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Michigan’s Cities are Playgrounds for Creatives . . . and a Menacing Mythical Red Dwarf Proved That
The Nain Rouge. His evil ways actually helped make Detroit a better place to be last Sunday.
Whether it is turning downtown Grand Rapids into a giant art space or chasing a mythical red dwarf through Detroit’s Cass Corridor, Michigan’s cities are canvases for ‘builders.’
Michigan’s cities certainly need to improve their quality of life, whether that is more walkable communities, developing better mass transit, or increasing support for arts and culture, in order to retain and attract the younger workforce that is fleeing this state without ever even considering the possibility of staying here.
But the solution to keeping our college graduates here, or attracting others, isn't just about talking about what we need moving forward. It is also making the argument for the opportunities that Michigan’s cities offer in the present. One of those selling points, is that in the right hands, they are unparalleled playgrounds for the creative that want to leave a mark on a community and maybe even the world.
Nowhere was that more apparent than in Detroit this past Sunday, and it was all thanks to a menacing red dwarf called Le Nain Rouge.
Who is Le Nain Rouge? And how did his mischief make Detroit a better place on Sunday?
Nain Rouge is a red dwarf that was first spotted in 1701 by the city’s founder, Antoine Laumet de la Mothe Cadillac, who struck the red demon with his cane while on a walk. The dwarf cursed Cadillac who then proceeded to know nothing but failure for the rest of his days. As legend would have it, ever since then Nain Rouge has been spotted on the eve of the city’s most unfortunate events, including the massacre at Bloody Run in 1763, the great fire of 1805, the riots of 1943 and 1967, and most recently a severe blizzard in the 1970s.
The early settlers were so peeved by Nain Rouge that they held an annual march before the Spring equinox where they would come together to symbolically rid his evil spirit from the city.
The crowd watches as the Nain Rouge is 'disposed of'
Fast-forward 300 years from that first Marche Du Nain Rouge to present-day Detroit. While it has been a while since Nain Rouge has been spotted, the Motor City certainly could use some help expelling the demons that have been haunting it as of late.
Francis Grunow, a champion of Detroit if ever there was one, pulled together a group of friends and organized a revival of the March du Nain Rouge, where people were asked to dress up as alter egos and help banish a personified version of the evil dwarf.
What started out as an off the wall attempt among friends to revive a long forgotten tradition turned into a brilliant event that brought out some 300 costumed people on a beautiful afternoon to march through Detroit’s Cass Corridor . . . . which is certainly not one of the city’s more vibrant stretches. The revelers were merrily led by the rogue Detroit Party Marching Band to Cass Park in front of the Masonic Hall, where speeches were made and the Nain Rouge was eventually burned in effigy in a steel drum, ringing in spring and hopefully bringing good fortune to Detroit for the coming year.
For those who weren’t there I’m sure it sounds silly or simply absurd, but it was more significant than that. The Marche du Nain Rouge proved a couple things. Firstly, quality of place isn’t always about “brick and mortar” establishments. The desirability of city goes beyond the coffee shops, restaurants, and public spaces. While those are important, it is also about the community and the people that make up the city, and the events that bring them together.
Sometimes we just have to stop taking ourselves too seriously
For me, the parade reinforced the idea that Michigan’s cities are places where people can create.
If I wanted to live in a community where I was just living there and enjoying the local amenities, then I would have moved to the north side of Chicago, Brooklyn, or Seattle. But during these tough times, Michigan’s cities offer something more that is appealing to an often overlooked segment of the younger population.
Paul Schutt, one of the founders of the Issue Media Group, parent company of ModelD Media and Rapid Growth, often speaks of the “creators” or builders within the under-35 demographic that inhabit particular cities.
Michigan’s cities are without doubt for creators. Whether people realize it or not, our cities are places where young people can become entrepreneurs and even impact the social dynamics of a city. If you are a young and ambitious individual in Lansing, Detroit, Grand Rapids, or Flint, because so many others have written off these cities, there is an opportunity for you to step in and create and take an active role in shaping the future of that community.
If you are a young Michigander that moved off to Portland, Seattle, or Brooklyn, you aren’t going to have the same opportunity to create; instead you are going to enjoy the fruits of earlier pioneers who were on the ground floor of the rebirth of those communities.
Marche du Nain Rouge is a prime example of an individual who had an idea, and thanks to a supportive community, was able to bring a ‘silly’ idea to fruition. And in the process, created an event that brought people together in a way that celebrated the unique history and culture of the city, as well as the people that make it up today.
The Marche du Nain Rouge was such a clear success that it is almost inevitable that it will become an annual tradition for years to come, with no reason to believe its numbers won’t swell each successive year. Mr. Grunow was able to leave a mark on his city. Could he have done that if he lived in one of those cities that Michigan’s youth is fleeing to? Maybe, but it probably wouldn’t have been as easy or had such an impact on the wider community.
Without a doubt, Michigan’s cities need to do a better job of offering the type of amenities and quality of life that are drawing our young people to other metropolitan areas. At the same time, we need to do a better job of making the argument that Michigan’s cities in the present offer unique opportunities. They are the type of places where a young person can afford a home and still have the capital to start a business with the support of community; or where a silly idea of yours can become a reality and play a role in shaping the future of a city.
The Detroit Party Marching Band, helped liven up the parade, which itself helped liven up Detroit and in its own small way made it a more hospitable and desirable place to be.
All photos provided by Dante Stella of Detroit
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