The partnership between Northern Michigan University and alumni-owned Blackrocks Brewery began last year with the launch of a new beer, Wildcat Gold, to celebrate NMU's 125th anniversary. It has since morphed into much more, supporting student access to the area's world-class recreational trails. Blackrocks has contributed $7,500 from the sales of Wildcat Gold to NMU's Outdoor Recreation Center for the purchase of mountain bikes and Nordic ski equipment made available to students for free.
“I think opening up opportunities for more students to try these activities really falls in line with our business' culture,” said Andy Langlois, a 1995 alumnus and co-owner of Blackrocks. “We're really outdoor-oriented, appreciating what the Marquette area offers and getting out ourselves to enjoy it. The outdoors is enriching for everybody, including students who are maybe coming up from places where they don't have this type of environment or the equipment to make the most of it. The response to Wildcat Gold was incredible—we sold out right away and ended up doing three different runs throughout the year. It's great to be involved with NMU in some way after all these years since going to school there.”
Thirty-one pairs of cross-country skis arrived on campus last winter, and the mountain bikes followed over the summer.
“Getting this new equipment has really opened a lot of doors for a lot of students,” said Avery Case, student manager of NMU's Outdoor Recreation Center. “For me personally, I had never cross-country skied before. This was the first year I got to do it and I loved it; it was awesome. I brought my friends and a lot of them enjoyed it, too. And then we started doing drop-in cross-country skiing to get more people out on the trails, to kind of get their foot in the door of something they maybe never tried before. The support of local businesses means the world to us, and definitely creates a bigger sense of community here at Northern.”
The NMU Outdoor Recreation Center, located near the PEIF climbing wall, rents a variety of outdoor equipment to students, visitors and community members. Options in addition to skis and bikes include camping gear, stand-up paddleboards, kayaks and snowshoes.
“I own my own mountain bike, but I'm going to encourage my friends to come here to check one out so they can accompany me and try it before they spend a lot of money on one,” said NMU student Kyle Mikulsk, who previously rented a paddleboard from the center. “I'm from the city, so I don't have access to these kinds of trails. And I know a lot of other people from lower Michigan who aren't really into mountain biking because they didn't have the option to get into it at a young age. With this being available for free, it really helps get students out exploring.”
Wildcat Gold was created as a point of connection for Northern alumni and friends for the 125th anniversary, and it will be re-released at an Alumni Happy Hour event at Blackrocks Brewery from 4:30-6:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 22. The evening will include remarks from Interim President Gavin Leach '85 BS, '99 MPA, and a performance by the NMU Marching Band.