Day Trip to Marshall

I think one of the reasons I enjoy school so much is because I am a curious person by nature. If I don't know what something is, I'll whip out an almanac or open up a Google search. I have always been excited to learn something new, even if its just where a city I have never heard of is on a map. That's how I stumbled across the city of Marshall, located about 17 miles east of Battle Creek. What makes Marshall unique is its plethora of historical landmarks that are sprinkled throughout the city, serving as a lovely backdrop against the quaint shops that lined the streets, creating a small town charm.

After parooszing the streets for a bit and checking out some of the shops, we stopped for a bite at RoMa Corner Cafe, a place proclaiming that they had 'THE Carrot Cake.' We took a slice of that cake home and I gotta tell you, it was pretty tasty and I'm not even a huge fan of carrot cake.

Some highlights from walking around:

Funky art displays.

One of several fountains in town. 

The American Museum of Magic.

The Historic Honolulu House. 

The Brooks Memorial Fountain. / All photos by Samantha Franz

In terms of people traffic, it was a relatively slow day in Marshall, as if the town carried the personality of a sleepy, midweek lull. But there were definitely some pretty cool things to be found. One was the East End Studio Gallery, where I found that a majority of the art being sold was made by middle schoolers! Turns out the gallery partners up with the Marshall Afterschool Arts Apprenticeship (AAA), a program for fifth to eighth graders held at the Marshall District Library where the students not only create art, but learn about the marketing, displays and sales end of the art world. All the proceeds earned goes right back into the AAA program. How cool is that? It's refreshing to see something like this in the midst of countless schools slashing arts programs to battle with budget cuts.

These glass pendants were made by students in the AAA program.

 Mine was made by 'Mike S.' and was tickled by the nostalgic 

name 'Old Times.' / Samantha Franz

Another thing we stumbled upon was a wine tasting station for Warner Vineyards, one of the oldest wineries in the state (founded in 1938). But unless you either came across it as we did or knew about it through word of mouth, you would probably never even know it was there. That's because the tasting room is actually housed in a florist called The Flower Haus and can be accessed through either a back door or by walking through the flower arrangement station past the cash register. A nice lady named Kathy was our host and we walked out with a few bottles and the promise to spread the word about this little gem. 

On the way back home, we stopped in Albion for a trip to Sleeping Bear Winery, where wine is approached with a light-hearted, non-threatening tone. ("Heck, we even have a bear holding a fish on our website, how uppity can that be?" their website proclaims.) But stumbling upon this place opened up a whole new can of worms as to how people of the state are making due in these hard times: agritourism. Owner John Burtka, who also owns the Cherry Creek Winery across the road, was an autoworker who, like so many across the state, lost his job. It was then he decided to follow three previous generations of wine makers and start a business of his own. His foray into the winery business, as well as the seemingly rapid growth of agritourism in Michigan, gave me some inspiration for a whole new avenue to take in my thesis research. 

Some photos from the Sleeping Bear and Cherry Creek Wineries:

All photos by Samantha Franz.

What began as a trip to historic Marshall ended up being a day of pleasant surprises. From a hidden gem tucked away in a florist to an enriching arts program to a man who turned sour grapes into wine, sometimes its the little things that make a trip worth all the while.