Weekend Picks: Summer Fests in the Suburbs

July 14, 2012

The summer season is the festival season and the hits keep coming here in Metro Detroit. This weekend features two of the summer’s most popular art-themed street festivals as well as a tribute to some of the finer things in life: whiskey, pork, and rock & roll.

Pig & Whiskey

Troy Street and Woodward Avenue, Ferndale. Free. Saturday (11am to midnight) and Sunday (11am to 11pm).

Some summer festivals celebrate all things green. Others celebrate local craft-makers. Ferndale’s Pig & Whiskey festival celebrates, well, pig and whiskey. And loads of local rock & roll. In it just its second year, the already popular festival offers over 40 types of whiskey (for sale), 8 local pork auteurs (for sale), and 17 of Detroit’s best acts (for free!). Bands include Electric Six, the Hard Lessons, Child Bite, Illymack, and the Beggars, among others.

Wyandotte Street Art Fair

Downtown Wyandotte. Ends tonight at 11pm.

The Wyandotte Street Art Fair is one of the summer’s biggest art festivals, spanning several blocks of historic downtown Wyandotte. Countless food, drink, and art vendors are complemented by a healthy selection of musical acts nestled against the city’s fantastic river walk. In its 51st year, this year’s fair features performances by the Black Glasses, the Handgrenades, and the Rushmores.

Art in the Park

Downtown Plymouth. Saturday (10am to 7pm) and Sunday (10am to 5pm).

Art in the Park bills itself as the 2nd largest art fair in Michigan. Wyandotte claims theirs is “one of the largest.” Why two of Michigan’s biggest art fairs are happening on the same weekend is beyond us. If, however, you can’t get enough fair food, local music, and scores of fine art, than why not do both? One Love Reggae Band provides the soundtrack all weekend long.

This article brought to you by the good folks at Urbane Apartments Royal Oak Michigan, Urbane Apartments Ferndale Michigan,Urbane Apartments Birmingham Michigan, and Urbane Apartments Dearborn Michigan

MJ Galbraith

MJ Galbraith is a songwriter and local musician, freelance writer, baseball enthusiast, lover of travel, and a terrible mechanic. When MJ graduated from Central Michigan University with a degree in Creative Writing, he was immediately barraged with 'questions' of "What are you gonna do, teach?" He is determined to not get a job teaching. So far, so good. With music, MJ's traveled the country touring on his songs. Having spent time in places from Chicago to Seattle, LA to New Orleans, and Nashville to NYC, he is convinced that Detroit and its 'burbs have the the highest concentration of 'native' songwriting talent anywhere. Eat it, New York. You too, LA. MJ started writing for the Urbane Life in the summer of 2011. He also writes for a handful of other websites as well as an immigration lawyer. He used to work in a publishing house. He's glad he's out.