Albion, Michigan – General Guide to Arts and Trails
Art, Outdoors, & Community
New things that are happening, or will happen, or MIGHT happen in Albion!
Albion Malleable Brewing Co. was one of the businesses in the 400 block of S. Superior Street to open its doors for the open house on April 17, 2018. Community members enjoyed getting a preview of the new developments coming to downtown Albion.
The Courtyard by Marriott Hotel in Albion Michigan opened in March 2018.
The 75-room hotel is located at 200 S. Superior Street and managed by the Veridea Group from Marquette, Michigan. Courtyard Albion offers convenient lodging for visitors to Albion and nearby, whether they are coming to enjoy Blues at the Bohm, Albion College events, the Albion Malleable Brewing Company, to take the classic Purple Gang Tour and visit to Cascarelli’s, or as an option for visitors to the Equestrian Center or Michigan International Speedway.
Take a tour of the Courtyard by Marriott Albion hotel and then come to see it in person. Learn more about Albion by visiting the other links on this site.
The new state-of-the-art lobby at Courtyard Albion provides greater flexibility and choices for our guests. At the center of it all is The Bistro, your destination for a great breakfast or drinks and dinner during the evening. You will also enjoy inviting, flexible spaces where you can work or relax, free Wi-Fi throughout and easy access to the latest news, weather and airport conditions via our GoBoard technology. Plus, our well-equipped fitness center and indoor pool will help you stay refreshed and energized. Our friendly staff will point you in the direction of local events and attractions that are fun for the family and business traveler alike. Whether traveling for business or pleasure, your stay at Courtyard is sure to be more comfortable, more productive and more enjoyable than ever before!
Source: link below
Take a tour of Albion Malleable Brewing Company by clicking the image below.
Downtown Albion is continuing to change as this photo dated 2/27/18 showing three new projects shows. This view of the 400 block of South Superior Street shows Albion Malleable Brewing Company building on the left. The reconstruction on the building is still underway with the opening later in the spring. At the end of the same block on the left is the Peabody Building which is also being renovated. There will be a bakery next door.
Further down is Parks Drug Store, and the next block shows the new Courtyard by Marriott Hotel that will be opening in March. We’ll post some photos of the inside soon. There is a golden building in the next block which is Cascarelli’s of Albion, just under the water tower. There is also some talk of the Albion Water Tower being repainted in the near future. The new brick streets look good from this altitude, but have not held up well under the wet weather of this past winter. There was an article written about the brick project in the Albion College student newspaper, The Pleiad that you can access here.
Opening day is coming soon for the Albion Malleable Brewing company. See them on Facebook by clicking here
See a tour of the downtown Albion hotel here:
Thanks to the Courtyard by Marriott, Albion hotel for sponsoring General Guide XXIX. People are curious as to the opening date.
Jan. 31, 2018 “At this time, we our looking to open towards the end of February. We can’t give a definite date at this time, but we can tell you that we are able to sell rooms for dates of March 9 and beyond.
You can make reservations by calling the reservations hotline, 1 (888) 236-2427, or by going to www.marriott.com/jxnab.”
Visit the CourtyardAlbion facebook page for more information!
The first ever February-only General Guide was delivered the weekend of January 27, 2018 to homes in Albion and Marshall Michigan. The Guides are also available at participating businesses. The Black History Edition of the General Guide features information about this special month and Michigan’s role as a destination along the Underground Railroad.
This issue features custom art by Maggie LaNoue of downtown Albion and Marshall on New Year’s Day, when there was a good amount of snow and few cars. The scene of Albion highlights the new hotel, which will be opening soon. The Courtyard by Marriott hotel is the sponsor of this special issue of the General Guide featuring many reasons to come and visit Albion, and nearby.
A correction is shown above, about the Classic Films at the Bohm Theatre. They now will be shown at 10:00 a.m. on Saturdays, and have become a popular morning pastime. Also the Cardboard Classic is now scheduled for Feb 10, where there will be plenty of snow. Other new events listed include a Credit Management Workshop on Feb 13, 1pm at the Charles Snyder building, and also on Feb 22 at 5:30 pm at Albion District Library. There is a new event listed “Making Democracy Work” on Feb 11 at Lewis Chapel at 5pm. We also have made changes to the participating businesses on the back of the Guide below. See more about all of the sponsors of the Guide over the past year by clicking here.
Also featured in art in this custom Guide is the Sojourner Truth statue at the entrance to Battle Creek. Sojourner Truth was a pioneer of civil rights and womens’ rights. Her courageous and heroic life ended in Battle Creek.
The first weekend of February includes the always fun Cardboard Classic at Albion’s Victory Park and Marshall’s Ice Wine and Blues. There are at least seven local live music events in February, and a special Soul Food free lecture with catered food taking place in Battle Creek on Sunday, February 11.
Other local February events include Albion’s “Men Who Cook,” which is possibly the biggest event bringing together the community of Albion around food, fellowship, and fun on Sunday, February 18. The event will again be taking place at First Baptist Church in Albion. Look for photos and a map online at GeneralGuide.net, as well as links to more official information about each event.
The Walk for Warmth, a state-wide event that originated in Albion will happen in both Albion and Battle Creek on Saturday the 24th. The First Annual Black History Month Music Celebration will take place on Monday the 26th at the Bohm Theatre. February is a great month to venture out to see friends and neighbors, while learning about our region’s cultural heritage. It is also important that we honor those who took risks to gain their freedom and help others to be free.
There is an online version of the community events calendar at GeneralGuide.net with links to more official information about these topics, past issues of the General Guide, photos of progress in Albion and Marshall, and Farmer’s Almanac news. Please support the participating businesses listed on the Guide who make the free publication possible.
Check out downtown Albion’s new brick street and new displays of local artists showcased in many front windows. Also, be on the lookout for more stores “popping up” like the Green Scene next door to Stirling Books & Brew, open from November 15th through the holiday season.
Downtown Albion has a new look with the Courtyard by Marriott hotel that is taking shape. Here we can see the bike lanes, the wider sidewalks, and Kids ‘N’ Stuff. In the distance we see Cascarelli’s, the water tower, Ludington Center, the Coca Cola mural, and the Bohm Theatre.
This year the Festival was not on the brick Superior Street, but in true Albion style we adapted to the situation and made it work. These aerial photos show a different perspective of where most of the activities were.
Issue XXVI of the General Guide is sponsored by Albion College, which is continuing to invest in the community of Albion. Some exciting markers of momentum from Albion College and it’s alumni include:
Be on the lookout for more stores “popping up” downtown, like the Green Scene next door to Stirling Books & Brew, which opened on November 15 and will be there until after the holidays.
This is how the Superior Street renovation looked in the third week of August 2017. The bricks were not yet up to the Bohm Theatre and Cascarelli’s. It was a long summer for merchants, but the excitement is building for the new look for Albion downtown in the Fall of 2017. The question on many people’s minds is – will the bricks be done enough to have the Festival of the Forks (3rd weekend of September) on Superior Street – or will the Festival need to be more towards Stoffer Plaza or Rieger Park?? We did hear there might be a Cruise in on the bricks at least, the Friday of the Festival on September 15. This is not the official news! We also heard that it is hoped the bricks will be done for the Festival, and the new micro brewery will be open but no beer there.
The Albion River Trail is being extended to go to the Nancy Held Equestrian Center.
Here is some information from Albion EDC:
“Trail Town Designation The City of Albion has been recognized by the Michigan Department of Resources (DNR) as the “hub” for Michigan trails. Two national walking and biking trails – the North Country National Scenic Trail (NCNST) and the Great Lake‐to‐Lake Trail – along with Michigan’s Iron Belle Trail converge at Albion’s historic Victory Park, one of Albion’s 17 scenic parks. In addition, Albion was awarded a $294,000 Trust Fund Grant from the DNR to expand the Albion River Trail. The trail will extend past the newly‐renovated Albion College Equestrian Center. The City recognizes the importance of the community’s trails as an asset and seeks to be designated as a Trail Town. Trails would have signage posted that would allow for promoting and identifying the amenities and attractions that would be of interest to trail users at access points.”
