“No man is an island in himself; every man is a fragment of the continent, a part of the main. If a lid is washed by the sea, Europe is small, and if it is a promontory, and if it is a manor of your friend or your own, the death of no one will diminish me, for I enter into mankind. , And therefore bells are never sent to find out to whom they pay; it will cost you.” – John Don
One of the many reasons I love working at this newspaper is the deep and ongoing connection with this community.
Alpena News is not something that lands on your doorstep every morning to be read and forgotten until the next morning.
We are very entrenched in Northeast Michigan.
We donate to local causes, not just local events. Not only do we sell advertising to local businesses, we also buy goods and services from local businesses. It’s not just about the local economy, we contribute to that economy and employ Northeast Michiganders.
And we host events to bring the community together.
One of those events happens a week from today: the ever-popular Trade Expo and Newspapers in Education Book Sale.
We held our last expo in February 2020 before the coronavirus pandemic shut everything down. The pandemic has forced us to cancel the event in 2021 and 2022.
But we’re back and open as usual from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at APlex, 701 Woodward Ave., Alpena.
We have more than two dozen vendors on hand to talk you through everything they have to offer, including the famous Pur Male Honey.
Bring your bags and backpacks.
Galley’s Sweet Shop sells its famous pastries and donuts in the morning, and Nookie Sausage Shop sells food for lunch.
Exhibitions benefit sellers by giving them an audience of hundreds at once to talk about their products. It benefits you by bringing together some of Northeast Michigan’s best businesses in one place, so you can find everything from banking to travel to restaurants.
Next to the exhibition, you will find thousands of used books for sale at discounted prices. Best sellers. Dating westerns. Historical fiction and non-fiction. Self help. Poetry. Politics. Books about Northeast Michigan and Michigan in general. Hobbies. And much more.
One hundred percent of the money we make from book sales goes to Newspapers in Education, which helps us deliver newspapers to classrooms in Northeast Michigan. The children use the newspapers to work on literacy, to understand the difference between fact and opinion, to learn about the weather, and more.
Best books go fast, so show up early to pick up the book you want.
The event will feature giveaways throughout the day. You must be present to win.
In short, February 4th is going to be a day of business and book browsing, and don’t miss it.
I am happy to present the expo again. I am very disappointed that I have to cancel two years in a row.
It’s a daunting task to get it out, including sorting through thousands of donated books.
But it’s worth it because the event is a blast for us as hosts, businesses and attendees.
We are still enrolling sellers. If you would like your business to be featured in the exhibit, 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.
