Happy weekend, Kalamazoo! In today’s edition: Chick-fil-A opening, Echo Valley reopens with new thrills, create your own signature scent at The Aroma Labs, and more.

— Cait Baker

🏆 Most popular this week

Curated by popular demand — here are this week’s most-clicked events, local spots, and stories.

Local dining scene grows: Chick-fil-A will open soon on Gull Road in Comstock Township, bringing another quick-service option near Kalamazoo. The new restaurant, led by local owner Max Schuler, is hiring about 100 people — get all the details.

Season kicks off with thrills: Echo Valley reopened with new owners Sarah and Hank Avink, drawing at least 500 visitors on New Year’s Day. The Kalamazoo park features a renovated lodge and reopened toboggan lanes — see what’s new at the park.

Safer routes on the horizon: Kalamazoo city commissioners approved a nearly 140-page traffic safety plan last week amid debate over bus stops, outlining intersection, lighting, and sidewalk improvements tied to a federal traffic safety grant — see what’s in the plan.

Create your own scent: Skip the generic spritz and craft something that actually smells like you at The Aroma Labs. Their Aromatenders guide you through 40 fragrance notes to blend a custom perfume or linen/room spray. Leave with your signature formula, with easy reorders when the compliments start.

Aging offices prompt overhaul: Downtown Kalamazoo’s McDonald’s has been demolished to make way for a county administration building. Kalamazoo County bought the site in 2025 for $9 million, with move-in expected within three years — get all the details.

Winter swing fix: Whether you’re tuning up for spring leagues or just want off-season reps, X-Golf Kalamazoo packs six slick simulators, lessons, and a full bar into one spot. Perfect for friendly PR chases and calling it practice.

Gold & silver are hot: Gold just had its best year since 1979. Silver did even better, climbing nearly 150% in 2025… and analysts expect the momentum to continue. If you’re curious about adding precious metals to your portfolio as a market hedge, American Hartford has a helpful guide that covers everything you need to know. It’s free — and definitely worth a read.

Compare rates for free: The national average for car insurance is around $175 per month. Paying more than that? Same, so I did some shopping around and ended up cutting my premium in half. If you haven’t checked in a while, you’re probably overpaying too — here’s the comparison tool I used.

An emergency vet visit could cost you $7,000+ (ask me how I know 🙃). From the initial fee just to be seen to x-rays, surgery, medicine, and aftercare, it adds up quicker than a chew toy turns into a crime scene. The good news? You could get up to 90% cash back on your vet bill with this pet insurance plan.

📆 Sneak peek at next week

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🍽 Martin Luther King Jr. Day Community Dinner @ Feeding Broncos | Monday (1/19) at 5:00 PM – Celebrate MLK Day the way he would approve: together, over a plate of serious comfort. Free community dinner with fried chicken, mac and cheese, collard greens, yams, cornbread, dessert, and water, courtesy of Fat Brands Foundation. No hoops to jump through, just come hungry.

🌾 History and Future of Michigan Prairies @ Wood Hall – Western Michigan University | Monday (1/19) at 7:00 PM – Trade Netflix for native grasses over at Western, where botanist Tyler Bassett unpacks Michigan’s prairies, savannas, and the fires that keep them alive. Expect real talk on restoration, rare species, and why the southwest corner once looked like the Prairie Peninsula. Non-members welcome, curiosity required.

🎭 Chicago The Musical @ Miller Auditorium | Tuesday (1/20) at 7:30 PM – Trade the couch for a seat downtown and catch Chicago The Musical live in Kalamazoo. Sharp choreography, sly humor, and all that jazz, delivered without the airport hassle. Make it a proper night out, grab dinner, remember where you parked.

🌱 Make It! Plant Stakes @ Glass Art Kalamazoo | Wednesday (1/21) at 6:00 PM – Your houseplants deserve better than those sad plastic tags, so this kiln fusing class is the upgrade. You’ll learn to cut glass, play with color, and make two fused glass plant stakes, perfect for gifting or flexing in the ficus. Studio vibes, good company, glitter-free.

🥂 Après Ski Luxe Event @ LUXE Body Bar | Thursday (1/22) at 3:00 PM – LUXE Body Bar is hosting an après-ski escape, no lift ticket required. Sip wintery cocktails, flaunt your luxe layers, and peek at body contouring demos by appointment, with event-only pricing, raffles, and limited slots. Like Tahoe vibes, minus the chains and parking wars.

🇯 Japan Twang: A Shamisen Concert @ Connable Recital Hall | Thursday (1/22) at 5:00 PM – Give Spotify a rest, and catch Tsugaru-jamisen, a three-string thrill ride from Sato Michiyoshi at K College’s Connable Recital Hall. Expect folk tunes, razor-sharp improv, modern pieces with vocals, a little audience participation, and translation, all free, courtesy of K and WMU’s Soga Japan Center.

🏀 Harlem Globetrotters @ Wings Event Center | Friday (1/23) at 7:00 PM – Think you know basketball? Try it with comedy, trick shots, and confetti. The Harlem Globetrotters are spinning back into Wings Event Center in Kalamazoo, and Gametime has last-minute seats, perfect for reliving the soundtrack of your childhood, impressing the kids, and avoiding dinner dishes.

Wanna see more? Browse our full events calendar →

📻 Kalamazoo report

Weather forecast

Today – High: 24°F – Low: 13°F – Precip: 47%

Snow showers likely. Mostly cloudy. High near 24, with temperatures falling to around 20 in the afternoon. West southwest wind 9 to 14 mph, with gusts as high as 23 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50%. New snow accumulation of less than half an inch possible. Later: Snow showers likely. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 13. West southwest wind 8 to 12 mph, with gusts as high as 23 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New snow accumulation of 1 to 2 inches possible.

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Tomorrow – High: 21°F – Low: 8°F – Precip: 65%

Snow showers likely. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 21. Southwest wind 8 to 12 mph, with gusts as high as 24 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New snow accumulation of around one inch possible. Later: Snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 8. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New snow accumulation of 1 to 3 inches possible.

Most popular house this week

Set on 38 acres of hardwoods and pines, this open concept home sits back from the road with a stream and a spring-fed pond with aerator. Adjacent state land adds privacy and prized hunting. Main level living includes a primary suite, laundry, and a three-season room.

Four bedrooms and 2.5 baths include three bedrooms and a full bath upstairs. A 30×40 heated pole barn handles the gear. Recent updates include a newer roof with a 30-year warranty, a new well, and a 2025 furnace and heat exchanger. Anderson windows, a generator, and fiber internet round it out.

Take a peek inside →

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