ALLEN PARK, Mich. (WXYZ) — Allen Park is welcoming back the Made in Michigan Festival this weekend, celebrating all things Michigan while highlighting local businesses and Michigan-based vendors.
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The festival runs Friday afternoon through Saturday night on Allen Road between Southfield and Roosevelt, featuring live music, family activities and around 120 vendors.
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"It is a wonderful street fair-style event that was started back in 2017. Actually to showcase our downtown businesses, bring attention to Allen Park, but also highlight Michigan-based businesses, food trucks, and vendors," Jamie Horn, organizer with Made in Michigan Festival, said.
Among the participating businesses is Michigan-based jeweler Radiant Made for Us, located in downtown Allen Park.
"Everyone is so proud living in Michigan, we're just tough-bred people. Especially with all the sports events going on here locally and everyone's doing so great. We love to be a part of the history of Michigan," Felicia Redondo, general manager at Radiant Made for Us-Allen Park, said.
Redondo says events like Made in Michigan are crucial for bringing visibility to her business and products.
"This used to be an old bank, so we turned it around and made it into a jewelry store. So a lot of time people walk in that used to bank here and they're like 'Oh my God, look at it, it's so beautiful," Redondo said.
This year's festival also coincides with Paint the Park, an initiative bringing eight murals to local Allen Park businesses.
"It has just brought the city to life in ways we didn't expect," Horn said.
Beau Stanton, an artist from Brooklyn, New York participating in Paint the Park, says there's something special about community art projects.
"One of the best things about public art and painting murals in communities is interacting with people who live there. It's a really unique form of art because it's not in a museum or a white walled gallery," Stanton said.
Detroit-based artist Louise "Ouizi" Jones says public murals benefit communities beyond aesthetics.
"All smaller towns outside of these big cities also deserve to have world-class art," Jones said. "I think it really makes people feel proud of their home and it makes people want to stay."
The Made in Michigan Festival is free to attend and begins Friday at 2 PM. It also features live entertainment, food, and fun for kids.
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