The Blog

“It’s a chance for the people in the community who genuinely love other people in the community to show them love” – Akaiia Ridley, Albion’s Big Read Assistant Director Albion’s Big Read is amid their ninth year of reading experiences with the Big Read month, October, soon to be kicked off this Saturday, September 30th. Director Jess Roberts and Assistant …

Just last week, Albion welcomed six French delegates from the sister cities, Noisy-le-Roi and Bailly. The relationship built on exchanges of culture, community, and education; is a treasured experience within the Albion community. Starting in the late 1990s, the Sister City Committee formed to nurture this relationship with the established connections in France. As time as passed, countless people have …

Hear from a hand-full of people who love Albion, and shared their passion with the Community & Brand Ambassador at the Festival of the Forks. Listen to current graduate student at Eastern Michigan University, Akaiia Ridley, share her love about Albion; to a few French delegates from Albion’s sister cities, Noisy-le-Roi and Bailly, share their experience of Albion.

Philanthropy, one of the key components of the Albion community, is one of the most undervalued acts. It is the action that goes unnoticed and unrecognized, for countless reasons. But seeing how some of the Albion area giving circles recently had their quarterly meeting, it is important to recognize the generosity of these groups. Albion Area Philanthropic Women have been …

The Brick by Brick Podcast first started four years ago with Emily Verbeke as the host. The intentions of the podcast were to better understand Albion’s past, present, and future through discussion with community leaders on different topics. Guests ranged from Mark Lelle and his involvement with the Albion Trails, to Jontaj Wallace’s experiences at Albion College as a Albionite …

Hi! I am Cassidy Porter, and I am the Community & Brand Ambassador at the Albion Community Foundation. This is a new position working towards improving the positive outlook and understanding of Albion. The role is a partnership between the Albion Community Foundation, Caster Cares, the City of Albion, and the Greater Albion Chamber of Commerce & Visitor Bureau. I …

In one short week, the Festival of the Forks will be in full swing. The annual celebration in downtown Albion has been occurring since 1967. Named after the fork in the Kalamazoo River not a utensil, the festival is a celebration of the heritage and culture of the Albion community. The two-day event kicks off with the Cruise-In & Car …

As the school year has begun, countless extracurricular activities have started too. One opportunity we have in Albion is robotics through INNOVATE Albion. I had the opportunity to sit down with Caroline Hurteau, Executive Director at INNOVATE Albion, to discuss the build-up and work that really goes into FIRST robotics competitions. Although the official competition materials and preparation does not …

The Run Albion 5K races and series have been going on for numerous years. The organization has blossomed into an annual 5K series including the Run the Rock in the spring, the History Hustle in the summer, and the Forks 5K the Friday night of the Festival of the Forks in September. It ventures runners and walkers through the beautiful …

As they tried to beat the rain, American Legion Post 55 with the help the Albion Scout Troops 158B and 158G and Home Depot, successfully restored Barnes Park on Thursday August 17th and Tuesday August 22nd. A project two years in the making has come to fruition with replacing park benches, cleaning the riverbank, and trimming overgrown trees. This passion …