Good Moves, Good Grooves will take place August 11-13 along the riverfront. The free weekend event will include a major concert, a youth three-on-three basketball tournament, a sports showcase, and a one-mile fun run.
DETROIT (June 13, 2023) – Today, the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy announced the details of Good Moves, Good Grooves, a three-day family-friendly community celebration that will get Metro Detroiters movin’ and groovin’ this summer. Presented by the William Davidson Foundation, the weekend celebration will take place August 11-13, along the Detroit Riverwalk at Cullen Plaza and Milliken State Park and Harbor in downtown Detroit.
Good Moves, Good Grooves will kick-off Friday, August 11 with Motown Museum’s “Rivertown Revue” – a celebration of music and talent in Detroit followed by a concert on the riverfront featuring The Commodores. Saturday, August 12 will feature “3V3 in the D,” a youth three-on-three basketball tournament in partnership with the Detroit Parks Coalition and the Pistons Neighbors Program. There will also be a family-friendly one-mile fun run on Sunday, August 13, which will include a Detroit Sports Showcase featuring a sampling of sports – such as street hockey, lacrosse, horseback riding, and more – from Project Play: Southeast Michigan partners. All events for Good Moves, Good Grooves are free and open to the public.
Good Moves, Good Grooves is a special one-time event that adds to the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy’s calendar of events celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. Other 20th anniversary plans include the opening of two new public spaces, free boat cruises on the Diamond Jack, the premier of a documentary, and a historical photo display along the Riverfront.
“During our 20th year, Good Moves, Good Grooves is the perfect way to bring fun to the riverfront,” said Rachel Frierson, senior director of programs and public spaces for the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy. “The event will showcase the immense talent we have in Detroit ranging from music to sports. It is a family-friendly event that will have something for everyone to enjoy.”
Funding for Good Moves, Good Grooves was provided by the William Davidson Foundation. In December 2022, the Foundation announced two complementary grants, totaling $1,360,000, focused on sports, fitness, and competition in honor of the Foundation’s late founder, William “Bill” Davidson, on what would have been his 100th birthday. The other Detroit-based organization to receive special funding in honor of William Davidson’s 100th birthday was Project Play, an initiative of the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan. Project Play will feature “A Season of Youth Fitness” throughout this year and supports 18 of the area’s top-performing youth-fitness non-profits for various sports, leagues, tournaments, and other youth fitness efforts.
With some of its most recent commitments the William Davidson Foundation has invested more than $30 million to the ongoing transformation of Detroit’s riverfront into a beautiful and accessible public space. This includes support for Valade Beach, the William Davidson Sport House at the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Centennial Park, and the Unified Greenway Endowment Fund.
“The William Davidson Foundation is excited to honor its founder and his love for sports, fitness, and competition during Good Moves, Good Grooves this summer,” said Darin McKeever, president and CEO of the William Davidson Foundation. “Our continued investments in-and-around the Detroit Riverfront demonstrate how accessible public spaces improve the quality of life for residents and drive broader economic development for our city and region.”
“We have an enduring relationship with the William Davidson Foundation,” said Mark Wallace, president and CEO of the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy. “Together, we’ve transformed Detroit’s riverfront into a beautiful, exciting, safe, accessible world-class gathering place for all.”
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About the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy
The Detroit Riverfront Conservancy is a non-profit organization founded in 2003 with the mission to develop public access to Detroit’s riverfront and serve as an anchor for economic development. As the permanent stewards of the Riverwalk and the Dequindre Cut, the Conservancy is responsible for raising the funds needed for construction, operation, maintenance, security and programming of the public spaces located along the riverfront. The ultimate vision is for the Conservancy to develop five-and-a-half miles of riverfront from the Ambassador Bridge on the west to Gabriel Richard Park, just east of the MacArthur Bridge to Belle Isle. Visit www.detroitriverfront.org for more information.
About the William Davidson Foundation
The William Davidson Foundation is a private, family foundation established in 2005 to honor its founder and continue his lifelong commitment to charitable giving, advancing for future generations the economic, cultural, and civic vitality of Southeast Michigan, the State of Israel, and the Jewish community. For more information, visit: williamdavidson.org
About William “Bill” Davidson
William “Bill” Davidson (1922-2009) was an American businessman and philanthropist who earned international acclaim for his business acumen and skilled corporate leadership. He served as president and CEO of Guardian Industries Corp., which he transformed into one of the world’s largest manufacturers of architectural and automotive glass. Mr. Davidson was also the owner of several American professional sports teams: the Detroit Pistons of the National Basketball Association (NBA), the Detroit Shock of the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA), and the Tampa Bay Lightning of the National Hockey League (NHL). The Detroit Pistons won the NBA World Championship three times during his ownership. In 2004 he became the only owner in U.S. professional sports history to have his teams win an NBA Championship, a Stanley Cup hockey championship, and the woman’s WNBA Championship in the same season. Mr. Davidson was one of Michigan’s most notable philanthropists, responsible for more than $200 million in donations to local and international charities and universities in his lifetime. He made transformative philanthropic investments with trusted leaders and organizations in and around Detroit, and to causes that support Jewish life and Israel. He established the William Davidson Foundation in 2005.
