Detroit — A three-block portion of the Detroit Riverwalk just north of the Renaissance Center reopened this week after being closed for five months for the installation of an underground drainage system, state officials announced.

The stretch of the pedestrian and bicycle path that had been closed since Nov. 20 is between Beaubien and Rivard streets in downtown Detroit. Crews for the Michigan Department of Transportation installed a new storm sewer outfall intended to reduce the risk of flooding on nearby streets, officials said.

The sewer outfall is part of the larger I-375 project, a major infrastructure initiative around the I-375 corridor.

Sewer outfalls are key components of wastewater management systems, designed to safely discharge water and waste while protecting public health and the environment.

On sale now

• The Strokes: June 15, Pine Knob Music Theatre, Independence Twp. with Thundercat and Hamilton Leithauser, ticket prices vary.

• Jack White: July 25, Pine Knob Music Theatre, ticket prices vary.

• Hanson: Aug. 13, Sound Board at MotorCity Casino, ticket prices vary.

• The Beach Boys: Aug. 15, Meadow Brook Amphitheatre, Rochester Hills, ticket prices vary.

On sale 10 a.m. April 24

• Comedian Jim Gaffigan: Sept. 18, Fox Theatre, Detroit, ticket prices vary.

• Teddy Swims: Sept. 29, Little Caesars Arena, Detroit, ticket prices vary.

• Beck: Oct. 12, Fox Theatre, Detroit, ticket prices vary.

• Leanne Morgan: second show added, Oct. 15, Fox Theatre, Detroit, (limited number of tickets are still available for the previously announced Oct. 16 show), ticket prices vary.

On sale noon, April 24

• Melanie Martinez: July 18, Little Caesars Arena, Detroit, ticket prices vary.

On sale noon, April 27

• Usher Raymond and Chris Brown: July 2-3 Ford Field, Detroit, ticket prices vary.

Note: Events are subject to change; check with venues for updates. Tickets on sale at 313Presents.com, LiveNation.com, Ticketmaster.com or the XFINITY Box Office at Little Caesars Arena.

Beats

• Corktown Music Festival: April 23-25, Lager House, 1254 Michigan Ave., Detroit, https://thelagerhouse.com, ticket prices vary.

• Tyler Rich, James Barker Band: April 24, District 142, 142 Maple St., Wyandotte,  with Ryan Jay, https://district142live.com, $28.40+.

• One Ton Trolley: 6:30 p.m. April 24, Pontiac Little Art Theatre, 47 N. Saginaw St., Pontiac, www.theplat.org, $15+ adv.

• Lost Signals: April 24, Magic Bag, 22920 Woodward Ave., Ferndale, www.themagicbag.com, 18+, doors at 8 p.m., $12.82-$17.70+.

• Jeremy Facknitz and Audra Kubat: 7:30 p.m. April 24, Trinity House Theatre, 38840 W. Six Mile, Livonia, www.trinityhousetheatre.org, $25+.

• House of Heavy: April 24, The Loving Touch, 22634 Woodward Ave., Ferndale, doors at 7 p.m., all ages, https://thelovingtouchferndale.com, 248-820-5596, $22.12-$26.49.

• Jay Electronica: 7 p.m. April 25, The Crofoot Ballroom, 1 S. Saginaw St., Pontiac, https://thecrofoot.com, ages 18+, ticket prices vary.

• Dark Tranquillity + Soen: April 25, Saint Andrew’s Hall, 431 E Congress St., Detroit, www.saintandrewsdetroit.com, doors at 6 p.m., ticket prices vary.

• Live & Let Die – Paul McCartney Music tribute: April 25, Andiamo Celebrity Showroom, 7096 E. 14 Mile Road, Warren, andiamoshowroom.com, 586-268-3200, doors at 7 p.m., show at 8 p.m., $35-$65+.

• Sunset Blvd.: 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. April 25, The Roxy, 401 Walnut Blvd., Rochester, ages 21+, 248-453-5285, www.theroxyrochester.com, ticket prices vary.

• Bring the Noise Volume 9: April 25, Diesel Concert Lounge 33151 23 Mile Road, Chesterfield, doors at 7 p.m., www.dieselconcerts.com, $10+ cover.

• Annual Handbell Festival: 3 p.m. April 25, First United Methodist Church, 6363 Livernois Road, Troy, https://tuesdaymusicaleofgreaterpontiac.org.

• Ari Hest: 8 p.m. April 25, at 20 Front Street, Lake Orion, 248-783-7105, www.20frontstreet.com, all ages, $29.95+.

• Kenny Wayne Shepherd: April 26, Music Hall, 350 Madison St., Detroit, with Shirley Murdock and Keith Washington, 313-887-8500, www.musichall.org, ticket prices vary.

• Hail The Sun: 6 p.m. April 26, The Crofoot Ballroom, 1 S. Saginaw St., Pontiac, https://thecrofoot.com, all ages, ticket prices vary.

• Slomosa: 7 p.m. April 26, El Club, 4114 Vernor Hwy, Detroit, https://elclubdetroit.com, $34.77.

• Musical Gems of Springtime Concert: 4-6 p.m. April 26, St. John Lutheran Church, 23225 Gill Road, Farmington Hills, www.stjohn-elca.org, free.

• The Randy Crawford Tribute: 7:30 p.m. April 27, at Aretha’s Jazz Cafe, 350 Madison Detroit, https://jazzcafedetroit.com, $39.19+.

• They Might Be Giants: April 28-29, Majestic Theatre, 4140 Woodward Ave., Detroit, www.majesticdetroit.com, doors at 7 p.m., ages 16+, ticket prices vary.

• Demi Lovato: 8 p.m. April 29, Little Caesars Arena, Detroit,  with Adéla, 313presents.com, ticket prices vary.

Detroit — The farmers at Oakland Avenue Urban Farm are experts at growing fruits and vegetables that end up on dinner plates throughout the city and surrounding region, executive director Jerry Ann Hebron said.

But that isn’t enough to protect their North End neighbors from food insecurity.

“We already know we can grow food. We grow a lot of food. We grow good food,” Hebron said. “What’s next? How do we move this, move the needle? Because none of us can say we have food sovereignty.”

That’s why Oakland Avenue Urban Farm is embarking on an ambitious plan to redevelop a 9,000-square-foot vacant grocery store at the corner of Oakland Avenue and Westminster Street.

They want to turn the building into a community resilience center that will offer commercial kitchen space, community food storage, cooking classes, event space, housing and solar power. They hope their resilience center will be the first of many to be built at Detroit urban farms.

Hebron’s vision for Oakland Avenue is inspired by her childhood in the area. Oakland Avenue was a bustling commercial corridor in the 1950s and ’60s. Now, people have to leave the neighborhood to shop and run errands. She wants to see more businesses and resources return to the community.

“Being able to be a part of a major development on the corridor should send a signal to others to come and build their developments as well,” said Hebron, who also is executive director of Northend Christian CDC.

The same effect could take place in other parts of the city as Detroit farms build similar indoor food centers, Hebron said. Oakland Avenue Urban Farm is working with a network of Detroit farms, including Cadillac Urban Gardens, Feedom Freedom Farms and others, are pursuing plans to build a similar community resiliency spaces throughout the city.

“We realized we are just one community,” Hebron said. “What about all the others?”

More: Detroit has 122K vacant lots where homes once stood. How should they be filled?

How solar panels help Detroit urban farm serve its neighbors

Northend Christian CDC was founded in 1999 by Hebron’s 94-year-old mother, Reverend Bertha L. Carter of St. John Evangelist Temple of Truth and School of Wisdom, the church adjacent to the grocery store that the organization plans to redevelop.

Carter and her congregation started Oakland Avenue Urban Farm in 2000. Northend CDC has renovated five houses around its farm and turned a sixth into an expansive chicken coop. They rent some of the homes to tenants and use others as gathering space.

Oakland Avenue Urban Farm grows fruits and vegetables on more than three acres, has three hoop houses and a greenhouse, runs a 4-H program, hosts a weekly summer farmer’s market and supplies produce to regional food banks. Farmers also readily give produce to people who pass by and show interest in a fresh tomato or bundle of greens, a neighborly practice they call “harvest by demand.”

On Wednesday, farmers were harvesting the last of their spring spinach crop.

The farm is inviting, with colorful murals, fragrant flowering trees, pergolas, picnic tables, fire pits and outlets powered by solar panels — an important feature during power outages and for neighbors who live off the grid, Hebron said.

Power outages are a big problem for people who rely on medical equipment or can’t afford to replace a refrigerator’s worth of food, Hebron said. In addition to solar-powered outdoor plugs, Oakland Avenue Farm has a refrigerator people can use to store food.

“We’ve got seniors, we have people who are diabetic, we’ve got people we know are on oxygen,” Hebron said. “How can we be a resource for them?”

Solar panels, backup generator planned for new center

That’s why Northend Christian CDC leaders plan to install solar panels on the roof of their future food and resilience center and will install backup generators so the building can help power the community during grid outages. The building also will offer space where people can store food during power outages, Hebron said.

Hebron is most excited about the commercial kitchen. Farmers can use it to make products like jams and tea blends, and the farm will partner with a local chef who will teach community cooking classes to show people how to turn farm-fresh produce into affordable, healthy and easy meals.

The kitchen also will serve farmers who want to expand their offerings with products like baked goods or canned goods.

“With all the challenges facing farmers nationwide right now, locally produced food is becoming even more essential,” Hebron said. “Detroit is already viewed as a global leader in urban agriculture, so we are excited to take this next leap to expand food security and sustainability for our community.”

Oakland Avenue Urban Farm received a grant from the McGregor Fund to start the initial work, the fund’s Director of Engagement and Communications Nikia Washington said in an email.

Construction should begin this summer and be finished in 2028, said Hebron. Oakland Avenue Urban Farm leaders need approval from city council for the site plans.

More: Detroiter seeks to reduce barriers for urban, Black farmers on new fed panel

ckthompson@detroitnews.com