November 17, 2024 marked the one-year anniversary of Valhalla Indoor Axe Throwing opening in Mt. Pleasant. Owner Julia Becker brought the first Michigan location for the Valhalla franchise to town, with its entertainment facility located at 1711 S. Mission Street.
Upon their one-year anniversary, Epicenter talked with Becker to learn more about the rapid growth of the business, and discover that many new additions at Valhalla that are available to the Mt. Pleasant area.
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Courtesy Valhalla Indoor Axe Throwing
Epicenter Mt. Pleasant: Congratulations on your 1-year anniversary! What were some of Valhalla's highlights for this past year?
Julia Becker: We had a fantastic first year and want to thank our wonderful community for their support! One of the things that we have enjoyed the most is hosting cornhole tournament fundraisers. It's a fantastic way for us to help give back to the central Michigan area. A couple of the groups that we have helped are the Clare Youth Wrestling program and the Mears Group who goes all out for their Christmas Adopt-A-Family project.
Another highlight was our St. Patrick's Day party, with a live band, green beer, corned beef, and a cornhole tournament that we definitely plan to make an annual event!
Our venue has hosted several groups from local businesses for team building, as well as groups who were celebrating a special occasion. One family was celebrating their Grandma's birthday and brought three generations to Valhalla to throw axes! It's a really fun activity that is accessible for anyone 10 years old and over. We even hosted a wedding rehearsal a couple of weeks ago!
Epicenter: Since opening, you've been able to expand your offerings for the community, such as having a full bar, weekly leagues, monthly live music, and hosting parties. Please tell us more!
Becker: If axe throwing doesn't sound appealing, Valhalla has lots of other unique entertainment options. We offer free cornhole, ping pong, beer pong and bocce ball, and there are 10 TV's for watching all of the big games! We have regular drink specials and will soon be adding some food items to our menu. Groups will still be welcome to bring in their own food for their events, but we want to have some food options for our bar patrons.
Epicenter: How does it feel to offer a unique entertainment solution in Mt. Pleasant? There's not much nearby that offers a similar experience.
Becker: When I discovered the sport of axe throwing, I knew almost immediately that I wanted to introduce it to Mt. Pleasant because there just aren't many entertainment options for adults. Our axe and cornhole league members have become a community of friends, and that has been very rewarding. Adding all of the other entertainment options is my way of providing a fun atmosphere that appeals to a wide audience.
First-time visitors are always amazed by how much space we have and are surprised to find that we are so much more than just axe throwing. Valhalla is starting to be a popular destination for all kinds of group events because of its uniqueness. It's even a great meeting space because we have a large projector screen and seating area that works well for groups of up to 25-30 people.
Epicenter: Looking ahead, what's your plan for the next year and more moving forward?
Becker: Starting in January, we will be adding Friday night karaoke to our weekly events for some additional entertainment. We also plan to start hosting Sunday Euchre tournaments and steel tip dart leagues to our already popular cornhole and axe throwing leagues. We will continue to offer a unique and fun environment for the central Michigan area. Come and check us out!
To learn more about Valhalla, read Epicenter Mt. Pleasant’s article about its grand opening in 2023 here.
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