Meet the Stars of ‘Bargain Block,’ Go to a Queer Honky-Tonk, Attend an Elder Pride Event, Cool Off at a Gay Pool Party
No pressure or anything, but just so you know, Pride Month has crossed the halfway point, and if you haven’t started creating a Summer to Remember yet, your days are literally numbered. But hey, even if it’s just a Summer You Don’t Regret, you’re doing great, bestie. Fill your upcoming weekend with some excellent local events, including a chance to meet the stars of “Bargain Block” at a neighborhood art fair, a queer honky-tonk, a sexy pool party, a Pride party focused on elder LGBTQ+ folks and nearly a dozen local community Pride festivals throughout Michigan.
1. Meet ‘Bargain Block’ Stars at a Detroit Arts Festival
Don’t miss your chance to meet HGTV stars Keith Bynum and Evan Thomas, the Detroit-based married couple renovating local abandoned homes on the popular show “Bargain Block.” Set for June 22, the 2nd Annual Nine Design + Homes Festival of the Arts, hosted by the Guild of Artists & Artisans, producers of the Ann Arbor Art Fair, will feature 30-plus jury-selected artists specializing in mediums including glass, painting, ceramics, jewelry, photography and mixed media. You’ll also find live music, a mix of food vendors, kids activities and furniture rehabbing tricks with Bynum and Thomas, who will also join “Bargain Block” real estate guru Shea Hicks Whitfield for a Q&A.
June 22, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., 21616 Grand River Ave., Detroit. Learn more at theguild.org/fair/nine-design-homes-festival-of-the-arts.
2. Go Y’all Out at a Queer-Inclusive Honky-Tonk
Did you know line dancing is back? Even if you’re not so keen on dusting off the old boots and trying to remember the steps to “Achy Breaky Heart,” the third annual Howdy Fest is still the perfect time to lean in to the yeehaw of it all. The event offers an affirming “y’allternative space” for people who don’t always feel welcome in a typical honky-tonk environment. Activities include live music, carnival games, lasso performances, rodeo clowns and the much-loved centerpiece: a mechanical bull.
Howdy Saloon Detroit, which produces Howdy Fest, bills itself as “a mixed bag of queer and trans folks working together to create inclusive, intersectional and non-exclusionary honky-tonk events whose collective goal is to uplift the community, prioritize LGBTQIA+, BIPOC and differently-abled persons and to rope in others that share that same goal.”
June 22-23, 12 p.m.-2 a.m., The Old Miami (3930 Cass Ave., Detroit). Reserve tickets at bit.ly/3z979rT.
3. Cool Off at a Pool Party
Laugh in the face of the brutal summer heat at a queer-inclusive Parasol Pool Party. Each event features DJs, drag performances, gogo dancers, drink specials and a few surprises. DJ Darryl, DJ Seryoza and drag performers Aphrodite and Anna Rexia are scheduled to appear, as well as gogo performers Dom Joyride, Presley, Alyssa and JaiJay. This year, organizers are preparing for three fun themed parties:
- June 23: “Save a Horse” (queer country)
- July 28: “TRL Rewind” (’90s and ’00s throwback)
- Aug. 25: “Mirror Mirror on the Ball” (Studio 54 red carpet)
Parties run 1-7 p.m. at a private residence in Detroit. Reserve tickets at SickeningEvents.com.
4. Attend a Pride Party for Older Adults
Detroit’s Hannan Center offers a Pride event where older LGBTQ+ people are celebrated and centered all day long. Set for June 24 at the Ellen Kayrod Gallery, the Hannan Pride 2024 features a strolling brunch, a tour of the gallery’s exhibit, which features artists 55 and over, which is part of the citywide Mighty Real / Queer Detroit “I’ll Be Your Mirror” exhibit. Guests can also enjoy a tye dye art activity, live music and screenings of two classic queer films: “The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson” and “The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert.”
June 23, 11 a.m.-8 p.m., Ellen Kayrod Gallery (4750 Woodward Ave., Detroit). No tickets necessary.
5. Michigan Pride Events This Weekend
There’s still plenty of time to celebrate Pride throughout the Great Lakes State. Support a local event or take a road trip!
Saturday, June 22
- Bay City (Great Lakes Bay Pride). Wenonah Park, 11 a.m.-6 p.m.
- Benton Harbor (Twin Cities PrideFest). Dwight P. Mitchell Park, 4-8 p.m.
- Grand Rapids. Calder Plaza, 12-10 p.m.
- Lansing. Old Town, 1-10 p.m.
- Lenawee. Tecumseh Center for the Arts, 3-10 p.m.
- Owosso. Curwood Castle Park, 1-5 p.m.
- Rochester. Rochester Municipal Park, 11 a.m.-5 p.m.
- Saint Ignace. American Legion Park, 11 a.m.-3 p.m.
- Wyandotte. Downtown Wyandotte, 12-11 p.m. New Pride event!
Sunday, June 23
- Berkley. Downtown Berkley, 1-5 p.m.
- Kalamazoo Youth Pride. Girl Scouts Heart of Michigan., 12-5 p.m. New Pride event!
See our complete 2024 Pride in Michigan calendar at pridesource.com/article/your-2024-michigan-lgbtq-pride-calendar.
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