from “le détroit” · the strait
The Coney, the inaugural variety show fundraiser, sold out the Detroit Opera House on Sept. 26 and raised $2.72 million for Detroit youth arts. Organizers are already planning a year two.
Detroit has sent a lot of funny people out into the world over the years. On Saturday, a roomful of them came home for one night at the Detroit Opera House, and they turned a night of coney jokes into millions for the city's kids.
The Coney, the inaugural variety show-style fundraiser, was held Sept. 26 and pulled in $2.72 million for Detroit youth arts organizations. Money raised through the event will be dispersed to a variety of local organizations, facilitated by the Children's Foundation of Michigan.
Marc Evan Jackson, the event founder and Second City Detroit alum, addressed the crowd early and later hosted a "Weekend Update"-style news segment. Away from The Coney, Jackson is founder and president of The Detroit Creativity Project.
The sold-out crowd came to see a heavily Detroit-themed comic showcase featuring local talent including Tim Meadows, Sam Richardson, J.K. Simmons and Dave Coulier. Amber Ruffin, Vondie Curtis-Hall, Andy Richter, Tony Hawk and Shane Battier were among the others who appeared.
Meadows set the tone: "Welcome to The Coney, or, as Detroiters call it, the show where former Detroiters who moved to LA make jokes about a city they haven't lived in for decades," he said.
The night ran like a hometown roast with a heart. The cast performed a medley of Motown and Detroit favorites, and the show featured musical numbers, running jokes about the Nain Rouge, an "In Memoriam"-style segment for lost local favorites, and, yes, a coney dog eating contest. "If good things come to those who wait, then District Detroit is going to be amazing," Ruffin said.
Under the jokes is a real number with a longer horizon. Andrew Stein, president and CEO of the Children's Foundation of Michigan, said his goal through The Coney is, within a few years, to build an endowment fund north of $10 million for youth arts in Detroit. The event was built to establish an Endowed Fund for Youth Arts at the foundation, money meant to outlast any single sold-out night.
One night, one full house, and organizers are already talking about a year two for the event, and beyond. If it holds, Detroit's most famous exports will have a standing reason to come home.
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