Arts & Scraps, a Detroit-based nonprofit that helps children re-purpose discarded materials into educational and creative projects, will return to Michigan’s largest book festival this Sunday at Detroit’s Eastern Market. Children in attendance at the Detroit Festival of Books will be able to construct their very own bookmark using repurposed materials, and any other project of their liking, with the assistance of volunteers from Arts & Scraps.
“We are extremely grateful for the many businesses and individuals who donate to Arts & Scraps,” said Tatiana Hull, Arts & Scraps’ program manager. “While their donations are great for our environment, which is part of the mission of Arts & Scraps, most importantly, they allow us to engage with kids and our Detroit Community at large in sustainable, creative and fun ways; ways where everyone is truly able to think, create, learn and grow both individually and collectively. We are grateful for the Bookfest invitation each year and for the many partners, groups, and individuals who believe in and support the mission of Arts & Scraps that allow us to be a part of amazing events such as this.”
Bookfest will take place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, July 21, 2024, at Eastern Market’s Shed 5. There is no admission fee for the event, and no charge for children to enjoy Arts and Scraps.
“Arts & Scraps is a tremendous asset to both Bookfest and the community at large,” said Ryan M. Place, the festival’s founder and chairman. “Bookfest’s attendance, particularly among children, has been surging due to great partners like Arts & Scraps, Birdie’s Bookmobile, and Brilliant Detroit. We’re delighted to have Arts & Scraps returning and offering fun, exciting, and creative activities for children.”
The Detroit Festival of Books will run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, July 21. Admission is free. Photos of the 2023 Bookfest are available for download and use via this link.
Deon will be located on Russell Street at Alfred Street from 11am-3pm during Bookfest. Please bring money to tip him. Paper money, small bills are appreciated.
Considered a Detroit street legend and one of the top street performers in the Midwest by many, the musically gifted Deon Forrest, has built a reputation for doing his own thing.
Self-taught and ambidextrous, Deon “plays the pots” on the streets of Detroit, most notably drawing massive crowds in the neighborhoods of Eastern Market, Greektown and Downtown.
Videos of Deon have gone viral numerous times. Some of the videos online have over 60 million views. He was featured on the Jimmy Kimmel Show and some fans of his work include Eminem, Janet Jackson, Post Malone, Jermaine Dupri, and many others.
Deon’s sense of rhythm, timing, theatrics, audience engagement and overall musicianship are what sets him apart from the competition.
Big Sean’s Detroit 2 album cover (featuring Deon Forrest on the front cover)
Let’s hear from Deon directly:
“I love Detroit. Straight up. I grew up on the streets, didn’t have nothing. Then In 2008, I got shipped here and lived in a group home in Southwest Detroit at Fort and Schaefer. I got myself together in Detroit. I found out who I was in Detroit, this city made me who I am.”
“At that time, nobody knew who I was. I didn’t even know who I was. I didn’t know what I wanted to be or what I really wanted to do. But I knew I needed a hustle. Couldn’t let my kids stay on the streets and I didn’t want to beg for money, so one day I’m at my friends and being a percussionist, I’m always tapping on stuff, and I’m getting into the rhythm and right then and there I realized Deon you’re going to be a street performer.”
“I started off as a techno drummer without the speaker. Now I got a TopTech Audio speaker specially rigged on wheels. Built my pots because I wanted to do something unique and different. And now I got a whole mobile orchestra! My kit includes: piano, pots, slider, etc. I use ten pots and one cymbal. The buckets provide the bass. My favorite drumsticks are the plastic-tipped marching band Vix Stix (aka: Vic Firth).”
“My style is like Daft Punk mixed with Stomp (the British percussion group) and I can remix any song.”
Deon Forrest (aka: Greektown Hotbox) Detroit’s own world-famous street performer (photo Deon Forrest)
“The streets is like a big petri dish for testing your skills. To be a street performer, you have to battle underground to see who’s the best. I earned the title ‘King of Greektown’ because I’m 10-0. You set up near a big crowd and try to take the crowd. Whoever draws and keeps the crowd is the winner and you earn that spot.”
“I beat the five Chicago bucket drummers. We were rivals for a minute but now we’re cool. I outmaneuvered the marching band and they even had big bass drums. Also whooped a few horn players. I’ll go toe to toe with anybody on the streets. You play something? Bring it. Let’s see what you got. I’m in Eastern Market, Greektown, all over Downtown, come find me.”
“I play outside a lot of sports games, especially the Detroit Tigers and Detroit Red Wings, and outside live music venues, especially the Fox Theatre and Masonic Temple. The most money I ever made in a short time was I made $1,200 playing drums for about 1h30min. On a typical night, I average around $500.”
“I did a performance for Post Malone in Greektown. I played Martha Reeves birthday party. I’ve been in an NFL commercial with Barry Sanders. I’ve done all sorts of stuff.”
Deon Forrest (aka: Greektown Hotbox) Detroit’s own world-famous street performer and Detroit rapper Big Sean (photo Deon Forrest)
“One of my main inspirations is Michael Jackson. I also find some parallels between his life and my life. For instance, there was the Jackson Five. I used to perform on the streets with five people, including my man Miles Hubbell, but gradually the group started shortening until it was just me. Plus, how he did the moonwalk, I built a slider on my kit so I can kick the pot out and moonwalk it back.”
“Believe it or not, I only practice in my head. I get the music on my phone and listen to it. I have a special ability to instantly memorize music. I have a song of list of hundreds of songs in my head. I also do requests. My favorite stuff to play is pop, dance, techno, R & B, etc.”
“I love Detroit because there’s all kinds of wonderful and different people here. The best advice I can give y’all is just be who you are. Because whether you like it or not, the Real You’s gonna come out eventually. Just let it shine.”
“I’m a big basketball fan, would love to do something with the Detroit Pistons.”
“Currently, I’m building a special set. It’s a 360-degree chair that spins. I sit in the middle and there’s four different drumming stations where I can spin and play multiple, different songs interchangeably.”
Come check out Deon on the pots!
Deon Forrest (aka: Greektown Hotbox) Detroit’s own world-famous street performer (photo Deon Forrest)
The Detroit Festival of Books is delighted to announce that this year’s Bookfest will feature programming from the Michigan Science Center.
Bookfest, now in its seventh year, features hundreds of booksellers, authors, artists, and sellers of antiquarian items, in Detroit’s beautiful Eastern Market. The addition of Mi-Sci furthers Bookfest’s goal to be an event for individuals of all ages.
Mi-Sci’s activities for kids at Bookfest will include:
Invisible Ink: a live science demonstration where participants discover how oxygen reacts with vitamin C and lemon juice. The addition of heat causes the “ink” to oxidize, rendering children’s name or message visible on the paper.
Improve Your Memory: A collection of games promoting both memory and physical fitness with LEGO® DUPLO® blocks.
“To say we are thrilled to feature the Michigan Science Center at Bookfest is an understatement,” said Ryan M. Place, founder and chairman of Bookfest. “The 2024 Bookfest will be the best yet!”
The Detroit Festival of Books will run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, July 21. Admission is free. Photos of the 2023 Bookfest are available for download and use via this link.
The Detroit Festival of Books, aka: Detroit Bookfest, is a FREE annual in-person event at Eastern Market in Detroit, Michigan.
Eastern Market
Shed 5
2934 Russell Street
Detroit, MI 48207
Sunday, July 16, 2023
10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Where will the Food Trucks be located at?
The food trucks will be located south of Shed 5 and east of Russell Street. (if you need to type in an address, plug in 1440 Alfred Street, Detroit, MI).
Lex and Jazz of Char’latte Coffee Company Detroit (photo by Char’latte)
* The sisters will be located inside Eastern Market’s Shed 5 during Detroit Bookfest. Come check out their amazing coffee! Please bring small bills, especially $1’s and $5’s.
I love coffee. The aroma, flavor tones, nuances, trimethylxanthine, and accelerated association of ideas that results after gulping down a cup or pot of it. So, when I heard that Char’latte Coffee Company is bringing some liquid deliciousness to Detroit Bookfest, I was ecstatic.
Officially opened in February 2022, Char’latte Coffee Company is run by two Metro Detroit sisters and former baristas who saw a need in the market and decided to fill it.
Alexis Hallam (aka: Lex) and Jazzmyne Cansler (aka: Jazz) are very close siblings. Lex is four years older, likes photography, plays the drums, and started working at a coffeehouse. She got her sister, Jazz, who plays the strings, a job at the coffeehouse and they both “fell in love with the Art of Coffee,” says Jazz.
Alexis Hallam (aka: Lex) and Jazzmyne Cansler (aka: Jazz) of Char’latte Coffee Company Detroit (photo by Ryan M. Place)
“After working in different coffeehouses, we decided to pool our talents, love of coffee, and entrepreneurial spirits,” says Lex. “We created our brand and started our own operation. The coffee is sourced from Stumptown Coffee Roasters and all flavored syrups are created in-house.”
Currently, the sisters offer specialty pop-ups, and their operation consists of an 8-foot-long mobile coffee cart.
“We offer drip, pour over, iced, cold brew, espresso, teas, hot chocolate, and lemonade,” says Lex. “We are hoping to add some pastries in the future.”
Some top sellers right now are:
Brown Sugar Lavender Oat Milk Latte
Hot chocolate with whipped cream
And the Madagascar vanilla bean
Char’latte Coffee Company Detroit
“We love the freedom of mobility,” says Jazz. “In the future, we’d like to add a large trailer and our ultimate goal is to eventually open a brick-and-mortar coffeehouse, most likely in the heart of Detroit.”
This is a true family operation. “Our Uncle Shane built the cart for us, outfitted it and he even helps transport it to events in his truck. His wife and kids all help contribute greatly to our success and we are very thankful for their love and support,” says Lex. “And the name Char’latte is in honor of my two-year-old daughter, Charlotte.”
The sister’s coffee cart can be booked for events. “We politely request a minimum of 50 people,” says Jazz. “There is no maximum. We do weddings, office parties, house parties, graduations, corporate events, community events, all sorts of different things.”
The sisters are trying to make this gig full-time. Help them out by booking them for your next event!
Birdie’s Bookmobile Returns to Bookfest for More Kids’ Activities and Book Donations
Birdie’s Bookmobile, a non-profit organization dedicated to eliminating book deserts and getting books into the hands and homes of children and families in Detroit, will return to this year’s Detroit Festival of Books with programming for kid attendees.Birdie’s Bookmobile has distributed over 40,000 free books in partnership with local schools and community organizations with 20,000 books supporting adult literacy. This year’s Bookfest will be Sunday, July 21, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Detroit’s Eastern Market.
In addition to accepting donations of children’s and young adult books, Birdie’s Bookmobile will offer several fun activities for children including:
Storytime and a pool-themed reading area chock full of children’s books where kids can kick back and relax.
Once Upon a Time — a collective story written by children attendees. The finished story will be available to read on the Birdie’s Bookmobile website after Bookfest.
Create Your Own Comic Strip
There is no general admission fee at Bookfest nor is there a charge for kids’ activities.
Book donations will increase the number of books children in Detroit can access at home, promote shared reading experiences, and improve literacy outcomes.
Birdie’s Bookmobile accepts new and gently used
board books
picture books
early readers
chapter books
graphic novels
middle-grade books
young-adult books
“Community partners are the backbone of our organization. With their help, Birdie’s Bookmobile has distributed 40,000 free books to children and families in Detroit,” said Alyce Hartman, founder and executive director of Birdie’s Bookmobile.
“We are thrilled that Birdie’s Bookmobile is returning to Bookfest,” said Ryan M. Place, the book festival’s founder and chairman. “This organization does so much to ensure all Detroit children have an opportunity to build their own libraries and develop a life-long love of reading.”
The Detroit Festival of Books takes place Sunday, July 21, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., in Sheds 4 and 5 in Detroit’s Eastern Market. The event is free. Photos of the 2023 Bookfest are available for download and use via this link.
Recent Comments