LOCAL

Downtown Battle Creek will be a kayak destination this summer

Dillon Davis
Battle Creek Enquirer
Sean Hillman navigates the Battle Creek River by kayak Thursday in downtown Battle Creek. Hillman's ride was one of his last activities in town before his family moves to Virginia Beach this week.

As your oar glides through the shallow Battle Creek River, the afternoon heat settling in near the onset of summer, it becomes clear why the city wants to make this work.

Kayaking is the latest frontier of the city's downtown development efforts.

More than two dozen local residents traveled the river by kayak Thursday in a new pilot program launched by Downtown Development Director John Hart.

The free program will run on Thursdays through the summer. It puts about 10 kayaks on the river near the Kellogg House. The trips run for approximately 45 minutes downriver to a spot near 15 Carlyle St.

"Why can't we take our river systems here and make them work?" Hart said.

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Jenna Crowe navigates the Battle Creek River Thursday in a stretch of the river through downtown Battle Creek.

Hart said a similar program that utilizes the Thornapple River was popular when he led city development efforts in nearby Hastings. While Hastings has grown to embrace the Thornapple as a part of its identity, he said, Battle Creek in recent years has not visualized the Battle Creek River the same way. 

He contracted with Hastings-based U-Rent-Em Canoe Livery for the Battle Creek River effort. The city is not being charged for the program or the use of kayaks, he said. 

If residents are receptive to it, Hart said there's room to add additional infrastructure and launching spots in the downtown area.

"It's an amusement and a recreational device we never have to turn off," he said. "It's here. What we need to do is to create access to it. After that, the market will take over."

Hart was hired by the city in 2015 to oversee economic development in downtown Battle Creek, following the end of Battle Creek Unlimited's Downtown Partnership. Recently, he was tapped to lead a new economic development effort by the city in a partnership with Cereal City Development Corp.

He has embraced eco-tourism during his tenure. For example, he led a push with local store Uncle Jake's Fly Shop last year for fly-fishing on the Battle Creek River.

He also is supportive of an effort by Battle Creek attorney John Macfarlane and architect Larry Rizor to restore a portion of the Kalamazoo River, which includes developing a whitewater course for recreational activity.

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Battle Creek Downtown Development Director John Hart carries a kayak up from the Battle Creek River toward Carlyle Street Thursday in downtown Battle Creek.

"It's here," he said. "So, why don't we use it?"

U-Rent-Em Canoe guides Caleb Engle and Brazton Prill were on hand Thursday to help kayakers carve out a path down the river. 

"They all seem really happy to get on (the river)," Engle said. "When I see their faces, I can tell they've had a really good time."

"We haven't had anybody come up yet and say 'We had a terrible time' or 'We wouldn't do it again,'" Engle added. 

Contact Battle Creek Enquirer income and opportunity reporter Dillon Davis at 269-966-0698 or dwdavis@battlecreekenquirer.com. Follow him on Twitter: @DillonDavis

A view of the Battle Creek River from underneath Capital Avenue Northeast in downtown Battle Creek.

How to get involved

  • The program runs each Thursday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the Battle Creek River beginning at the Kellogg House near the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. The last kayaks go on the river at 1 p.m.
  • It is expected to continue through the end of August.
  • Interested kayakers may bring their own kayak or use a rental from U-Rent-Em Canoe Livery.
  • The program is free.