The Michigan State Fair begins Thursday in Novi, showcasing the work of young people who live on farms. Riley Stechschulte manages the fair’s volunteers and sponsor relations. She says city kids get involved, too. 

“We have a great urban youth gardening program. We have an urban scholarship program as well as a livestock and agriculture. Those kids together, from rural areas and urban areas, and [we] have them teach each other about things that they do.” 

The event is smaller than the original Michigan State Fair, which ran out of money almost 20 years ago. Agriculture groups and corporate sponsors revived it in 2012 and moved it from Detroit to Novi. It runs through Labor Day at the Vibe Credit Union Showplace. 

Additional headlines for Thursday, Sept. 3, 2026

Labor Day weekend events

There are plenty of activities planned for Labor Day weekend this year.

The Detroit Jazz Festival returns with four days of free music. Gates open Friday at 5:30 p.m. and at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday at Hart Plaza. Hamtramck’s Labor Day Festival starts on Saturday at noon on the Main Street of Joseph Campau. And Detroit’s Labor Day March kicks off at 9 a.m. in Corktown on Monday.  

MDARD stresses food safety

The Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) is reminding residents to keep food safety in mind this Labor Day weekend. Officials advise those tailgating or hosting cookouts to keep cold foods cold and hot foods hot with insulated containers.

Avoid cross contamination by keeping raw meat and poultry separate from other foods and beverages. Think twice about leftovers; throw out any cold food that is not 40 degrees or below, and any hot food that has been sitting out for 2 hours or more with an internal temperature below 140 degrees. Store and eat leftovers within four days.  

Olga Stella named chief of Economic Development and Workforce

Detroit Mayor Mary Sheffield is naming Olga Stella as the city’s new chief of Economic Development and Workforce.

Stella brings 25 years of experience to the job. She previously served several roles with the Detroit Economic Growth Corporation, including Chief Operating Officer. She helped launch the Motor City Match and Green Grocer programs. 

Free showers

The group Detroit Heals Detroit is offering free showers to anyone in need. According to an Instagram post, walk-ins are welcome.

Towels, body wash, razors, toothpaste and toothbrushes are provided. Showers have steamers, fresh eucalyptus, body scrubs, luxury shower heads and a shower speaker. And participants will also receive a free mini-toiletries kit to take with them.

Showers are open every Monday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at 19510 Alcoy Street in Detroit, MI.  

Listen to the latest episode of the “Detroit Evening Report” on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, NPR.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

Michigan’s Department of Agriculture and Rural Development says the spread of hemlock woolly adelgid along Lake Michigan is increasing. Native to East Asia, hemlock woolly adelgid is an invasive insect that attacks Hemlock trees, feeding on their sap and killing them between 4 and 10 years of infestation.

According to the MDARD, it’s been detected in Allegan, Antrim, Benzie, Leelanau, Manistee, Mason, Muskegon, Oceana, Ottawa, Van Buren, and Washtenaw counties. 

Rob Miller is the Michigan’s Department of Agriculture and Rural Development’s (MDARD) invasive species prevention and response specialist. Miller has played a crucial role in slowing the insect’s spread across the state. 

“Hemlock woolly adelgid really became a problem… between 2015 and 2017. It was [unintentionally] brought into the state on nursery stock that was infested with hemlock woolly adelgid [and] there are no native predators or diseases to keep [their] populations in check,” Miller says. 

While infestations have been found at the University of Michigan’s Nichols Arboretum, Miller is not overly concerned for Southeast Michigan. He says Southeast Michigan’s climate isn’t suited for hemlock trees, so the area doesn’t have a large population of them to worry about.

However, Miller is very concerned for the infestations detected in the west and northern regions of Michigan’s Lower Peninsula, where there are hundreds of hemlock trees. 

Treatment for hemlock woolly adelgid 

Unfortunately, Miller says the infestation is too far along and too widespread for eradication to be an option for MDARD. One way the state  is supporting this effort is by funding local conservation districts that have Cooperative, Invasive Species Management Area (CISMA) programs. Miller says this partnership gives local conservation districts more resources to directly treat and prevent hemlock woolly adelgid infestations. 

For property owners, there are two different insecticides to treat hemlock woolly adelgid infestations: imidacloprid and dinotefuran. 

Miller differentiates these chemicals by the speed they move through trees; imidacloprid moves slowly and protects the tree for longer, and dinotefuran moves quicker and protects the tree for a couple of years. 

Both insecticides are neonioctinoids, which are harmful among pollinators. However, Miller explains that application techniques reduces the environmental risk of these chemicals.

“You’re applying [insecticide to protect hemlock trees] either directly to the trunk of the tree or you’re actually injecting it in the tree. You’re not spraying it all over the place…shooting it out of a high pressure hose [or] using a mist system,” he says.”

“So, when it’s applied to the tree properly, it’s very targeted and that chemical is then actually inside the tree, and we don’t have any runoff.” 

This story is part of WDET’s ongoing series, The Detroit Tree Canopy Project.