Detroit — A few hundred people braved a cold and gray Friday afternoon in downtown Detroit to warm their hearts in preparation for 2026 as the Kwanzaa season got underway with the lighting of the first kinara candle.

Now in its fourth year, the annual event in Campus Martius marks the first of the seven days of Kwanzaa with traditional African drumming and dance performances, as well as speakers discussing Kwanzaa’s significance. It culminates with the lighting of the world’s largest kinara.

“As the Sankofa symbol of West Africa tells us, ‘Return to the source,’ Kwanzaa has returned many to being mindful of their African heritage while strengthening community connections through culture and celebration,” said Nubia Morenike Wardford Polk, from the Detroit-based Nubian Archaeological Project.

Kwanzaa continues through Jan. 1. The celebration was established in 1966 to honor Black communities, culture and heritage.

The event incorporates seven principles — unity, self-determination, collective work and responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity and faith — which are collectively called the Nguzo Saba and are each represented by the seven candles on the Kinara.

An additional candle is lit each day until all seven are lit on Jan. 1, representing activation of the principles for the new year.

“This is a favorite time for family and community to come together,” said Njia Kai, programming and special events producer for the Downtown Detroit Partnership, one of many local groups that help coordinate the annual event. “We discuss the principles, we re-establish our bonds, we have our children engaged … it’s just a wonderful seven days of fellowship.”

Kai was encouraged by Friday’s strong turnout despite the cold weather.

“Folks come. We expect the space to be packed out,” she said as people began filing into the seating area in front of the stage, where drummers were already banging out a hypnotic rhythm. “Like any other holiday that has a community associated with it, that community loves to come out and celebrate it.”

Event organizers say Detroit’s Kinara, officially dubbed the Motor City Kwanzaa Kinara, is the largest in the world.

City Council Member Scott Benson said Detroit is an appropriate home for the 30-plus-foot-tall structure, which was built by a team of Black architects, engineers and carpenters from the Detroit area.

“At a time when institutions around the U.S. are backing away from celebrating diversity, we warmly embrace it in Detroit,” the District 3 councilman said.

Friday’s celebration was hosted by John Mason, the longtime 105.9 KISS-FM morning radio host and Detroit Pistons public address announcer.

Mason said he studied under Maulana Karenga, the activist and author credited with establishing Kwanzaa, when he was a student and Karenga a visiting professor at Kent State University. At the time, Karenga went by the first name Ron.

“To the honorable Ron Karenga, we say thank you, and enjoy Kwanzaa,” Mason said.

mreinhart@detroitnews.com

@max_detroitnews

DETROIT – The first train rolled out of Michigan Central Station on Dec. 26, 1913.

The locomotive was headed to Saginaw Bay, and a train from Chicago arrived at the new station later that evening.

Michigan Central Station was originally scheduled to open in 1914, but a fire at the old depot at Third and Jefferson avenues forced the station to open early.

“The new station stood last night, lights shining from windows high above the building line in the neighborhood, a sentinel of progress,” the Detroit Tribune published after the station’s rushed opening.

The rise and fall

The large building in Corktown became a symbol known around the world, as travelers came and left Detroit. However, the station would eventually fall victim to decreased train traffic and become a less desirable symbol of decay in the city.

The main waiting room closed in April 1967. Amtrak took over in 1971, reopened the waiting room, and invested over $1 million in renovations, including a new bus terminal.

The station was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1975.

Despite these efforts, use continued to decline. Amtrak moved to a smaller station, and in 1985, the building was sold to Kaybee Corp., a New York-based company.

MCS ceased to serve as a transportation hub when the last Chicago-bound train departed the station on Jan. 5, 1988.

For decades, plans for the building consistently fell through, and it became a place for vandals, the unhoused and urban explorers.

Scrappers had stolen anything they could reach, and the open roof allowed weather to impact the inside of the building.

Rise again

Ford Motor Co. announced it had purchased the train station in the summer of 2018.

The automaker poured significant money into the iconic building and gave tours as it renovated the structure.

More than three thousand workers spent 1.7 million hours of labor on the station. Millions of gallons of water were pumped from the basement.

—> See before and after photos of restoration at Detroit’s Michigan Central Station

The building celebrated its reopening with a massive, sold-out concert on June 6, 2024. Diana Ross, Jack White and Eminem performed.

After years of renovations, the historic train station was given new life and has become a hub for tech and innovation, housing multiple businesses, retail space and more.

But that’s not all. A Literary Lounge is scheduled to open in 2026. A luxury hotel expected to open in 2027 will be located on the top five floors.

A new transit hub, including Amtrak service, is also set to bring new passenger rail and bus connections.

Car Radio 910AM-Detroit: Podcast, December 23, 2025

Host: Henry Payne, Auto columnist, The Detroit News

Car shoppers had plenty of choices in 2025 as auto grocery shelves were teeming with goods. At The Detroit News, we’re biased towards value, style, innovation, and performance – and we choose our Vehicle of the Year accordingly. As Detroit News auto critic, I tested 59 new cars this year from the compact, $24,000 Nissan Sentra gas-sipper to the posh, $82,000 Lucid Gravity EV. For Vehicle of the Year, I reduced that list to three finalists: Mazda CX-30, Chevy Corvette ZR1, Dodge Charger SIXpack. 2 min. Originally aired December 23, 2025 on the Auto Report, 910AM-Detroit WFDF