Each holiday season, Drake Phifer — Facility Rental Manager at the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History — and his many coworkers prepare for Noel Night, a holiday-themed venue crawl that draws throngs of people to the Detroit's Midtown district. This year, the holiday spectacular celebrates 40 years of Motor City merriment, and for folks like Phifer, it simply doesn't get much better.

A vocal booster of the city of Detroit, Phifer asserts that not only is Noel Night great for business, it's also the kind of offering that changes attitudes. We recently spoke with Phifer about the upcoming festivities, and what an event like this means to him, the Charles H. Wright Museum, and, most importantly, the city he loves.

If you are a music fan — especially a fan of local music — you probably know Phifer as the stylish and outgoing head honcho at Urban Organic, an event production company that he operates in his spare time. Started in 2001, the production company made its way onto Detroit's burgeoning music scene by becoming one of the few successful local production companies that focused specifically on urban music and black artists.

Still active today, Urban Organic produces three to four special events a year, garnering a reputation for booking some of the most progressive names in soul, hip hop and electronic music. Over the years they have helped to put artists such as Kem, Ledisi, Eric Roberson, Estelle and Jay Electronica on the map. There's no doubt that Phifer has a unique understanding of Detroit's rich and varied black culture and how special events such as Noel Night are germane to celebrating the best of the best.

"Attendance [at the Wright Museum] during Noel Night is brisk from start to finish – it's even busy before the festivities begin," he says. "This is important to the museum because it helps to bring a fresh audience not only to us, but to the entire Cultural Center and the rest of Midtown. The museum sees a surge in traffic, which tends to result in increased membership."

Ever the producer, Phifer knows all too well how rarefied a 40-year celebration of any event is. He also understands the amount of work that goes into making it all happen. "Midtown Detroit Inc.,

Detroit's Noel Night turns 40 14 Gallery: Detroit's Noel Night turns 40

under the direction of Sue Mosey, does a tremendous job of coordinating and programming venues," says Phifer. "They spend the entire year working on this event, and, it yields real, measurable results."

Having poured his heart into countless local productions, it seems that the success of Detroit events is something Phifer takes fairly seriously. "For all of the talk about things that are wrong about Detroit, Noel Night is one of those events for which the entire region ought to be proud," he explains.

Maybe it's lost in the mire of urban decay-obsession or the never-ending political muck that monopolizes recent headlines, but, Phifer believes that much of what's best about Detroit gets lost in the noise. Noel Night is distinctive, says Phifer, because it takes place in an area of the city that's dense with creativity: "It's special because it provides everyone with the opportunity to see our wonderful, world-class cultural institutions."

But while an enhanced public image for Detroit is one aspect of Noel Night that Phifer appreciates, he is also thankful for what Noel Night offers native Detroiters, the lion's share of whom enjoy the city offerings all year long, and, most of whom are African American. He says, "It's is one of the few places in the area where children can go and get a picture with an African American Santa."

This year for Noel Night, the Wright Museum will be offering all kinds of free family entertainment, including performances by the Mosaic Youth Theater, Ballet Renaissance, Wayne State University African Dance Company and others. To be sure, people like Drake Phifer are but one cog in the much larger machinery of Detroit events and promotion, but, it's an important cog — one that helps to keep redevelopment efforts moving forward, and at a necessarily swift pace.

If you are in town for the festivities this weekend, be sure to swing by the museum to say hello Phifer. He's proud to show you his town.

The 40th Annual Noel Night takes place 5 - 9:30 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 1, 2012 at various locations in the Midtown areas of Cass to John R and Ferry to Warren. For more information visit: midtowndetroitinc.com

The Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History is located at 315 East Warren Avenue Detroit, MI. The phone number is: 313- 494-5800.

For more information on Urban Organic visit: urban-organic.net