sometimes they get them for just $1,000. Then, they get to work cleaning out the home, repairing and renovating, and finally giving it a stylish vibe. Since Bynum is an artist, each home has amazing design elements that are usually out of the ordinary. The duo lives in each home while they work on it, and since most homes have been within the same neighborhood, they throw their things in shopping carts and move down the street once a house is complete. The finishing touches feature second hand items purchased from stores like the Habitat for Humanity Restore or thrift shops. Sometimes they find amazing items that are good to go, while other times they need to give them a face lift. Overall, the renovation and décor seems to average between $40k- $50k. Then, the houses are usually listed for under $100,000. The duo works with local real estate agent Shea Whitfield to hold an open house and get the home sold quickly. Then it's on to the next project! The transformations are always amazing, and turn an inhabitable house into an beautiful and amazing home.

We guarantee that this show will inspire you and make you want to buy houses to restore in Detroit. But, as Evan and Keith will show you, it isn't always glamorous and it is a lot of work! We are so glad that they are willing to put in the work and it's pretty awesome that HGTV is sharing it with the world! New episodes of Bargain Block air on Wednesday nights at 9 p.m. on HGTV. A few episodes have already aired, so head over to the show's official HGTV page to find out when the replays are scheduled. Make sure you also follow Bargain Block on Instagram for a behind the scenes look at the homes that they have restored and to learn more about this great team that is saving homes in Detroit.

~C