Local archive
Community Water Street Commons
Alpena will celebrate its new Bird City Michigan designation on Saturday, Sept. 26, with a morning bird walk at Sytek Park and free family activities, conservation displays and hands-on projects along the South Riverfront.
Community
Habitat for Humanity Northeast Michigan will hold its 2026 Annual Dinner on Oct. 9, featuring elk-viewing carriage rides past new Habitat homes in Hillman, a gourmet dinner at Thunder Bay Resort and a keynote address by orsa foundation Executive Director Matt Nahan.
Community
Alpena Golf Club’s latest results include a shared low score of 47, hole-by-hole honors, and a full slate of Ladies Golf Association winners across four flights.
Community
St. Paul Lutheran Church in Alpena will host its Harvest Dinner on Sept. 24, with two dine-in seatings, takeout service and a traditional menu of meat, vegetables, rolls and pie.
Community
The Alpena Municipal Council voted 3-2 to authorize controlled Canada goose hunts at the Alpena County Fairgrounds on Sept. 17, 24 and 30, after spring flooding limited the city’s egg-oiling program and residents continued reporting heavy goose droppings in public areas.
Community
The Community Foundation for Northeast Michigan is accepting applications for Youth Advisory Council grants supporting youth projects across four Northeast Michigan counties. Applications are due Oct. 15, 2026.
Community Thunder Bay River
The Optimist Club playground at the Alpena County Fairgrounds will remain along the Thunder Bay River after county commissioners voted unanimously Tuesday against moving it. The club is considering repairs or replacement of a deteriorating wooden tractor, but the next steps depend partly on whether Murphy Builders inspects the equipment.
Community
Grace Episcopal Church will host its annual Harvest Dinner Sunday from 3 to 6 p.m. in Alpena, with ham, scalloped potatoes, homemade pies and more. Admission is $15 per person and $8 for children.
Community
The Alpena County Older Persons Committee will meet Wednesday at 3 p.m. in the Howard Male Conference Room. The meeting is open to the public.
Community
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer appointed Alpena resident Joshlyn Rasmussen to the Michigan Developmental Disability Council, beginning a four-year term Oct. 1.
Community
A photo submitted by Alpena resident Pam Reynolds shows a duck resting in the shade during one of the last pleasant-weather days in Northeast Michigan.
Community
The APlex will host Get-a-Way Day events on Sept. 9 and Sept. 23, featuring Detroit Tigers afternoon games, food and drinks on large-screen TVs.
Community
A barred owl photographed in Alpena is shown perched in a tree and surveying the area around it.
Community Lake Huron Waterfront
The Alpena Municipal Council unanimously approved a final $13,545.57 change order for the completed Bay View Restroom and Pavilion Project, bringing the contract to $900,788.38—still below the grant-agreement total.
Community
Tracy Bouren has taken over as executive director of Sunrise Mission in Alpena, bringing experience as a licensed builder and faith-based trauma-recovery program leader to the 33-bed shelter.
Community Ripley Street
Gone to Pieces Quilt Guild of Alpena will host a quilt show, luncheon and Friendship Day at First United Methodist Church on Sept. 19, with veteran tributes, quilt displays, vendors and an auction.
Community Bay View Park
Community partners and city officials gathered Wednesday for ceremonies at Culligan Plaza and Bay View Park Sportsplex, recognizing renovations made possible through local support.
Community
Members of Catholic Central’s class of 1971 gathered Aug. 13 at the 19th Hole in Alpena for their 55th class reunion.
Community
A successful ice cream social hosted by Grace Episcopal Church helped the church donate $425 to Sunrise Mission in Alpena.
Community
Alpena recorded 4.76 inches of precipitation in August, nearly two inches above the monthly normal, while average temperatures remained close to long-term levels. The National Weather Service expects September temperatures to be slightly above average, with precipitation near normal and warmer, drier conditions over the next several days.
Community
A milder-than-normal start to September could slow the arrival of peak fall color across Northern Michigan, according to a National Weather Service meteorologist. For Alpena-area leaf-peepers, the best displays may depend on cool nights, sunny days and avoiding an early hard freeze.
Community
P. Ludwig recorded the lowest score, 40, in the Aug. 25 results at Alpena Golf Club, while players also shared hole-by-hole low and high scores and a best poker hand of five sevens.
Community Thunder Bay River
Thomas Stafford Dog Park, located behind the Alpena Post Office at North Riverfront Park, gives local dogs a fenced, off-leash place to play beside the Thunder Bay River. The park became possible after a two-year community fundraising effort led by residents Abby O’Bryan and Alisha Manning.
Community
The annual Perseid meteor shower will be visible from July 17 through August 24, with peak viewing expected around August 11 and 12. Three nearby dark sky parks give Alpena-area residents and visitors several options for watching the display.
Community
Lake Mead has fallen to its lowest water level since it was filled about 90 years ago, according to an Associated Press report dated Aug. 9, 2026. The decline is another sign of worsening strain across the Colorado River system, though the supplied report does not identify a direct impact on Alpena.
Community Thunder Bay River
The Draken Harald Hårfagre stopped in Alpena during its 2016 voyage from Norway to the United States, giving local visitors a glimpse into life aboard a modern ship built to replicate the Viking era.
Community
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has endorsed U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate, according to an Associated Press report published July 26, 2026. The contest with Abdul El-Sayed has become part of a broader debate within the Democratic Party.
