Dally in the Alley returns September 12, still run entirely by neighbors

Detroit's Dally in the Alley doesn't answer to a promoter.

On Saturday, September 12, the Cass Corridor street festival returns for its 47th annual run, and admission is free. The day runs from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. around Hancock and Second.

Its footprint sits on Forest, Third, W. Hancock and Second, in the alley bounded by them, a block given over to live music, visual arts, performance, food and beer. Vendors line the alley with jewelry, crafts, records and t-shirts, and the day makes room for kids too, with art and poetry workshops, face painting and crafts stations.

What sets Dally apart is who holds the keys. The North Cass Community Union is the sponsor of the festival, and the event is completely organized and executed by a team of community volunteers. The festival bills itself as Detroit's largest annual community festival and draws thousands into the alley each year.

The tradition goes back decades. The very first Dally was held in 1977, on the first Saturday after Labor Day.

The money it raises stays close to home. The North Cass Community Union has used Dally proceeds to fund an environmental lawsuit against the City of Detroit trash incinerator, provide roaming security during nighttime hours and grant scholarships to enable neighborhood children to attend the Art Center Music School.

For a festival that pulls that kind of crowd, it is a rare arrangement, with the money circling back into the block it came from.

Adriel Thornton is listed as the organizer contact for this year's event, and vendor and schedule details run through the festival's site at dallyinthealley.com.

Bring cash for the vendors and plan to stay past dark.