DETROIT (WXYZ) — More than 150,000 fans pack the Detroit Grand Prix each year, but it’s a team of 1,000-plus volunteers that keeps the three-day event running at top speed.

Among them is a father-daughter duo with a combined 18 years of service to the race — and a shared passion for showing Detroit at its best.

Watch Faraz Javed’s video report below:

Detroit Grand Prix father-daughter volunteers help make winner’s circle moments shine

Patrick Grace has been volunteering at the Grand Prix for 16 years. His daughter, Colleen Grace, is in her second year. Together, they manage pre- and post-race event ceremonies — everything from coordinating the national anthem to staging the winner’s circle.

“We get the big flags in the right place. We get the people who sing the national anthem. We get the trophies ready. We get the champagne ready,” Patrick Grace said.

“All the fun stuff,” Colleen Grace said.

That includes hauling the trophies to the podium, which is no small task.

“I guess they’re 50 pounds. They’re heavy. And there’s 16 of them for each race,” Patrick Grace said.

For Colleen Grace, the appeal of volunteering took some time to appreciate. Growing up, she heard her father rave about the event every year.

“My dad growing up, he would come home and tell my sister and I how great this was every year and we’d go OK, yeah, sure dad. But now as an adult, I see the allure and it’s been so much fun,” she said.

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Colleen Grace served in the Navy for about 7 1/2 years, and the time apart made their reunion at the Grand Prix even more meaningful.

“I didn’t get to see her from like 18 to 25 (years old),” Patrick Grace said.

“Now that I moved back to Michigan, I get to hang out with him. Turns out, he’s cool,” Colleen Grace said.

When asked whether volunteering at the event made her father cooler, Colleen Grace didn’t hesitate.

“It’s certainly a contributing thing,” she said.

“It can’t hurt,” Patrick Grace said.

Related video: For the Detroit Grand Prix, two best friends turn race day into a 23-year tradition

For the Detroit Grand Prix, two best friends turn race day into a 23-year tradition

Colleen Grace’s military background has also started to shift the family dynamic — at least when it comes to sun protection. After noticing her 62-year-old father’s sunburned nose at the end of one race day, she’s taken a more hands-on approach.

“Well, I asked him 17 times if he has sunscreen,” Colleen Grace said.

“And I did have sunscreen. She did not ask me if I put it on,” her father said.

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“Last night, I’m looking at him and I go Dad, your nose is so red. Did you wear the sunscreen? And he said no,” Colleen Grace said.

She’s already planning ahead for next year.

“Dad, I’m the captain,” she said.

Related video: Detroit Grand Prix ‘Free Prix Day’ draws fans from across Michigan and beyond

Families flock downtown for Free Prix Day

Despite years at the event, neither of them had the chance to sit and watch the races as spectators. But Patrick Grace said that’s not really the point.

“It would be fun to be able to sit, sit and watch the race, but I get to see so many things that other people don’t see,” he said.

Both plan to return next year. For Patrick Grace, the motivation is simple.

“My legs hurt tomorrow, my back will hurt, you know, kind of I’m getting old, but I’ll do it every year I can,” Patrick Grace said.

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Colleen Grace sees it as something deeper than a weekend commitment.

“I mean, this is our heritage. I mean, the tire marks, the sound, this is the best,” she said.

For Patrick Grace, it all comes back to Detroit.

“I just like to be part of showing off… what a wonderful thing. I want to put on the best event possible. I want people to say Detroit was cool,” he said.

The Detroit Grand Prix is expected to return next year on the weekend after Memorial Day. Volunteer registrations open Spring 2027.

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The Milwaukee Panthers are in the driver’s seat in the NCAA Tournament’s Auburn regional. The Panthers have two wins over the Auburn Tigers and UCF Knights and made it to the regional final.

The Panthers are looking to make it to their first super regional in program history.

From a rocky start to a red-hot Horizon League Tournament run

Milwaukee did not have a smooth start to the 2026 college baseball season. The Panthers were 5-22 overall on April 3 and had an uphill battle to climb to end the season.

From April 3 to the end of the regular season, Milwaukee went 17-9. However, they still had a below-average overall record of 22-31. The Panthers needed to win the Horizon League Tournament to make it into the NCAA Tournament as an automatic bid.

The Panthers posted a solid conference record of 14-10 in 2026. This gave them the number two seed in the Horizon League Tournament, which was played at Nischwitz Stadium in Dayton, Ohio.

Milwaukee defeated Northern Kentucky and the tournament host, Wright State, twice to win the tournament title. They outscored their opponents 23-7 across those three games. The 2026 Horizon League Tournament title is the first conference tournament title for the Panthers since 2010.

Milwaukee’s wins over Auburn and UCF

An automatic bid placed Milwaukee as the fourth seed in the Auburn regional. The Panthers faced off against the Tigers on Friday, May 29.

Milwaukee got off to a huge, early lead on Auburn. Heading into the bottom of the fourth inning, the Panthers had a 10-0 lead on the Tigers. Milwaukee would go on to win 13-8.

Joey Spence, John Hadley VI, and Grant Ross led Milwaukee offensively with three hits apiece. Spence had two doubles in the game and an RBI. Hadley VI had a double and a triple against Auburn.

Charlie Marion and Bradyn Horn both had three-run home runs early on in the game that were huge for the Panthers. Those home runs allowed them to gain a big 10-0 lead early.

The magic did not stop on Friday for Milwaukee. On Saturday, May 30, the Panthers defeated the UCF Knights in the “1-0” game by a score of 13-6.

Ross continued his big performance in the regional. After a three-hit game against Auburn, the Milwaukee third baseman hit a home run and a double against UCF. He finished the game with two hits, three RBIs, and five runs scored.

Marion finished with a multi-hit game against the Knights. Milwaukee’s center fielder, Dylan O’Connell, had two doubles in the game that led to four RBIs.

Up next for Milwaukee

The Milwaukee Panthers will play the winner of the game between Auburn and UCF in the Auburn regional final on Sunday, May 31.

The Auburn-UCF elimination game is at 3 p.m. ET at Plainsman Park, and the game can be watched on ESPN2. Milwaukee’s game against the winner will be at 8 p.m. ET. That game will be on ESPN+.

WBN NCAA: https://worldbaseball.com/league/ncaa/

PHOTO: Via Dominic Kibler on Instagram (@dominic.kibler)

MINNEAPOLIS (WJON News) — It will be a celebration of everything purple this week in Minneapolis. The city will once again hold a Prince Celebration from Wednesday through Sunday.

Chaka Khan will help kick off the festivities at First Avenue on Wednesday night.

The five-day festival will have a wide array of things to do and see.  There is a Prince Sing-Along at the Celebration Block Party on Saturday. Fans can walk the purple way with the second annual Purple Path, which is a city-wide tribute with eight temporary sidewalk clings marking significant sites tied to the artist.

The goal of the sing-along is to have 15,000 people singing arm-in-arm.

Plus, at the Meet Minneapolis Visitor Center, you can check out a replica of the motorcycle used in the 1984 movie “Purple Rain,” a five-foot-tall exact replica of the “cloud shoe” worn by Prince in the music video for “Raspberry Beret,” and paintings by Peyton Scott Russel.

Morris Day, Tevin Campbell, and more will play a concert at The Armory on Friday night.

There will also be walking tours, appearances by Prince’s bands the Revolution and the New Power Generation, and a Prince night at the Twins’ game on Thursday.

Purple Path map, Prince Celebration 2026

READ MORE FROM AUTHOR PAUL HABSTRITT