National Bootleggers Day and Alpena’s History

Posted on January 17th, 2017

January 17 has been proclaimed as National Bootleggers Day. This date marks the birthdays of Templeton Rye Whiskey, bootlegger Al Capone, and the son of another bootlegger, Meryl Kerkhoff. The term bootlegger began in the Midwest in the 1880s when one would shove flasks of liquor in their boot tops…

Posen: Home of the Potato Festival

Posted on September 8th, 2016

The 65th Annual Posen Potato Festival starts tomorrow! The village of Posen is located just outside of Alpena, Michigan. This prosperous farming community dates back to 1870 when the first immigrants, (primarily German & Polish), were drawn to northern Michigan, of the United States. Lumbe…

Alpena Man Takes the Lead in Ending Prohibition

Posted on April 8th, 2016

On April 10, 1933, Michigan became the first state to vote yes on the 21st Amendment in an effort to end prohibition! We led the way to overturning the unpopular 18th Amendment, which banned alcohol in the United States. Michigan’s governor at the time was Alpena native Governor William A. Com…