On Tuesday, Nov. 18, Albion held its annual holiday parade downtown. Along with the parade came hot chocolate and cookie sales put on by community members, holiday shopping and visits with Santa Claus at Kids N Stuff Children’s Museum.
Many members of the community attended the parade, along with Albion faculty and students. Albion’s Public Relations Class put on a celebration of Charlie’s Tavern after the parade. In celebration of Charlie’s 70 years of operation in Albion, they offered 10% off to all Albion students. Students who hadn’t spent much time downtown were surprised by how much fun they had.
Sandra Myint, Yangon Senior, Corissa Detwiler, Diana Gomez, Rochester Hills Senior, and Kiley Ulrich, Farmington Hills Senior decided to work on spreading awareness of Charlie’s Tavern among Albion College students for a Public Relations class campaign project. Charlie’s clientele and customers consists of community members, faculty, and staff of Albion College. Delta Tau Delta’s house mother, Mary, is the daughter of the owner. This Public Relations class project aims to further develop and maintain an ongoing relationship with Charlie’s. Charlie’s has expanded to social media presences like twitter, instagram, and a new website.
Madi Kase, Boise first-year, attended the parade for her Public Policy class and had a very positive experience.
“I really love getting involved downtown. I think it’s really neat that the community can come together and support the events it has,” Kase said. “The feeling you get from the community is really appreciative of the college. It really makes you feel like every person counts.”
Albion’s sense of community has undergone many historical changes and trials, from bootlegging of Prohibition gangsters to a steel industry boom to the economic downturn it is experiencing today. Through all of this, Albion’s history has maintained a tight-knit community that can be a great asset to us as Albion College students. We should respect and embrace Albion. Having a tight-knit community so close to Albion College is a really special thing to have. It’s important to get more involved with the town because they do so much for our school.
Don’t forget that many of our faculty are community members and one of them, Andrew French, a chemistry professor, even sits on the city council!
As students, we should work towards creating ties with the town. Going to see a movie with friends at the Bohm is a perfect way to go about this. Also going out to eat at Charlie’s Tavern, Cascarelli’s, Sweets & Treats, La Casa, Lopez Taco House, The Little Red Lunch Box, and Frosty Dans is a great way to hang out with friends and meet people from the community, while enjoying some delicious Albion food! Don’t forget about Marino’s Salon and all the downtown attractions!
Imagine coming back to Albion as an alumni 20 years from now. Think of the feeling you would get seeing the Bohm experience a full house, or seeing a line out the door at Charlie’s for breakfast. Think of the lasting relationships you can make. Sometimes we forget the humble piece of home we have around us; so get outside, and get involved in all the wonderful things our town has to offer us.
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