Mt. Pleasant is getting “Fired Up” with maroon and gold this fall

The leaves are already changing color around us, but downtown Mt. Pleasant is seeing touches of maroon and gold from another source this September.

Thanks to the Paint the Town Maroon initiative, the city has everything it needs to ensure everyone is fired up for Central Michigan University this fall.

Paint the Town Maroon kits containing CMU t-shirts, stickers, posters, yard signs and decals to display were distributed to local businesses and nonprofits throughout the month of September by CMU’s Community Relations Committee.

The committee is a group comprised of CMU employees, along with local civic and business leaders, whose overall goal is to look for new ways to connect CMU’s campus community with Mt. Pleasant as a whole. The Paint the Town Maroon initiative is the first major event project of CMU’s Community Relations Committee.

“The city of Mount Pleasant and Central Michigan University literally grew up together,” says Marcie Otteman, co-chair of the Community Relations Committee and deputy chief alumni relations and constituent engagement officer at CMU. 

“Mount Pleasant was incorporated as a city in 1889, and CMU was established in 1892. Our city and our university are dependent upon one another, and we want to showcase the ways we support one another.”

Fire Up Fest

Another collaborative CMU event is happening this Friday, Sept. 19. Fire Up Fest, co-sponsored by CMU’s Office of Student Activities and Involvement and area businesses, will be taking place downtown from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.

The event features a performance from the CMU Marching Band and appearances from CMU Athletes. The band The Verve Pipe is set to perform as part of Max and Emily’s Concert Series. Food trucks, lawn games, and inflatables will also be on-hand for participants of all ages.

Fire Up and Find It MTP Challenge

Plus, get ready to explore all that Mt. Pleasant has to offer throughout the month of October. Paint the Town Maroon, the CMU Community Relations Committee, and the Mt. Pleasant Area Convention and Visitors Bureau have partnered up to create the Fire Up and Find It MTP Challenge. The challenge features a Mt. Pleasant area scavenger hunt including prizes from local businesses and restaurants. 

Participants can participate in the challenge by downloading the Meet Mt. Pleasant app and checking in to various businesses and shops, area attractions, and locations on campus. Prizes include gift cards to local stores and restaurants. Those with the most check-ins could win a special Mt. Pleasant Experience package. The challenge event runs through Sunday, Oct. 26, the end of CMU’s Homecoming Weekend. Winners will be notified by email.

“It’s a fun way for visitors and residents to explore everything CMU and the Mt. Pleasant community have to offer,” said Chris Rowley, executive director of the Mt. Pleasant Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, co-chair of the Community Relations Committee, and member of the Paint the Town Maroon team.