News Photo by Crystal Nelson Grulke Hardware owner Neil Grulke is pictured in his business on Monday.

ROGERS CITY — Many business owners expect the cancellation of their community’s most anticipated festivals to hurt their bottom lines.

Organizers have canceled several of this year’s festivals over concerns about the coronavirus, including the Long Lake Festival of Lights and the Rogers City Nautical Festival. Organizers of the Michigan Brown Trout Festival announced they would scale this year’s festival back.

Many businesses collect the majority of their revenue in the spring, summer, and fall, Mary Beth Stutzman, president and CEO of the Alpena Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, said in an email to The News. Stutzman said Michigan’s COVID-19 outbreak began about the same time as businesses were getting ready to ramp up for their biggest seasons.

“Most people understand that human health is the top priority and do not argue with the orders,” Stutzman said in the email. “However, the impact to the economy is also a concern and it may be a few months before a full damage report is realized.”

Pam Bensman, owner of Bensman’s Long Lake Market, said the Lights Festival draws not only vacationers but also people from Alpena and Grand Lake areas.

“It’s going to be hard-hitting for us, because most of our business — the biggest part of our business — is done that weekend,” Bensman said. “It’s going to be really, really be bad for us.”

John Fisher, owner of the Sandbar and Grill, closed his business in March, when Gov. Gretchen Whitmer first ordered Michiganders to stay home unless absolutely necessary to prevent the spread of the virus.

Whitmer’s current order expires May 15, and Fisher plans to reopen the Sandbar for curbside pick-up by the end of the month.

Fisher said the Long Lake Lights Festival’s cancellation will be “devastating.”

“It’s usually a really good time,” he said. “It is profitable for all the businesses around the lake.”

In Rogers City, Grulke Hardware owner Neil Grulke said his store doesn’t usually get a lot of business during the city’s Nautical Festival unless someone’s refrigerator, washing machine or drier breaks down and needs to be repaired.

But Grulke said thousands” of people usually attend the festival, and it’s always “a good picker-up for the rest of the businesses to survive.”

Grulke worries about restaurants, local bars, and specialty grocers, such as Plath’s Meats and Rygwelski’s IGA Express. He said Plath’s is known for its smoked meats and Rygwelski’s IGA Express is known for its kielbasa, so people who come for the festival usually end up taking meat home with them.

“I know, when my relatives used to come up here, they used to get 50 to 100 pounds just to take back to their friends when they left the Nautical Festival,” he said.

Plath’s Meats owner John Plath said he expects the cancellation of Nautical Fest will impact not only his business, but the whole community.

But Plath is already looking forward to seeing them next time.

“Next year, it will be even bigger and better,” he said.

Crystal Nelson can be reached at 989-358-5687 or cnelson@thealpenanews.com.