As many of you know, in April we celebrated our 11 year anniversary. Reason enough to celebrate? Yes! But this year was all about looking toward the future, not just our future, but the future of our home town, Bellaire, Michigan. It’s where the story of Short’s took root and where we are proud to operate our pub. We want to help keep Bellaire beautiful and be a part of maintaining our thriving community for years to come. Which is why when we closed down the street to celebrate our birthday with friends, family, and fans, we committed to making a donation to the Bellaire DDA (Downtown Development Authority).
Currently, the Bellaire DDA has no direct source of funding. We believe in the mission of the DDA (to help aid in infrastructure improvement and beautification projects within village limits) and can only imagine the benefits this organization will offer to our community through future projects. We are thrilled to share that we have just turned over a check for $10,000 to the Bellaire DDA to begin funding improvements to downtown Bellaire. This is truly what it’s all about for us. Supporting the community that has supported us.
More recently, we celebrated the arrival of summer with our 1st Annual Aloha Summer Party. Great beer, music, and food always makes for a great party, but we wanted to do more than just welcome sister summer. We teamed up with Friends of Glacial Hills to raise money for one of our favorite local trails. Group rides and hikes were added to the afternoon agenda and a silent auction was made possible by donations contributed by many generous donors. In the evening, we brought in a rockin’ island themed band, and had ourselves one heck of a party.
Glacial Hills is a newly formed trail system that is owned by Antrim County, Forest Home Township, and the Village of Bellaire. It is well-suited for mountain biking and hiking. Within the past four years, almost 30 miles of pristine singletrack have been built. The baseline cost to manage the trail is roughly $35,000 annually. Short’s is firmly committed to supporting the trail so that it will remain a valuable asset in our community for years to come. Thanks to the Aloha Summer Party, we are happy to say that Friends of Glacial Hills has received a check for $5,000 for this purpose.
The best part of both of these fundraising events? You donated and helped us to make a difference in our community by simply grabbing a pint, sharing a pizza, or enjoying live music in Bellaire. That White Pepper you ate at our Aloha Summer Party? Part of the proceeds from that delicious sandwich may be used to help maintain a perfect singletrack at Glacial Hills. Your ticket fee for our Eleven Year Anniversary Party? A portion of the ticket price now goes back to the town where you saw The Accidentals, Vulfpeck, and Greensky Bluegrass play on the main thoroughfare. Cool, huh?
We are grateful to be able to give back and maintain the beautiful area that surrounds us.
