Urban centers have all the fun. They’re the cultural focus points. There are all sorts of DIY indie projects blooming and flourishing. The punk movement has moved laterally and merged with dozens of other scenes. The street has appropriated the sideshow circus and burlesque scenes, for instance. It’s given its own spin on bike racing with the alley cat races and urban bike polo…and all the messenger races. It’s gone deep into other sport as well.
Detroit isn’t your typical city. It’s been dirt cheap and living on the bottom for decades now. You make your own fun in such a scene. No one is overseeing what you do or pricing you out of anything. When you’re starting from scratch you can grab it and make it up as you go.
There’s a huge annual block party in the Cass Corridor called “The Dally in the Alley” that I had a booth at last summer. It was a casual blast. No attitude, all neighborly.
There was a booth announcing a huge sideshow Halloween party. Halloween is Detroit’s holiday.
I also discovered the fun-loving Detroit Derby Girls at their booth. These gals host big parties anywhere that offers a big flat indoor surface. Then they have a roller derby against another team and the fun begins. They’re brawlin’ gals who skate hard, body-slam and put on a dandy WWF-style show, I’m sure. Sports showbiz isn’t just for dudes on steroids!
https://www.detroitrollerderby.com/
