A thousand artists will sell their sculptures, ceramics, paintings and photographs along 30 blocks across downtown Ann Arbor in what one metalsmith calls the annual art fair Olympics.

Why it matters: The three-day Ann Arbor Art Fair, which is expected to bring 400,000 visitors, is one of the nation's largest juried art fairs. It provides fun and shopping for those in need of a unique day off — or one-of-a-kind artwork for those looking to elevate their homes.

State of play: Aside from endless stalls of art, expect live music, ceramic demonstrations, glassblowing and other hands-on activities during the free fair on July 17 and 18, 10am-9pm; and July 19, 10am-8pm.

Zoom in: Among artists showing their work is Detroit-based Collyn DeBano, a metalsmith who casts jewelry from plants. Her business is Tree Trunk Arts.

• DeBano's exact replicas of plants in metal include bronze earrings from casts of bark, silver peperomia leaf earrings and necklace chains holding small silver twigs.
• She finds plant material on Belle Isle, around Russell Woods and wherever she travels.

What they're saying: DeBano has participated in the Ann Arbor Art Fair for more than a decade and makes fresh pieces to debut there each year. This time around, she's working on cherry branch pieces from Belle Isle's Sunset Point.

• The fair is "like the Olympics for anybody in the craft world," she tells Axios. "It is the peak of the season, it's always the hottest weekend of the year. We prepare and train for it all year."

If you go: The massive fair can be a lot to navigate.

• "If you're new, check out the website first to make your plan of attack," fair executive director Karen Delhey tells Axios. "I always recommend people to go with the flow when you come because there's so much to see and do. Just plan to walk around, wear comfortable shoes."
• New this year, the youth art fair has expanded, with young artists exhibiting for the first time, and a kids' collectors club allowing young visitors to buy donated pieces of art for $10 each.

Go deeper: Browse a directory of all exhibiting artists.

• About a third of the artists are local, while the rest come from around the U.S., Delhey estimates.

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Mayor Mike Duggan yesterday pledged an unprecedented curfew crackdown as part of the city's new summer safety plan in response to recent shootings involving young children.

Why it matters: A new emphasis on the city's curfew is needed because perpetrators have adapted to the tactics Detroit police rolled out last July to quell summertime violence, Duggan said.

State of play: A report of groups of minors out past curfew has been elevated to a first-priority 911 call.

• Overtime pay has been approved so the police department's mobile field force can patrol until 5am instead of 3am.
• Duggan is also calling on City Council to enact harsher penalties on parents whose children break curfew.
• The city's curfew is 10pm for those 15 and under and 11pm for 16- and 17-year-olds.

By the numbers: Six juveniles were shot last weekend alone, including four after curfew, police said.

What they're saying: "We are going to do a level of curfew enforcement this city has not seen before," Duggan said yesterday at a press conference.

What we're watching: Duggan wants the Council to increase parents' curfew responsibility fines from $75 to $200 for the first offense and, for the second offense, $100 to $500, the maximum allowed under law.

The bottom line: Curfew enforcement is now a priority for every member of the police department, police chief Todd Bettison said.

Two grandchildren of a former Detroit Free Press publisher were among those killed in last weekend's flooding that overtook Camp Mystic in Texas. (Free Press)

🏥 Hundreds of nurses were among 700 McLaren Macomb hospital workers who went on strike yesterday morning during contract negotiations. The hospital will remain open with contract nurses during the strike. (WXYZ)

🚰 Wyandotte's water system has "significant deficiencies" that pose an "immediate health risk," state regulators concluded after a recent on-site visit.

• A Wyandotte water official said the problems identified by the state are being addressed, comparing the process to a restaurant inspection. (Freep)

⚾ Tigers pitcher Tarik Skubal was named to his second straight All-Star Game Sunday, joining teammates Riley Greene, Javier Baez and Gleyber Torres, who were voted in by fans. (Detroit News)

You're not imagining it. Fireflies are having a good year in the Midwest.

The big picture: In general, firefly populations have declined over the last 100 years, said Megan Abraham, division director and state entomologist at the Indiana Department of Natural Resources.

• Yes, but: Conditions were good for fireflies this year, and there are likely more of them lighting up night skies than in recent summers.

What they're saying: "Every once in a while, we'll see a resurgence because of perfect weather conditions and there will be fireflies all over, and that's what we're seeing this year," Abraham said.

Threat level: A late freeze can kill larvae after they've emerged, but a hot, dry spring can dry them up.

• "We had a mild, moist spring, and they had a really good larval stage," Abraham said.

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