Arcadia Ales- Riverfront Bandshell Grant Approved

(Kalamazoo, MI)  January 10, 2017 – The Consumers Energy Foundation recently approved a $60,000 grant to support the Kalamazoo Riverfront Garden and Launch outdoor bandshell project as administered by Downtown Tomorrow, Inc and located at Arcadia Brewing Company in Kalamazoo, Michigan.  The monies awarded will be used to design and construct and outdoor stage and bandshell in Arcadia’s Kalamazoo Riverfront Garden and Launch area alongside the Kalamazoo River, once a long-time location for a Consumers Energy plant producing power for decades for the greater Kalamazoo area.

“The construction of the outdoor venue for bands and entertainment options in our Riverfront Garden and Launch area was a cornerstone component to the very special outdoor area that we’ve been working to develop over the past two and a half years since commissioning this facility in 2014, and to see this come together as a direct result of the vision and benevolence of our energy partner in Michigan is both humbling and exciting for the greater Kalamazoo community,” said Tim Suprise – Arcadia Founder & CEO. “All of us at Arcadia are so very grateful, not only for our patrons but for the many charitable and non-profit organizations that we engage with annually and the opportunities that this bandshell will afford those continuing efforts of support within the Kalamazoo Community.

“We are pleased to fund this bandshell and provide new opportunities for the community that take advantage of Kalamazoo’s riverfront and our company’s long history in the area,” said David Mengebier, president of the Consumers Energy Foundation.  

Construction is slated to begin when weather permits in the Spring, and the Consumers Energy Bandshell is expected to be complete and ready for Summer activity by the Summer Solstice in June 2017.

Arcadia Brewing Company was established in 1996 as a handcrafted purveyor of British-inspired/American-crafted beers, and distinctive wood-fired food in both its original location in Downtown Battle Creek and its Kalamazoo Riverfront Brewery, Pub & Garden in Kalamazoo, Michigan.  Arcadia’s medal-winning Ales are distributed in 12 States throughout the Midwest and Eastern regions of the USA, as well as the export markets of  China and the United Kingdom.

The Consumers Energy Foundation is the philanthropic arm of Consumers Energy, providing funds for education, community, civic and cultural development, social services, the environment, and emerging issues. Consumers Energy, its employees, retirees, Foundation, and parent company CMS Energy have contributed over $10 million to Michigan’s nonprofit organizations this y