“No man is an island, whole by itself; each man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main. If a clod is washed by the sea, Europe is less, as if it were a promontory, as if it were a manor of your friend or yours: the death of any man diminishes me, for I am involved in humanity. , and therefore never send to know for whom the bells toll; he charges you”. — John Donne
One of the many reasons I love working for this newspaper is its deep and abiding connection to this community.
Alpena News is not simply something that arrives at your door every morning to be read and forgotten until the next morning.
We are deeply rooted in Northeast Michigan.
We don’t just cover local events, we donate to local causes. We don’t just sell advertising to local businesses, we buy goods and services from local businesses. We don’t just write about the local economy, we contribute to that economy and employ people in Northeast Michigan.
And we organize events to bring the community together.
One such event takes place one week from today: the ever-popular Education Business Fair and Newspaper Book Sale.
We held our last Expo in February 2020, just before the coronavirus pandemic shut everything down. The pandemic forced us to cancel the event in 2021 and 2022.
But we’re back and as big as ever from 10 am to 4 pm on February 4 at the APlex, 701 Woodward Ave., Alpena.
We have over two dozen vendors on hand to talk you through all they have to offer, including the popular Pour Boy’s Honey, who will be sampling and selling their delicious treats.
Bring your wallets and purses.
Galley Sweet Shop will be selling their popular Cops and Donuts treats in the morning, and Nowicki’s Sausage Shoppe will be selling food for lunch.
The Expo benefits sellers by giving them an audience of hundreds at once to discuss their products. It benefits you by bringing together some of Northeast Michigan’s best businesses in one place so you can find out everything from banking to travel to dining.
Next to the Expo, you’ll find thousands of used books for sale at discounted prices. The best sellers romance Westerns. Historical fiction and non-fiction. self help poetry Politics. Books about Northeast Michigan and Michigan as a whole. Hobbies. And much more.
One hundred percent of the money we make from each book sold goes to Newspapers in Education, which helps us deliver newspapers to classrooms in Northeast Michigan. Children use newspapers to work on literacy, understand the difference between fact and opinion, learn about the weather, and more.
The best books go fast, so show up early to pick up the books you want.
The event also features giveaways throughout the day. You must be present to win.
In short, February 4th is going to be a day full of business and book hunting, and you won’t want to miss it.
I am delighted to offer the Expo again. It really depressed me to have to cancel it two years in a row.
It’s hard work to achieve, including sorting through thousands of donated books.
But it’s worth it, because the event is a blast for us as hosts, for the companies, and for the attendees.
We are still recruiting vendors. If you would like your company to be featured at the Expo, please call 989-354-3111 to speak with your Advertising Consultant.
Justin A. Hinkley can be reached at 989-354-3112 or jhinkley@thealpenanews.com. Follow him on Twitter @JustinHinkley.
