BATTLE CREEK, MI – FireKeepers Casino Hotel has donated its previous event center sound system to the Franke Center for the Arts, a non-profit performing arts venue in Marshall, MI. This contribution is a transformative gift for the Franke Center, a historic theater built in 1921 that relies on community support, donations, and local ticket sales to maintain its operations.
Each year, the Franke Center welcomes more than 7,000 visitors to its events, which range from professional performances to local productions by the Marshall Civic Players. The venue also offers arts training, workshops, and community outreach for adults and children, as well as performance opportunities for young people through the Franke Center Youth Theater. In addition to serving as a meeting space for civic, corporate, and family gatherings, the Franke Center is known for its excellent acoustics and historic charm, making it a cornerstone of the arts community in Marshall and the surrounding region.
The donation of the sound equipment significantly upgrades the Franke Center’s capabilities, allowing for a higher standard of audio quality for performances, workshops, and community gatherings.
“We take a lot of pride in our concerts and theater programming, and having great sound equipment is absolutely critical,” said Jacob Gates, Executive Director of the Franke Center. “But as a non-profit, it’s often very difficult to come up with the funds for needed upgrades. This generous donation from FireKeepers will allow us to maintain and improve the quality of our programming, benefiting the young actors in our theater shows, the many talented musicians who appear on our stage, and of course the community members in our audience. We couldn’t be more grateful.”
“We’re thrilled to see this equipment find a new home at the Franke Center, where it will make a meaningful difference,” said CJ Mizikar IV, Audio Visual Manager at FireKeepers Casino Hotel. “This system has supported countless memorable events at FireKeepers, and we’re proud that it will now help amplify the incredible work being done to foster the arts in our community.”