Runners in Battle Creek plan distance event
Battle Creek is getting a half-marathon of its own.
Organizers of the first Battle Creek Half-Marathon and 5K are now accepting registration for the running event that is the first of its kind for the Cereal City.
The course will include the festival grounds at W.K. Kellogg Airport as well as streets in nearby residential areas in west-central Battle Creek.
The BC Half was organized by local runners who began planning in 2014 for a long-distance event in Battle Creek.
Conversations among runners led to a planning committee and spawned partnerships with initial sponsors, including the Field of Flight organization, Cereal City Athletics, Battle Creek YMCA and Territorial Brewing Co.
The race will be the morning of July 2 and will take place in conjunction with the annual Field of Flight Air Show & Balloon Festival.
Registration is at RunSignUp.com--search for Battle Creek Half Marathon. Cost for the Half Marathon is $65 and $30 for the 5k. Prices increase April 1.
Registration includes T-shirts, medals, two entries to the Field of Flight event and a parking pass for all half marathon participants. 5k participants will receive a T-shirt, one pass to the Field of Flight and a parking pass. 5k participants do not receive a medal.
Race directors are Nikki Elder and David Tanis, both of whom have organized 5K and 10K races in the area.
Source: Nicole Elder, B.C. Half-Marathon and 5KVolunteer Kalamazoo’s 11th annual fundraising party almost here
It's time for Eat Drink Give, the annual fundraiser for Volunteer Kalamazoo.
The Jan. 29 event marks the 11th year for the group that links people who want to volunteer with nonprofits that need them. Typically, more than 350 people show up for the evening of local food, drinks, music, and fun as they give what they can to the community.
"Every year, we add something new to the event," says arrie Vanderbush, executive director of Volunteer Kalamazoo. "It just keeps getting better and better. We are overwhelmed by the support from our friends and the community.”
The money raised through ticket sales, sponsorships, and donations made at the party itself go to support the work of Volunteer Kalamazoo.
EAT--Participating restaurants include: BOLD, Chocolatea, Crepes by the Lakes, Earthfare, EMA Catering, Food Dance, Gorilla Gourmet, Latitude 42, NONLA Vietnamese Street Food, Old Burdick’s Bar & Grill, Pop City Popcorn, Principle Food & Drink, Rustica, The Sangria Shop, Webster’s Prime, Zazios, and Zebs
DRINK-- There will be a variety of wines from the portfolio of Imperial Beverage and local wineries Tempo Vino Winery, Cody Kresta Vineyard & Winery, Fenn Valley, Lawton Ridge Winery and St. Julian Winery; and beer from Arcadia Ales, and Latitude 42. New Holland Artisan Spirits is working with local chefs to offer our guests a wide variety of Signature Cocktails. For those interested in non-alcoholic sips, Gordon Water Systems will be onsite to have you covered.
GIVE--This year’s Presenting Sponsor is Fifth Third Bank. Forensic Fluids is this year’s Major Sponsor. Supporting Sponsors for this year’s party are: Alpha Omega Events, Big Lyle’s Big Events, Brink, Key & Chludzinski, P.C., Imperial Beverage, MLive Media Group/Kalamazoo Gazette, Sanford Financial Services, Worgess Insurance and the Radisson Plaza Hotel at Kalamazoo Center.
Eat, Drink, Give takes place from 7 to 10 p.m., Friday, Jan. 29 at the Radisson Plaza Hotel, Arcadia Ballroom. Tickets are $70. An after party dance takes place immediately following the main event. Participants can attend both for $80 or $15 for the dance alone. The $15 cover includes DJ, dancing, and cash bar for those 21 and over. Proceeds benefit Volunteer Kalamazoo.
Source: Volunteer KalamazooOne Well Brewing offers funds to brewing program scholars
The owners of One Well Brewing in Kalamazoo’s Milwood neighborhood are supporting the sustainable brewing program at Kalamazoo Valley Community College by establishing a scholarship for students in the program.
T.J. Waldofsky and Chris O’Neill have funded a $500 One Well Brewing Scholarship that will be awarded annually to a student in the sustainable brewing program.
"I’m impressed with the program because it’s not just about making beer. It’s really cool that it covers everything about this industry," Waldorfsky says.
Waldofsky and O’Neill opened One Well Brewing in November 2015. O’Neill, a Western Michigan University graduate, is the head brewer and Waldofsky, a University of Michigan graduate, manages the business at 4213 Portage Street, with easy access off I-94.
“We hope to contribute to the awesome craft beer culture that other local Michigan breweries have helped to build here,” Waldofsky says. And he’s hoping the scholarship can be increased as One Well expands. “We are new and young,” he acknowledged. “Five hundred dollars is not the biggest commitment in the world, but this is what we can do now. We’re hoping to grow the scholarship as our business grows.”
Kalamazoo Valley’s sustainable brewing program is accredited and teaches all aspects of brewing science. Classroom work is reinforced through hands-on experience with the technology used in the operation of a small-scale brewery. Students will participate in a practicum class environment designing a beer recipe, monitoring and analyzing the brew throughout the brewing process, and assessing the final brew using tests and sensory evaluation.
Students have the option of transferring coursework to complete a Bachelor of Science degree is Sustainable Craft Brewing at Western Michigan University.
Source: Kalamazoo Valley Community College
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