Second Annual Corktown-a-Glow highlights collaboration between CBA and residents

The Second Annual Corktown-a-Glow took place on Saturday, December 9th throughout Corktown, Detroit. The day-long event was filled with community spirit, Corktown history, a handful of falling snowflakes, and a dash of holiday magic. Seeing so many people of all ages coming together to engage and participate in the Corktown-a-Glow festivities truly made it a Detroit holiday event not to be missed.

Our neighborhood-wide events always focus on highlighting our storied neighborhood history, our wonderful residents, the hardworking businesses, and community wins like new bike lanes and public art. This year’s Corktown-a-Glow was no different and provided something for everyone. Free Corktown history tours provided by Corktown Experience accompanied the complimentary Nemo’s shuttle service throughout the neighborhood. Restaurants responded with surprise specials while shops threw parties and hosted activities. Photos with santa from Bondo Booth, marshmallow roasting by the open fire with The Farmer’s Hand, and Mudgie’s hot chocolate. All Free. Festive drum circles with Heritage Works, Christmas caroling with opera singer Giles Simmer. Even the mounted police made an appearance! People enjoyed collecting their raffle prizes from Corktown Businesses. And gathering gifts for our less fortunate Detroit neighbors. The day is a true glimpse into the embodiment of community.

Corktown-a-glow was created in 2016 stemming from this core idea; that creating spaces and experiences aimed at gathering people is a direct route to strengthening communities. As Detroit continues to grow, this idea is key to the city’s continued success. We’ve made community our purpose, having witnessed how it leads to positive change. It’s our shared heartbeat here in Corktown. As independent business owners, the Corktown Business Association wanted to do something that brought our neighbors together to celebrate the holiday season and to say ‘Thank You’ to the community that supports us all year round. We wanted to welcome new guests and visitors to our neighborhood, in hopes to embark on a new holiday tradition. We’re proud, honored, and humbled to announce that this year the Corktown Business Association was presented a Certificate of Appreciation from the Detroit Police Department for “its commitment to families in the city of Detroit.”

Our goal is working…but it takes a village to plan an amazing neighborhood wide event. Want to get involved? If you or your business would like to help us keep growing our mission and event we’d love to work with you. Please reach out to join our events committee, sponsor or volunteer for our 2018 Corktown-a-Glow! We can’t wait to hear from you.

A huge THANK YOU to our amazing sponsors and countless volunteers that helped make the 2nd Annual Corktown-a-Glow possible: