> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.dailydetroit.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # PHOTOS: Belle Isle In Wildfire Smoke + Weekend Picks - URL: https://www.dailydetroit.com/photos-belle-isle-in-wildfire-smoke-weekend-picks/ - Published: 2026-07-17T21:58:19.000Z - Updated: 2026-07-17T21:58:19.000Z - Description: What to do this weekend, stories around town + more - Author: Jer Staes - Tags: Newsletter Hey there, it's Jer. I hope you’re doing as best as possible with the wildfire smoke. The numbers are a bit better than yesterday, and experts seem optimistic things will keep improving over the weekend. Before I jump into some events and stories, I wanted to share a roll of photos from friend of the show [Ryan Southen](https://www.ryansouthen.com/?ref=dailydetroit.com) who trekked over the bridge to Belle Isle to see how the island looks under the smoke. The series feels like something out of the spooky books I read as a kid. Familiar places, plus an eerie filter. [As I did yesterday](https://www.dailydetroit.com/16-aerial-views-of-downtown-detroit-in-wildfire-smoke/), I'll walk you though what you're seeing. If this is your first time here, be sure to sign up for future editions of the newsletter, [and join thousands of Metro Detroiters who want to be plugged into what to know and where to go.](https://www.dailydetroit.com/newsletter/) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/47/f5/47f528d4-7214-4519-b2b2-26249e48460d/content/images/2026/07/BelleIsleSmog_7-16-2026-6111-copy.jpg) 📸 Ryan Southen The Nancy Brown Peace Carillon (the tower in the distance) is more than 75 years old and has a fascinating history. Detroit News columnist Nancy Brown eventually started leading a sunrise religious service there that drew as many as 50,000 people to the island every week. [\[Historic Detroit\]](https://historicdetroit.org/buildings/nancy-brown-peace-carillon?ref=dailydetroit.com) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/47/f5/47f528d4-7214-4519-b2b2-26249e48460d/content/images/2026/07/BelleIsleSmog_7-16-2026-6133-copy.jpg) 📸 Ryan Southen The horseman Alpheus Starkey Williams still stands guard. According to [Historic Detroit:](https://historicdetroit.org/buildings/alpheus-starkey-williams-monument?ref=dailydetroit.com) > Williams, a Detroiter, was a congressman, a judge, a lawyer, a postmaster, a newspaper publisher and a failed gubernatorial candidate, but he made a name for himself in the military, serving in the Mexican-American War and for the Union in the Civil War. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/47/f5/47f528d4-7214-4519-b2b2-26249e48460d/content/images/2026/07/BelleIsleSmog_7-16-2026-6141-copy.jpg) 📸 Ryan Southen This is the Anna Scripps Whitcomb Conservatory, with the Barbour Memorial Fountain in the foreground. [The fountain was designed by Marshall Fredericks,](https://marshallfredericks.org/barbour-memorial-fountain/?ref=dailydetroit.com) who also created the Spirit of Detroit. It was dedicated in 1937, more than 20 years before the well‑known Spirit downtown. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/47/f5/47f528d4-7214-4519-b2b2-26249e48460d/content/images/2026/07/BelleIsleSmog_7-16-2026-6143-copy.jpg) 📸 Ryan Southen A look at the now‑silent bandshell over the vibrant Oudolf Garden. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/47/f5/47f528d4-7214-4519-b2b2-26249e48460d/content/images/2026/07/BelleIsleSmog_7-16-2026-6148-copy.jpg) 📸 Ryan Southen The Scott Fountain is undergoing a deep restoration and maintenance upgrade, so it’s quiet this year as it looms over the reflecting pond. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/47/f5/47f528d4-7214-4519-b2b2-26249e48460d/content/images/2026/07/BelleIsleSmog_7-16-2026-6150-copy.jpg) 📸 Ryan Southen The rails of this bridge date from the 1890s, and if you look closely you can see two shield icons; one reflecting the seal of Detroit. Those shields helped inspire today’s shield motif for Daily Detroit as a nod and connection to our past. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/47/f5/47f528d4-7214-4519-b2b2-26249e48460d/content/images/2026/07/BelleIsleSmog_7-16-2026-6224-copy.jpg) 📸 Ryan Southen Even in the smog, the birds sing. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/47/f5/47f528d4-7214-4519-b2b2-26249e48460d/content/images/2026/07/BelleIsleSmog_7-16-2026-6214-copy.jpg) 📸 Ryan Southen The Oudolf Garden's vibrant mix of flowers still finds a way to punch through the gray. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/47/f5/47f528d4-7214-4519-b2b2-26249e48460d/content/images/2026/07/BelleIsleSmog_7-16-2026-6202-copy.jpg) 📸 Ryan Southen I’ve always appreciated the juxtaposition of man‑made and nature in the garden. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/47/f5/47f528d4-7214-4519-b2b2-26249e48460d/content/images/2026/07/BelleIsleSmog_7-16-2026-6206-copy.jpg) 📸 Ryan Southen This path leads to a seating area on the wetland portion connected to the Oudolf garden. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/47/f5/47f528d4-7214-4519-b2b2-26249e48460d/content/images/2026/07/BelleIsleSmog_7-16-2026-6192-copy.jpg) 📸 Ryan Southen Another garden photo. I just love the layers of color and focus. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/47/f5/47f528d4-7214-4519-b2b2-26249e48460d/content/images/2026/07/BelleIsleSmog_7-16-2026-6171-copy.jpg) 📸 Ryan Southen In better weather, the paths are well kept and give you a great chance to see the flowers up close. Remember to leave only footprints and take only pictures and memories here. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/47/f5/47f528d4-7214-4519-b2b2-26249e48460d/content/images/2026/07/BelleIsleSmog_7-16-2026-6151-copy.jpg) 📸 Ryan Southen I can't help but think of the motto of the city of Detroit, "*“Speramus meliora; resurget cineribus*,” which translates to “We hope for better things; it shall arise from the ashes.” It was written as the city rebuilt from a great fire. Turns out in 2026 we are also rebuilding... but this time, the ashes are from wildfires. Thanks again to Ryan Southen for sharing these. We'll have more [on our Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/dailydetroit?ref=dailydetroit.com) (and his, [give him a follow](https://www.instagram.com/rsouthen?ref=dailydetroit.com)) over the weekend. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/47/f5/47f528d4-7214-4519-b2b2-26249e48460d/content/images/2026/07/phezzy-line-break-daily-detroit-email-3.png) ## 📰 What To Know **🏡 A cryptocurrency real estate company that sold shares of about 700 Detroit properties says it plans to sell off its entire portfolio.** [**\[Outlier Media\]**](https://outliermedia.org/realt-crypto-real-estate-detroit-properties/?ref=dailydetroit.com) They say mounting financial and legal troubles are pushing RealT toward insolvency. --- 🛠️ The City of Detroit has [installed the first of 3,000 mid-block lights,](https://detroitmi.gov/news/mayor-sheffield-public-lighting-authority-residents-celebrate-installation-first-3000-new-mid-block?ref=dailydetroit.com) and announced plans to [spend $184 million to fix more than 9,000 clogged or broken connections to sewers in alleys around the city. ](https://detroitmi.gov/news/mayor-sheffield-dwsd-announce-184m-alley-sewer-repair-program-fix-9000-private-residential-sewer?ref=dailydetroit.com) The city says almost 1 in 3 residential private sewer line connections is clogged, offset, or disconnected from the city sewer, causing basement back-ups and alley cave-ins. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/47/f5/47f528d4-7214-4519-b2b2-26249e48460d/content/images/2026/07/phezzy-line-break-daily-detroit-email-2.png) ## 🗓️ Where To Go ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/47/f5/47f528d4-7214-4519-b2b2-26249e48460d/content/images/2026/07/Screenshot-2026-07-17-at-5.07.07---PM.png) **🍹 You might have heard of the Detroit Athletic Club. Allow me to introduce you to something completely different.** The Carbon Athletic Club has been around for 79 years, in the shadow of I‑75 in the Delray / Carbon Works neighborhood. The Zug Isle Tiki party is a rare event, as the club is usually members‑only. This public bash supports an institution that has not only weathered it all, but built a community that loves it. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/47/f5/47f528d4-7214-4519-b2b2-26249e48460d/content/images/2026/07/723809694_1647728787358853_2869084742200814892_n.jpg) It runs from 2 p.m. to midnight on Saturday, with a musical lineup featuring Don Duprie, Alison Lewis, John Krautner, Jeffrey Jablonski, Roland Remington, Tony Paris & The Sugarburn, Imaginatron, Craig Brown Band, Thelma & The Sleaze (Nashville) and more. Key to this one: Be sure to follow the link for directions, and bring cash — it’s cash‑only, just like old‑school Detroit bar culture. [\[Eventbrite\]](https://www.eventbrite.com/e/cacs-79th-anniversary-party-tickets-1990879607499?ref=dailydetroit.com) --- **🪘 Concert of Colors is this weekend.** Although it started earlier in the week, the grand opening ceremony is Saturday at 11 a.m. [\[Concert of Colors\]](https://www.concertofcolors.com/?ref=dailydetroit.com) Called “Celebrating Ish,” it pays tribute to the recently passed founder Ismael Ahmed with a gathering on the DIA’s south lawn and a public procession led by the Gabriel Brass Band. This year’s lineup leans heavy on legends and global sounds, with Sheila E bringing her percussion‑driven show to the DIA to close it out on Sunday night. Since 1993 it’s been an all‑ages, free, “only‑in‑Detroit” event — and personally, I’m making sure to stop by. --- **📘 The 9th Annual Detroit Festival of Books (aka Detroit Bookfest) returns Sunday, July 19 to Eastern Market with free admission.** [\[Website\]](https://detroitbookfest.com/?ref=dailydetroit.com) It runs from 10 a.m.–4 p.m. Michigan’s largest book festival packs 300+ vendors with books, vinyl, comics, and art, plus a family-friendly kids zone and more. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/47/f5/47f528d4-7214-4519-b2b2-26249e48460d/content/images/2026/07/phezzy-line-break-daily-detroit-email-5.png) ### **Don't miss today's Daily Detroit podcast!** I was joined by my regular cohosts Devon O'Reilly and Norris Howard for a big episode of the show. 🔥 We talk about the wildfires and debate whether we should, as South Park would say, “Blame Canada.” 🏒 The Yzerplan didn’t work for the Red Wings — what’s next, and are they now the fifth major sports team? 🏟️ Why the Detroit City FC stadium project is such a big deal. 🗳️ We analyze, from a local perspective, the fluid Abdul El‑Sayed / Haley Stevens U.S. Democratic primary race, including the latest polling and the whopping 14‑to‑1 spending advantage for Stevens and associated PACs, with more than $50 million dropped on the race. [\[Apple Podcasts\]](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/detroit-wildfire-side-chat-smoke-stadium-groundbreaking/id1220563942?i=1000777127512&ref=dailydetroit.com) [\[Daily Detroit\]](https://www.dailydetroit.com/detroit-wildfire-side-chat-smoke-stadium-groundbreaking-and-a-hot-senate-primary/) [\[YouTube\]](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9pZLRjOPZwY&ref=dailydetroit.com) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/47/f5/47f528d4-7214-4519-b2b2-26249e48460d/content/images/2026/07/phezzy-line-break-daily-detroit-email-4.png) I hope you got a lot of value out of today’s newsletter. If you did, send this to a friend! Word of mouth is the best way to grow Daily Detroit and push the conversation forward. [A final reminder that this is the last chance to take our group Pew political topology survey.](https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/quiz/political-typology/group/a3205a136b3f5e9ca5988f1a1314f987?ref=dailydetroit.com) I'll be sharing my thoughts on it soon. Also, thanks to our members on Patreon. Local media needs your local support to survive and thrive, so join us today! [Push the conversation forward](https://www.patreon.com/cw/DailyDetroit?ref=dailydetroit.com) I hope you have a wonderful weekend, and I'll see you around Detroit. \-Jer