Remembering 2014

We’re looking back on all of the best moments of 2014 in the Mt. Pleasant area. This past year anniversaries were celebrated, we welcomed new events, our annual events got bigger and better, and a few celebrities even stopped by. Join us as we take a trip down memory lane.

A Big Year for the Community:

The year 2014 was a big year for the Mt. Pleasant Area. Isabella County celebrated their 155^th anniversary, while the city of Mt. Pleasant celebrated its 125^th anniversary. Along with all the celebrations, Mt. Pleasant welcomed Council members from the sister city of Okaya, Japan in April. Also, The Morey Foundation was awarded with the William Brehm Tourism Award by the Mount Pleasant Area Convention and Visitors Bureau.

A Big Year for Performances:

The year started with a bang as Max and Emily’s Eatery sponsored their first winter concert hosted at Central Michigan University. Who did they get to Mt. Pleasant, MI in the middle of a winter storm? Why none other than actor and CMU alumni Jeff Daniels. Daniels is no stranger to a Max & Emily’s concert, being part of their Summer Concert Series in the past. In January, he played a couple of his favorite songs, and reminisced about his transition from CMU student to professional actor.

Another popular concert series in the Mt. Pleasant area is the Wheatland Music Festival. In September, thousands of Wheatland-goers were surprised when actor Tom Hiddleston took the stage to sing a couple of songs with Rodney Crowell. Hiddleston has been researching for a future role as Country singer, Hank Williams in the upcoming biopic I Saw the Light.

Photo courtesy of Peggy Brisbane

A Big Year for Beer:

June marked the first annual Mt. Pleasant Craft Beer Festival. Nineteen breweries were featured with over 1,000 spectators. It was incorporated the same weekend as the professional bike race, Le Tour de Mont Pleasant, and Mt. Pleasants annual Summer Festival. Located right in Downtown Mt. Pleasant, spectators enjoyed craft beers from all over the state of Michigan.

This past year Mt. Pleasant Brewing Co. changed their name to Mountain Town Brewing Co. Mt. Pleasant also welcomed two new breweries; Cranker’s Brewery and Hunter’s Ale House’s handmade nano-breweries. With the additions and expansions, Mt. Pleasant is making its way to be a part of the Michigan beer bandwagon.

A Big Year for Events:

During 2014, there were many new events as well as returning ones. New in July of 2014 was the Back to the Bricks Mt. Pleasant Car Show which welcomed over 200 classic cars and hundreds of fans in Downtown Mt. Pleasant.

Mt. Pleasant’s outdoor movie festival, Movies by Moonlight, featured the popular Disney film Frozen bringing the largest crowd the event has ever seen. Art Walk Central, the month long art festival, brought new events including the Anishinabe Art, Culture and Food event, painting cross walks with designs, and placing multiple pianos throughout Downtown Mt. Pleasant for spectators to play. The Mt. Pleasant Christmas Celebration also welcomed a new name change this year, being formally known as A Dicken’s Christmas.

A Big Year for Sports:

Mt. Pleasant welcomed new sports to the area as well as more athletes. The Michigan Amateur Softball Association (MASA) Girls’ Softball tournament welcomed the most participating teams in 2014 then any other year and had teams in both Mt. Pleasant and Midland. Mt. Pleasant also welcomed a Disc Golf tournament which also had their largest attendance ever! Mt. Pleasant’s Riverwood Resort welcomed the sport of Footgolf to their resort. We are excited to get out and try this new sport.