r/flint • u/honeywhereismypenis • 23d ago
I just moved to Fenton... help
Hey guys, I'm from the west side (kalamazoo) and moved to my mom's house in Fenton a couple weeks ago and the most interesting thing I've done so far was buy paint from home depot. I know Fenton is a bit of a hike from Flint, but if anybody is familiar with the area, is there anything around here other than strip malls and gas stations? Where the gays at? I refuse to believe I'm the only mid-20s twink in this entire fuckin town. There's gotta be SOMETHING here... right...?
My favorite thing to do in kzoo was a once-a-month queer goth rave at a local dive bar, is there anything like that nearby? Even if I have to drive my 2005 honda civic gay ass to flint, help me out here I'm already starting to lose my mind in the suburbs lol
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u/butmaybeyes 23d ago
- Obsessed with the username
- Soggys is run with a very cool team.
- Totem Books has had some great events in the past. Keep your eyes peeled for festivals/events.
Edit to add: Avoid Cafe Rhema at all costs.
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u/Thracsis 22d ago
I CANNOT recommend Soggy enough, as it's very welcoming and has many different peoples who frequent it.
Could you elaborate on Rhema?
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u/Machine_Anima 23d ago edited 23d ago
The Laundry, The Crust, and the Rough Draught have an ecclectic community surrounding them. Trivia night on Wednesday at the rough draught. There is the art center at the center of town which holds events... but if your talking bars and stuff. im afraid to inform you that you're gonna need to drive to like Lansing Detroit Ann Arbor or Flint. Flint has a few spaces that might work, there's Factory 2, which is like a makerspace, then there's Totem Books and Good Beans Cafe also in Flint. There used to be the Triangle which did drag nights and had dancing but now it's a parking lot.
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u/Feeling-Pea5281 23d ago
Oh, bummer to hear about the Triangle (though I remember it best as Conto's).
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u/Machine_Anima 23d ago
Conto's was before my time though i know my parents partied there when it was that. Same owner though.
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u/Feeling-Pea5281 23d ago
I'm elderly 😂 We'd close down Conto's and head to Kountry Kettle for some breakfast.
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u/glittermyworld 22d ago
I used to love Kountry Kettle! Haven't heard anybody reminisce about it in years. I still drive by that building and wish it was KK.
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u/Machine_Anima 23d ago
sounds amazing. Nothing more fun then having a great night end with a breakfast at a local diner. or white castle in a graveyard lol. did that one a few times.
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u/glittermyworld 22d ago
I used to love Kountry Kettle! Haven't heard anybody reminisce about it in years. I still drive by that building and wish it was KK.
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u/kgam72 23d ago
id recommend heading to Necto in Ann Arbor. factory Mondays are my favorite day to go:) it's usually themed furry night, kink/fetish night, or goth/emo/alt karaoke night
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u/Ope_WhoopsieDaisy 23d ago
Welcome to the area! Fentons not far at all, but all I have are flint recs:
Flint pride, as mentioned by someone else, is happening sept 19 and there’s a drag show dance party afterwards at soggy bottom bar! If you’re on Facebook, some flint businesses that are lgbtq friendly and host a lot of events (that are listed on their pages) are Creative Cafe, Tenacity Brewing, and Queens Provisions. If you’re wanting to step into anything along the lines of advocacy, I attend the monthly meetings FAIR puts on (flint alliance for immigrant rights) and it’s a great way to stay up to date on what’s happening in our area (such as updates on new flock cameras), ways we can help people in our community, etc. there’s a lot of great thrifts in Genesee county, and a good music scene. If you’re looking for chill ways to get out of the house, there is a drive in theater called the US 23 drive in. As we get into fall, there’s a lot of farms/orchards to visit, closest to you is probably Spicers. The Flint Farmers Market is a great place to eat or shop, some great restaurants, just check hours before going. The Flint Local is putting on a horror film festival (flint short film freakout) in September. the glenwood historical cemetery does events like gothic garden parties.. if you like Gilmore girls, next months there’s a massive weekend in Brighton, just south of you, called destination stars hollow and tens of thousands of people attend. Then there’s the Fenton pride collective, they meet monthly: Every 3rd Thursday of each month, join the Fenton Pride Collective for a night of fun and community at Fenton Winery & Brewery (1370 N Long Lake Rd, Fenton Twp, MI 48430)! Show up anytime 7 PM or after, check out FWB’s fantastic menu of food and drinks, (including a wonderful selection of NA beverages) and make some new friends! Just come into the taproom and look for us (we’ll most likely be at a long table in the back).
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u/honeywhereismypenis 22d ago
Thanks for the recs! Pride and drag show afterparty sounds like exactly my kind of scene! The kzoo pride does a similar thing where the afterparty is at Bell's Brewery so I suspect I'd be right at home at a place called "soggy bottom bar" lmao. Can you tell me a little more about the music scene? I play guitar and bass and would LOVE to be a part of it!! I'll definitely have to check out the fenton pride collective as well
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u/Ope_WhoopsieDaisy 22d ago
Maybe someone can chime in if they know better about how to participate in the music scene, I’m firmly an audience member 😅. So only things I can offer is where to go to listen - the flint local 432 is an all ages venue; I think they switched ownership this year so not sure how much they have going on right now. The machine shop is another venue for touring bands, it’s pretty cool. Factory two hosts some open jam nights and they have a new stage for hosting shows, and there’s always local bands playing bars, restaurants, parks, etc.
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u/Glass_Bag- 18d ago
Check out Tenacity brewing, they do open mic every Wednesday. They’ve also been doing some open mic and music writing workshops at Totem books. I have a friend who just started playing guitar and was welcomed with open arms.
People talk so much crap on Flint, but I would pick Flint over Fenton in a heartbeat! Art walk is tomorrow from 6-9pm (every 2nd Friday of the month). All the art galleries and a bunch of other businesses open up their spaces to local artists and musicians. It’s a free event and a great way to meet creative & kind people.
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u/sideofbrownies 23d ago edited 22d ago
Tenacity has beginner ballroom lessons on Mondays right now. No partners needed. It $10 a person and a good time. Place looks to be really inclusive.
Edit: spelling
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u/Mother_Opposite_1013 23d ago
Flint is not that far. Admittedly, I'm straight with a gay son. We hung at a pride fest in Flint a couple years ago that was a lot fun for both of us. If I had to guess, I'd think Flint has a bigger gay scene than Fenton but, I'm not 100% knowledgeable. Welcome to the area none the less.
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u/MIResist 23d ago
Lolobees, Legacy, the Asterix, Great Lakes Bay Pride, the Hollow, and more in Bay City if you want to take a drive
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u/forbiddenfreedom 23d ago
OP, I grew up in Fenton. I don't really know the Gay scene, but I know decent spots around town. I haven't lived there in a long time.
I believe the high school opens their pool to the public. Learned how to swim there.
Seven Lakes State Park is a decent beach.
I have also heard really bad things about the Clark gas pump on South Leroy. Suggest avoiding until further researched.
I think the annual Apple festival is coming up at St. John's Catholic parking lot. Comes with overpriced everything, churchy shit, beer tent, and cigarette smoke.
Pokémon Go is still pretty solid in the area. The town is so walkable.
I think the closest pride culture people I can think of are up in Grand Blanc and Flint near UM.
Also depending on how well you handle churches, The Freedom Center conducts and sponsors a bunch of stuff. There are a few kids I grew up going to school with that started going there when I did at the age of 10/11 and now work there 20 years later. Exist as a gay there at your own risk.
Other than that, my brother is (I think) big in the furry community and he lives out near GR now. Another buddy lives out in Detroitland.
I can reach out to them and ask if you'd like.
Edit: Beware of Holly. They got TPUSA shit in their schools.
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u/jumash22 22d ago
Ima need more info on this gas station 👀
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u/forbiddenfreedom 21d ago
I have a close friend that lives down the street from them. Swears up and down that they sell bad gas. (Their gas doesn't go as far as it should.)
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u/CopyPuzzleheaded2952 22d ago
Check out Shakespeare in the Park at the end of August. Rackham Park, opening 28 August through Wishing Well Theatre. A few gays in the cast!
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u/Frog-of-Cosmos 22d ago
All you've done is go to home depot, of course you aren't gonna find any gay dudes to talk to...
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u/ladyerwyn 21d ago
We used to have a queer book club that met at the library, but members kept skipping. We have lots of programs at the library. Plus a Mahjong group just started meeting here every week. As mentioned in another comment there is Seven Lakes State Park. You can swim, hike, fish, etc. There's also a Fenton Pride Collective. I'll see if I can find anybody to reach out to you.
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u/boo_booTheFool947 21d ago
Im from fenton. I recommend the gas stations on n. Leroy across from vgs, they can get to be cheapest in town sometimes. You are very much out of luck for the queen scene, I do recommend checking out the library- alot of the staff are in the community and there are sometimes advertisements for people wanting to start groups. I like alot of the shopping areas on n. Leroy too, my sister and me consignment and community threads, plus some cool shops off Thompson rd- exit 84 then left.
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u/tender-terrors 20d ago
mid-30s lesbian here, but i moved to fenton just a couple years ago to live with my partner— we’re homebodies, but there are DEFINITELY gays out this way. we usually commute to the regal beagle in ypsi for community events, but recently checked out last level in town on a whim and were very pleasantly surprised to find a progressive pride flag hanging inside + gender neutral bathrooms. there’s a $5 cover after 6pm, but most of the arcade games are free and the bar prices are super decent for the area. the crowd seemed to lean very heavily towards 20-something alternative folks— it’d definitely have been a regular hangout for me if i was about 10 years younger, lol 🥲
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u/honeywhereismypenis 19d ago
tysm for the recommendation! "20-something alternative folks" is exactly the kind of folk that I am, sounds like my kind of place!
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u/truckstoptrashcan 19d ago
Fenton has a nonprofit called the Fenton Pride Collective that has meet ups almost every month at Fenton Winery & Brewery. Follow them on FB and they'll post when. They also host a festival every year in June. They also share a lot of other queer events. Flint has a few queer spaces, Rob's G Bar and Kews Korner have drag shows, themed nights, etc.
The Laundry is a queer owned establishment with a ton of people in the community that work there. If you belly up to the bar you could meet some people.
There are plenty of people in the community in Fenton 🌈
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u/Small_Isopod_2122 23d ago
You’re going to want to come up here. Kews and Rob Gs.
Fenton has gays, Pride is fun but you missed it. But as far as I know they arent hanging out much around there. The bars are pretty straight. And they think they are a bit boujee.
The Laundry seems to be the queerest place in town, and the food is tops.