FLINT, MI — The Buckham Alley Festival has gone from a way to have fun in one of downtown Flint's often-overlooked spots to putting that place on the map for all to enjoy.

"People need to understand that it's just not your typical alley. It's Buckham Alley," said Kathleen Gazall, chair of the nonprofit Friends of the Alley. "It has its own characteristics, it has its own story, its own history."

The long-term goal now for Friends of the Alley is to make the alley, located half a block west of downtown Saginaw Street, a place that's more attractive and a more obvious extension of the downtown scene.

That would include stringing permanent lights like those they hang for the annual Buckham Alley Festival, and adding benches, planter boxes, bike racks and other things that would make the area a more walkable space.

The Buckham Alley Festival began in 2011 and, though it's grown each year, has pretty much kept the same format. There's a stage at each end of the alley — one at Second Street and the other at Kearsley Street, the two streets the alley stretches between — with multiple bands throughout the day. Between the stages are art displays, vendors selling about everything you can think of, games, activities for kids and restaurant vendors. There's no real theme, aside from having a good time.

This year, the festival is from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. July 12

When the festival started, it operated under the nonprofit Red Ink Flint, but in 2013, Gazall said she and fellow organizers decided it was time to start their own nonprofit — not to just celebrate the alley once a year but to work toward making some permanent changes.

They're working not just for Buckham Alley, but also Brush Alley, located half a block east of Saginaw Street. Right now, they're planning on installing bike racks in both alleys. They'll be made of corrugated metal, each shaped in the name of the alley they're in.

Marcus Papin, also on the Friends of the Alley board, said they're awaiting approval from the city to install the bike racks.

"They're an art installation as well as a bike rack," Papin said.

It's a first step toward that larger vision of dressing up an alley. But why alleys?

Mike Melenbrink, co-owner of the Torch Bar & Grill, located in Buckham Alley, is also part of Friends of the Alley. He said he knows that the word "alley" can bring to mind a vision of the kind of place you wouldn't want to walk down.

"We're trying to make it more than that," he said.

It's hard to explain, but for people like Gazall, who have spent much of their lives connected to downtown Flint, they're something special.

Those who aren't familiar with Buckham Alley, for example, "They probably just think it would be a regular alleyway for deliveries," Gazall said. "But people who know Buckham Alley, who have been around long enough, so to speak, know it has its own identity, its own character."

For one, Buckham Alley is where you'll find the main entrance to the Torch Bar & Grill, one of downtown Flint's longest-standing and most iconic bars. Across the street is the back entrance to The Loft, and it's not uncommon to see people hanging outside or walking between either — talking or stepping outside to smoke. During the day, Gazall said she often sees skateboarders in the alley or people walking their dogs.

With the development of businesses downtown over the last few years, there are even more places with back doors that open up to the alley, including The Flint Journal.

Papin is also the marketing and property manager for Uptown Developments and the Uptown Reinvestment Corp., which has been behind much of the recent developments downtown. He said his work with Friends of the Alley fits with his overall vision as part of those organizations.

"Whether you're with Buckham Alley Fest, Uptown, Back to the Bricks, the Crim, we're all trying to change those perceptions and get people down here," he said. "We're really just trying to make this the best place we can ... creating a fun environment where everyone can come out and enjoy themselves."