Dally In The Alley 2022: Detroit Festival In Midtown Cass Corridor Turns 45  

Adriel Thornton, Dally in the Alley president, left, is looking forward to being back after the annual festival took a two-year hiatus.      Welcome back, Dally In The Alley.   The Midtown Cass Corridor annual street fair in Detroit is returning after a two-year hiatus and celebrating 45 years (with the 43rd event) after pausing … Continued

Dally In The Alley 2022: Detroit Festival In Midtown Cass Corridor Turns 45  

Adriel Thornton, Dally in the Alley president, left, is looking forward to being back after the annual festival took a two-year hiatus.  

  

Welcome back, Dally In The Alley.  

The Midtown Cass Corridor annual street fair in Detroit is returning after a two-year hiatus and celebrating 45 years (with the 43rd event) after pausing due to COVID.  

The community event is celebrating life in the Cass Corridor, from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Saturday, September 10, for lovers of music, food and the local Detroit community.  

Dally In The Alley, one of Detroit’s longest-running events, is strictly organized by volunteers and the North Cass Community Union — all without the aid of corporate sponsorship.  

The upcoming festival is set in the unique and historic alleys and streets of the north Cass Corridor, which is a long-awaited neighborhood celebration of local musicians, artists, restaurants, vendors and people of all unique backgrounds.   

Some suggestions for enjoying Dally from its Facebook page include:  

  1. Bring children to the Kid’s Fair area. 
  2. Come with an open mind: Dally celebrates the rich diversity of humanity and “you should too.” 
  3. “We celebrate local musicians, so if you like someone, let them know.” 
  4. “We support local visual artists, so take plenty of pictures of their stuff.” 
  5. “Buy beer from us.” 
  6. “Love one another.”  

Adriel Thornton, Dalley in the Alley president, told the Michigan Chronicle recently that this upcoming event is his third one since becoming president in 2018 and he said that the much-needed homecoming is one not to miss.  

“It feels amazing; feels good to be back to the community, and it feels good to [just us] as a crew to be working on it again,” Thornton said of the all-volunteer staff who tirelessly brings the north Cass Corridor even more alive year after year. “We do it because we love it and produce something that we really love.”  

Amicci’s Pizza, Detroit’s Original Seafood Truck, Sno Biz Detroit, and Milk & Froth are just some of the food trucks on tap for the highly-anticipated event.  

For music aficionados, they can expect a myriad of music stages that will feature a variety of genres from hip hop and techno to indie rock and more.  

There will also be over 100 vendors selling locally, handmade items. Art will also be on tap with murals and paintings handcrafted by local artists.  

Thornton, who has worked on the Dally in the Alley event, overall, for more than a decade said that he and other dedicated volunteers “inherited” the work from people who have worked hard to put the event on, most notably without corporate sponsorship.  

“[This is a] true grassroots community event and it is important for us to honor their work and their legacy and make it a point to keep it corporate-free,” Thornton said, adding that the grassroots element gives more wiggle room for even more authenticity while not adhering to potentially conflicting interests.  

Thornton added that attending the event is more than a fun day out, it supports the community, which helps make up the backbone of Detroit.  

“When you come, please buy a beer — that really helps support Dally,” he said of one of the main revenue streams. “Come with an open mind and ready to have a good time.”  

The North Cass Community Union (NCCU), an all-volunteer group, runs the festival.    

The Dally has come a long way since its first beginnings as a small inner-city art fair in 1977. The NCCU formed around the same time to fight an “urban renewal” effort to demolish local historic buildings — including a garage where the Dodge brothers built their first car (that was ultimately taken apart brick by brick and stored away for a possible reconstruction). The group filled the role of a block club for the neighborhood and eventually took over the festival. At the time the NCCU used proceeds from the event to aid their preservation efforts — a tradition it carries on today with other worthy neighborhood causes.  

The Dally in the Alley will take place Saturday, September 10, in the area of Second Avenue and Hancock Street in Detroit’s Cass Corridor. In the event of rain, the fair will be held on Sunday, September 11. For more information, visit dallyinthealley.com.