Annual Mt. Pleasant Craft Beer Festival returns in 2023 with new additions

What’s happening: Downtown Mt. Pleasant will play host to the 9^th annual Mt. Pleasant Craft Beer Festival on Saturday, June 10. The festival will take place in the Town Center parking lot from 3 to 9 p.m. The festival’s offerings include an array of beer, ciders, seltzers, and wine from across Michigan. The beverages will be accompanied by food and live music, fostering the perfect summer atmosphere. The Mt. Pleasant Jaycees are the premier organization charged with planning and promoting the Mt. Pleasant Craft Beer Festival, which they have successfully managed since the festival’s second year. 

Why it’s important: The proceeds from the craft beer festival are utilized by the Mt. Pleasant Jaycees to give back to the community, with much of the money going towards local nonprofits and community organizations. This format is doubly beneficial to Isabella County residents, as it is a fun event to be involved in, from which the proceeds thereafter are applied to the direct betterment of the community. The craft beer festival is the Mt. Pleasant Jaycees’ largest annual fundraising event. 

“We’re pairing two things: a fun, good-tasting beer festival and a way to give back to community organizations,” says Brittany Milan, president of the Mt. Pleasant Jaycees and co-chair of the Mt. Pleasant Craft Beer Festival. 

“Over the past eight years the Jaycees have been able to award over $200,000 to charitable organizations and nonprofits in the surrounding communities, including many that support youth programs.”

What they’re saying: The success of the craft beer festival in creating a fun, unique event from which the proceeds benefit the community, speaks to the positive effects of intentional, coordinated community-building efforts. 

“My favorite part about working with the craft beer festival is the incredible committee members that I get the chance to work with,” shares Milan. “It’s such a feel-good to be able to put on an incredible event that raises a ton of money that we turn around and give right to the community.” 

Not a group that is fond of stagnation, the committee has added several new things to this year’s edition of the festival. The most notable of which include the availability of non-alcoholic beers via FUL Beverage, wine from Young Farms in Mecosta County, and a revamped VIP area. 

“The VIP area will have exclusive brews that will only be available for VIP members. There will be a private space for these VIPs where they’ll sample exclusive brews from Hunter’s Ale House, Four Leaf Brewing, and Mountain Town,” says Milan. 

How to participate: Tickets for the Mt. Pleasant Craft Beer Festival 2023 can be purchased online here, as well as at the gate the day of the festival (for a slight increase in price). Entrance to the festival is restricted to those 21 and older, with VIP admission beginning at 3 p.m. and general admission at 4 p.m. Volunteers for the event are still needed and opportunities to do so can be found here. Those wishing to participate in more of the Mt. Pleasant Jaycees’ community aid efforts can find more information here.