The Gun Violence Memorial Project, created by popular New York-based conceptual artist Hank Willis Thomas, officially opens Friday night at the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit and will remain on display through Aug. 10.

Watch Jolie Sherman's video report: Gun violence memorial project opens at Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit

The traveling memorial features four houses made of glass bricks, with each house containing 700 bricks, representing the number of people lost to gun violence weekly in the United States when the project began in 2019.

"If it began today, it would be 820," said Jova Lynne, co-director and artistic director of MOCAD.

Community members have contributed personal items representing friends and family members killed by gun violence, which are displayed inside the glass bricks alongside names, ages, and photos of the victims.

VIDEO: Take a tour of 'House 1' in the Gun Violence Memorial Project Take a tour of 'House 1' in the Gun Violence Memorial Project

Lakela Brown, who lost her brother Nate in 2017 when he was 39 years old, contributed his military dog tags to the memorial.

"I think it's really nice for all the families who have experienced this traumatic thing to have a place to honor and remember their loved ones," Brown said. "It's making something beautiful out of something really tragic."

The items displayed range from baby shoes to hats, each representing someone's personal story and memory of a life cut short.

Lynne hopes the memorial can eventually become a permanent monument that helps people heal and inspires change.

"I do want to thank every family member that has contributed to this project so far. The trust and care folks have for their loved ones is palpable, and so we're just so honored to have this project here," Lynne said.

The museum is collecting objects on Saturday, June 21, for those who wish to honor loved ones affected by gun violence.

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Willie Smith, a 90-year-old gardener from Ann Arbor, has been cultivating plants his entire life. It's a tradition that began during his childhood in Mississippi.

"It was a thing I've done all my life," Smith said.

Born and raised on a farm, Smith and his family grew their own food and vegetables while raising animals.

"It's a thing we used to say: 'living off the fat of the land,'" Smith said. "And it worked. That wasn't just a saying, but that was just the reality of what people done in those days."

After moving to Michigan in 1959, Smith began working for General Motors and raising his family, but he always made time for his garden.

"I just don't like to sit inside the house all day long. I don't see how people can do it. I have to stick my head out the door or something," Smith said.

His daughter, Sheila Smith, who now lives in Georgia, remembers her father's dedication to gardening throughout her childhood.

"He was always so obsessed with it. 'Go out and don't forget to water my garden.' It was just plants and dirt to me, but I grew to appreciate it because we would always have fresh vegetables," Sheila Smith said.

Willie Smith focuses primarily on growing tomatoes, cucumbers and greens in his garden, which wraps around his house.

He recommends planting after Memorial Day when the weather is warm, using rich soil and having the proper tools to create neat rows for seeds.

During hot weather, Willie Smith advises watering plants twice daily in the early morning and late afternoon.

To keep deer away, Willie Smith created his own scarecrow.

"They think it's me standing out there," he said.

While Willie Smith acknowledges gardening requires effort, he finds it deeply rewarding.

"You don't get something from nothing. Life is like that. The plants are like that. If you don't prepare for it, you won't make it," he said.

For Willie Smith, gardening transcends being merely a hobby it's a lifelong passion that brings him joy and peace.

"If I don't have company or something, I can just come here and sit like we're sitting and just watch the greens, see how beautiful they are," Willie Smith said. "My garden somehow or another entertains me."

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Thousands of families kicked off Easter weekend across metro Detroit Friday with unique traditions, from a helicopter marshmallow drop to shopping for traditional Polish foods.

Oakland County Parks hosted its annual Great Marshmallow Drop at Worden Park in Royal Oak, where a helicopter dropped hundreds of marshmallows for eager children to collect.

Watch the marshmallow drop below:

"It's more our season kick-off, like we use that as our event just to start inviting people out to recreate in our summer," said Melissa Nawrocki, a recreation program supervisor.

She says the event has been bringing families together on Easter weekend for more than 30 years.

"I love to bring them here every year, it's fun." Tia Tripp, who lives in Southfield, said.

Johns Oliveira from Auburn Hills watched his child participate in the marshmallow hunt.

"She got two. Just two, but it's OK. For her, it's very, very nice," Oliveira said.

Meanwhile in Hamtramck, families lined up at Srodek's Campau Quality Sausage to purchase traditional Easter foods like kielbasa and pierogi.

"It's been crazy. We shipped over 50 packages out for this Easter all across the United States. The past few days, we've all worked 12 hours a day," Schyler Babicz, a deli clerk at Srodek's, said.

Many customers make it an annual Good Friday tradition to visit the Polish deli.

"Everything is just homemade and fresh. You know what you're getting," said Debbie and Jim Johnson, who live in Farmington Hills.

Carrie Larson and Sheryl Soczek traveled from Lansing for their Easter shopping.

"In my opinion, they have the best kielbasa and pierogi around," Larson said.

Srodek's is open on Saturday of Easter weekend from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. They're closed on Sunday.

If you're looking for something to do this Easter weekend, families can enjoy the following activities around Metro Detroit:

Pictures and Painting with the Easter Bunny

Saturday 3:30 p.m. Motor City Learning Academy at 25435 Southfield Road in Southfield

Easter Bunny Brunch

Sunday 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Kingsley Inn Bloomfield Hills at 39475 Woodward Avenue in Bloomfield Hills

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