Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is this upcoming Monday, and our local museums are making sure you have every opportunity to honor the civil rights leader.

Plus, the Detroit Auto Show is open to the public starting Saturday, and there are some sweet opportunities to get outside with family and friends.

Upcoming events (Jan. 15–22)

Candyland at Beacon Park

  Beacon Park

  Thursday, Jan. 15-20

  Free

Though we’re out of the holiday season, there’s still time to go see a spectacular light display in Beacon Park that draws you into the magic of Candyland! Bring friends and family to enjoy some time outside and take advantage of the picture-perfect scenery. This is the last week the display is up.

Detroit Auto Show

  Huntington Place

  Saturday, Jan. 17 through Sunday, Jan. 25

  $25 for adults, $15 for seniors, $10 for kids ages 3-12

See the future of the auto industry for yourself in this hands-on, immersive auto show! Cruise through a winding indoor track in an EV driven by an industry professional, see how vehicles connect us with the outdoors in the Michigan Overland Adventure display, and learn about the auto industry as a whole. 

Discover Rouge Park: January Meet Up

  Rouge Park

  Sunday, Jan. 18

  Free

Meet at the Sorenson Recreation Area at noon for a guided walk on the Rouge Park’s Ma’inngan Wildwood Trail. Learn about the park, get some exercise and fresh air, and appreciate the beauty of the outdoors in winter. If there’s heavy snow, snow shoes will be provided to help navigate the trails, granted you register in advance. This event is free and for all ages, but dress appropriately for the two hour walk.

MLK Day, Monday Jan. 19

A Dream Rooted in Faith: The Legacy of the Black Church in Detroit During the Civil Rights Movement

  Detroit Historical Museum

  Monday, Jan. 19

  Free

Enjoy historical presentations and crafts that reflect Rev. Martin Luther King Jr,’s values of faith, justice and community from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The event closes with a rendition of Stevie Wonder’s “Happy Birthday”. 

“We Who Believe in Freedom”

Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History

  Monday, Jan. 19

  Free

Come to the Wright Museum for a full day of  free activities from 1o a.m. to 6 p.m. Attend a bike ride led by Tour de Troit, historical reenactments, storytelling, film screening, and discussions. A paid experience with Prayer Breakfast and Keynote speakers is available with the purchase of a ticket for $33.85+. RSVP in advance. 

MLK at the DIA

  Detroit Institute of Arts

  Monday, Jan. 19

  Free with admission

The museum will be open during its regular hours with a few different ways to honor MLK’s legacy. From 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., there will be Collage Portraits workshop inspired by artists displayed in the museum’s African American Galleries. At 2 p.m. in the Rivera Gallery, there will be a civil rights song sing-along featuring poetry from the InsideOut Literary Arts program, followed by a march to the Wright Museum.

Tuesday marks the fifth anniversary of the attack on the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.  A large group protesting the results of the 2020 election— claiming Joe Biden’s win was fraudulent—broke into the capitol building, destroying property, assaulting officers, and threatening elected officials. 

The events of January 6 resulted in several deaths and over a thousand arrests.

President Donald Trump pardoned most insurrectionists when reentering office in the past year, saying that the Biden administration over-prosecuted the group.

Melissa Nann-Burke was the Washington Bureau Chief for the Detroit News at that time of the insurrection.  She was working in the House chamber on January 6 and witnessed events from the inside. 

She spoke with WDET’s Jake Neher about it later that week on MichMash.

Hunkering down at home is tempting as temperatures drop and snow falls, but there are experiences worth braving the weather—at least for a moment.

Keep out the chill with moving musical performances, comedy, and more in metro Detroit.

Upcoming events

Holiday Cabaret

Detroit Public Theatre

  Thursday, Dec. 4 through Sunday, Dec. 21

  $52 

A holiday season celebration crafted with wit and rowdy charm! An ongoing tradition, the Detroit Public Theatre’s Holiday Cabaret features talented vocalists and adult humor. This weekend, Dec. 4-7 is the time to catch the preview shows and the premiere. 

Holiday Nights in Greenfield Village

Greenfield Village

  Thursday, Dec. 4 through Sunday, Dec. 28

  $36-44

Take a walk through time and enjoy festivities at Greenfield Village. Carols, roasted chestnuts, artisan crafts, ice skating and Model-T rides will get the whole family in the holiday spirit while immersing them in history.

Paradise Jazz: Malcolm X Jazz Suite

Detroit Symphony Orchestra

  Friday, Dec. 5

  $21+

Terence Blanchard and his band The E-Collective and the Turtle Island Quartet reprise his Malcom X Jazz Suite. The initial suite modified Blanchard’s compositions for the 1992 film Malcom X, directed by Spike Lee, for live performance. After its evolutions over the years, Blanchard’s latest version offers audiences a new stirring experience. Performance begins at 8 p.m.

Variety Show

The Congregation Detroit

  Friday, Dec. 5

  $20 online (with fees), $25 at the door

A two-hour blend of burlesque, drag, comedy, and improv sure to entertain and delight! This event is hosted by Sarah Lynn and presented by Best Case Scenario Comedy. Doors open at 7 p.m., with the show starting at 7:30 p.m. Bring cash for tipping performers. This event is 18 and up.

Killers, Freaks, and Radicals

Senate Theater in Detroit

  Friday, Dec. 5

  $12

Attend the Detroit premiere of a locally-produced true crime documentary on the Michigan Co-Ed Killer. The show opens with an organ overture, and Director Andrew Templeton will be present to discuss the film following the showing. 

Merry Midtown

Midtown Detroit

  Saturday, Dec. 6

  Free

In place of Noel Night, over 50 local businesses have organized a night to shop, dine and explore midtown. From 5-9 p.m., people of all ages are welcome to enjoy ice carving demonstration, live performances, photo booths and more

East Meets West: Christmas in the Holy Land

Music Hall Detroit

  Saturday, Dec. 6

  $67+

Explore another side of Christmas with National Arab Orchestra through a cultural blend of holiday music. The show starts at 8 p.m.

Joe Reilly and the All Nations Dancers: Welcome Winter

Detroit Institute of Arts

  Saturday, Dec. 6

  Free with general admission

The All Nations Dancers, representing the Ojibwe, Odawa, and Potawatomi tribes, celebrate winter and Mother Earth with songs performed by singer-songwriter Joe Reilly. The performance starts at 2 p.m. in the Riviera Court. While at the museum, check out the current exhibit Contemporary Anishinaabe Art: A Continuation until April 5, 2026. 

Detroit Urban Craft Fair

Masonic Temple

  Saturday, Dec. 6 through Sunday, Dec. 7

  $5

Shop for a variety of artisan and homemade goods from over 100 artists, including crocheted items, decor, soaps, journals, jewelry and more. Meet the makers and find presents for yourself and others from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday. Children 12 and under get free entry both days after 1 p.m.

Last month, a highly invasive insect was spotted for the first time on the University of Michigan-Dearborn’s campus. The Environmental Interpretive Center (EIC) identified the spotted lanternfly, a sap-sucker that has been making its way across the U.S. since 2014. 

The first confirmed colony in Michigan was found in Oakland County in 2022. 

Program and natural areas manager for the EIC Rick Simek says that spotted lanternflies don’t usually kill their host trees outright, but as their numbers grow, so does the damage they can do to the environment as they feed.

Environmental harm

Infestation weakens the host tree’s ability to withstand disease, drought, and other pests.

“They have been known to kill off the saplings of a couple of native tree species,” says Simek. He lists black walnuts and maples as examples. 

Simek said that the spotted lanternfly’s dietary habits are especially hard on fruit-bearing plants, like the river grapes that provide nutrition for birds in the EIC’s natural area. 

The spread of the spotted lanternfly poses trouble for Michigan’s produce, predicts Simek. “Lanternfly infestations can cause real harm to grapes, both cultivated and wild… [which is] cause for  serious agricultural and economic concern.”

Thankfully, the spotted lanternflies do not bite or pose direct harm to humans. However, the sugary “honeydew” that they excrete attracts mold, wasps, and other pests. 

Squish and scrape

What should you do once you identify a spotted lanternfly?

“One of the control methods—I’ve seen actual videos on this, it’s fairly commonly practiced—is to squish them!” says Simek. “Just make sure to become familiar with what lanternflies look like before squishing, but they are easy to identify.”

Also, it’s good to remove their egg masses, which look a bit like chewed gray-brown gum, advises Simek. And definitely check for hitch-hiking lanternflies while entering and exiting natural areas. 

Fall is the season to look for and remove egg masses before they hatch in spring. 

Vigilance helps slow the spread

It’s important to reduce the spotted lanternfly’s ability to reproduce and spread as much as possible. 

“One of the things we don’t want to see here on campus, of course, is for it to become a breeding area that produces lanternflies that can spread around the area even more,” says Simek. Thankfully, the EIC is well maintained and better prepared for invasive visitors.

The spotted lanternfly’s preferred host, tree of heaven, has been regularly removed from the Environmental Interpretive Center’s grounds for years. Tree of heaven is a particularly entrenched invasive plant that comes from the same region as the spotted lanternfly. As a favorite food source, it is a marker of where to look for the insect. 

Additionally, birds and bats are beginning to recognize spotted lanternflies as a food source. The near 121 acres of the EIC’s natural center helps support those populations. Though, Simek notes, its being theorized that spotted lanternflies become less appetizing after eating tree of heaven. 

That’s one more reason to be diligent about removing the invasive plant. 

Report sightings

The spotted lanternfly’s impact on the tree canopy at large remains to be seen. 

The DNR says all sightings by the public should be reported. 

So far, spotted Lanternflies have been seen in Wayne, Oakland, Lenawee, and Macomb counties.

“It’s the new invasive kid on the block,” says Simek. “We’re probably going to see them more and more, and then we’re all going to find out what their impacts are.”