Fire Up! Fest brings CMU, Mt. Pleasant community together

Music, giveaways, food trucks and fun await at “Fire Up! Fest” on Friday, September 19 from 5-9 p.m. in downtown Mt. Pleasant.

The event, which takes place on the eve of Central Michigan University’s first home football game of the season, is designed to bring together CMU and the Mt. Pleasant community while celebrating all that they have to offer.

“There’s going to be lots of music, lots of collaboration and lots of excitement,” said Maezie Ervin, coordinator of student activities for the Office of Student Activities and Involvement. “I think there will be an energy you can feel as soon as you step downtown for the night.”

The event has something for everyone, including lawn games, inflatables, food trucks, giveaways, local business specials, a performance by the CMU Marching Band and a free concert from The Verve Pipe, which provided the soundtrack to many late-night study sessions in the mid-to-late 1990s. The Michigan-based rock band has been making music for more than 30 years and is best known for its song “The Freshman”, which peaked at #5 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart.

A free shuttle service from CMU’s campus to downtown will run throughout the event, providing students an easy and safe way to travel to and from downtown.

“We’re hoping this sparks and turns into an annual thing and continues to grow the connection between CMU and the Mt. Pleasant community,” Ervin said.

Schedule of events:

• 5 p.m. – Fire Up! Fest begins with games, food trucks, inflatables and more
• 5:15-6 p.m. – Appearances from various CMU athletic teams
• 6:15 p.m. – CMU Marching Band performance
• 6:45 p.m. – Max & Emily’s Fall Concert: The Verve Pipe
• 9 p.m. – Fire Up! Fest ends

Student shuttle details:

• 4:30 p.m. – Student shuttle begins to downtown
• 9:30 p.m. – Last student shuttle back to campus
  • Campus pick-up/drop-off: Merrill/Sweeney loop
  • Downtown pick-up/drop-off: First United Methodist Church

The ADA-accessible student shuttle bus will run every 20 minutes between campus and downtown for the duration of the event. Students must have their student ID present when boarding the bus.

Fire Up! Fest is a collaboration between CMU, Max & Emily’s, the Mt. Pleasant Area Chamber of Commerce, Mt. Pleasant Area Convention & Visitors Bureau, Mt. Pleasant Parks & Recreation and the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe of Michigan.