SAY Detroit Students, Tigers Players Record Beloved Baseball Anthem

January 22, 2020

Local organizations like SAY Detroit are vital to the community, helping Detroit families. Since its inception, SAY has brought together countless volunteers in the name of supporting Detroiters — from kids to senior citizens and veterans.

In partnership with this impactful organization, the Detroit Tigers’ Caravan tour stopped at the SAY Detroit Play Center, an after-school facility for students striving for academic success. There, Tigers pitcher Matthew Boyd and second baseman Jonathan Schoop joined students to record a modern take on the 1908 classic “Take Me Out to the Ball Game.”

The students are part of Notes to Notes, a non-profit organization that designs, equips and staffs after-school recording studios inside Boys and Girls Clubs. The organization offers kids the chance to explore, create and record music with access to equipment and resources, and educates kids on careers in the music industry.

Ilitch Companies has partnered with SAY Detroit since its formation in 2006 to help Detroiters in need. The Detroit Tigers Foundation, an affiliate of Ilitch Charities, helped refurbish the outdoor baseball field at the SAY Detroit Play Center. The field was dedicated in honor of the Honorable Judge Damon J. Keith, a native Detroiter and civil rights icon, who passed away in 2019 at age 96.

Learn more at SAYDetroit.org and NotesForNotes.org.

Detroit Area Youth Enjoy Annual Hockeytown Tradition

January 21, 2020

Detroit’s many youth organizations make a lasting and invaluable impact on the community, giving kids of all ages unique opportunities to bond, develop and grow beyond the classroom. As part of a newly formed relationship between the Boys and Girls Clubs of Southeastern Michigan (BGCSM) and the Detroit Red Wings Foundation, dozens of local kids were invited to experience the Detroit Red Wings’ Hockeytown Winterfest, presented by Coca-Cola and Meijer, at Little Caesars Arena on Sunday, Jan. 19.

During the annual event, families enjoyed indoor and outdoor activities, laced-up and took to the Little Caesars Arena ice and learned about Detroit’s rich hockey history.

For many, stepping onto the Detroit Red Wings’ ice was their first skating experience.

The kids also toured the NHL Black Hockey History Tour presented by American Legacy, a mobile museum that celebrates today’s stars and the trailblazers who helped shape NHL history.

In addition to the Boys and Girls Clubs of Southeastern Michigan, the Detroit Red Wings Foundation has recently partnered with other Detroit-based community organizations — including the Detroit Public Schools Community District, Salvation Army and Children’s Hospital of Michigan — to help create memorable and positive experiences across Michigan.

Share in the experience here:

New ‘Signature Saturdays’ Series Begins With Tigers Autograph Signing Event

January 21, 2020

Free Autograph Signings for the Community, Featuring Dozens of Tigers Players and Coaches, on Jan. 25

Annual Kids Rally Open to Public at Lake Shore High School in St. Clair Shores on Jan. 23

Tigers fans of all ages will be treated to a new Comerica Park tradition during the 2020 season: Signature Saturdays. The series launches with a free autograph signing event in The District Detroit on Saturday, Jan. 25. The gathering will bring over two dozen current Tigers players and coaches to the downtown Detroit community where they will sign autographs, take pictures and share in the hometown excitement for the upcoming start of baseball season.

The inaugural Signature Saturday event will run from 10 a.m. to noon. Signings will take place in The District Detroit at storefronts along the new Columbia Street Plaza off Woodward Ave., beside the Fox Theatre. Featured locations include Hockeytown Café and The M Den.

Fans can also get up-close and personal with Tigers players at the annual Kids Rally, where hundreds of students from around metro Detroit will come together for a memorable evening of interactive games, the chance to hang out with players, win great prizes and more. This event is open to the public, and takes place on Thursday, Jan. 23 from 4:45–6 p.m. at Lake Shore High School in St. Clair Shores. Fans are encouraged to follow @Tigers channels on social media for the latest information on events.

Final Touches Going on the Little Caesars World Headquarters

January 21, 2020

New headquarters features one-of-kind architectural glass facade

With final and finishing touches underway at the new Little Caesars World Headquarters, Little Caesars employees are already working inside this one-of-a-kind structure. This amazing building features a one-of-a-kind front glass façade — a window wall of curved triangular panes held together with nearly invisible brackets — creating an iconic and eye catching structure that everyone on Woodward can see. Highly skilled engineers and architects, glassmakers and tradesmen worked together to place more than 150 individual panes of glass on the building, each sealed and stacked separate from the next.

Thanks to a thoughtful and strategic design process, the Little Caesars World Headquarters will join the ranks of Detroit’s architectural gems, upholding our city’s legacy for important and meaningful design. Little Caesars looks forward to a grand opening once all the details are complete!

A Hockeytown Celebration for all Ages: Winterfest Arrives at Little Caesars Arena

January 14, 2020

Little Caesars Arena will soon be transformed into a winter wonderland. The second annual Hockeytown Winterfest, presented by Coca-Cola and Meijer, will be hosted at the award-winning venue on Sunday, Jan. 19 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

This year features a curated mobile museum celebrating black achievement in hockey. The free indoor and outdoor festivities include public skating on the arena’s main ice, interactive hockey zones, outdoor winter inflatables, and much more.

While the event is free, hockey fans are encouraged to reserve a mobile ticket online here.

Red Wings season ticket holders, premium suite holders and corporate partners are eligible for special entry at 10 a.m., and can reserve their tickets here.

Encouraging a Creative Life: Actor Gives Back to Detroit School of the Arts

January 14, 2020

Fostering an interest in the performing arts from a young age can make a transformative impact on a kid’s life. The Detroit School of Arts was founded in 1992 to give an integrated academic and arts education for this reason: to cultivate this interest in the arts while preparing kids to succeed in a rapidly evolving society.

Recently, students in Dr. Mayowa Lisa Reynold’s senior class were prepared to meet and speak with a professional actor. Little did they know he had a surprise gift for them.

Actor Cody Cooley, who plays Squidward in “The SpongeBob Musical,” visited the students and took an array of questions from them on life in the performing arts. Then he dropped the bombshell: each student would receive a free ticket to the show at the Fox Theatre, courtesy of 313 Presents!

Cooley fielded questions from the kids on turning their talent in the performing arts into careers and the obstacles they may face along the way.

“Honestly, just keep at it,” Cooley said on breaking into the business. “If you really want it and you keep at it, you’ll find your position in it.”

Not only will this show be some of the student’s first experiences at the historic Fox Theatre, but Cooley himself said he’d never been before.

“The Fox is magnificent in size and scale, and the décor is incredible,” said Cooley. “It’s a great house, and I can’t wait to play it.”

History Comes to Hockeytown: NHL Black Hockey History Tour Arrives in Detroit

January 14, 2020

In honor of Black History Month 2020, the National Hockey League (NHL) has announced the return of the NHL Black Hockey History Tour presented by American Legacy for a second season. This uniquely curated mobile museum will visit Detroit’s Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History and Little Caesars Arena on Jan. 18 and 19 to celebrate today’s stars, while also looking back at the pioneers and trailblazers who helped shape NHL history.

The mobile museum has been refreshed and redesigned, offering fans a new experience as they learn about some of the biggest moments, milestones and playmakers in hockey. The museum will travel to schools, community rinks and NHL arenas, incorporating unique programming at each stop. A few museum highlights include:

  • Firsts and milestones: an entire wall dedicated to celebrating achievements in black hockey history including the first black NHL player, first captain, and first inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.
  • Every black player in history represented throughout the museum.
  • Team locker room: every stop will have a customized NHL locker room giving fans the opportunity to sit in a stall to take a photo.

Come see the NHL Black Hockey History Tour for yourself:

  • Jan. 18: 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History.
  • Jan. 18: 4:30 to 7 p.m. at Little Caesars Arena.
  • Jan. 19: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Little Caesars Arena.

For more information, visit NHL.com/BlackHockeyHistory.

Yzerman Exclusive: Inside Take Wearing the “Winged Wheel”

January 14, 2020

With the midseason upon us, Detroit legend and Red Wings Executive Vice President and General Manager Steve Yzerman sat down to exclusively share a few thoughts on the team’s storied legacy, his return to Detroit and what Hockeytown means to fans and players alike.

For more of Yzerman’s take on this season, check out this video.

A Welcome Rush on Columbia Street

January 14, 2020

From coast to coast, people on the go are flocking to healthy fast-casual establishments. Debuting this week in The District Detroit, Rush Bowls will bring distinctive and delicious offerings to residents and visitors alike at its eclectic new Columbia Street locale. Born of passion and a dream in 2004 by an entrepreneur in Boulder, Colorado, Rush Bowls features all-natural meals crafted from the finest fruits and vegetables, blended with protein and topped with organic crunchy granola and honey. Their delectable menu offers more than 40 signature bowls and smoothies.

With a prime location between the historic Fox Theatre and the new Little Caesars headquarters, this is one of five Rush Bowls that will open in Michigan under the leadership of Beth Lehman, founder and president of metro Detroit-based BLUSH Enterprises, Inc. Rush Bowls joins Frita Batidos and The M Den on Columbia Street, a block-long pedestrian-friendly strip that will continue to grow with the upcoming openings of Sahara Restaurant & Grill, a Metro Detroit family-owned Middle Eastern eatery, and a new Union Joints restaurant.

Chocolate Covered Strawberry. If Looks Could Kale. Lemon Squeeze. These are but a few of the healthy and rejuvenating menu highlights of this latest new and exciting destination.

Learn more by visiting: RushBowls.com/Detroit.