News Photo by Temi Fadayomi Downtown Scoops owner Aaron Buza serves ice cream to customers on Thursday.

ALPENA — Some local businesses have seen a noticeable spike in traffic during the Michigan Brown Trout Festival.

“You gotta be ready for it,” Aaron Buza, owner of Downtown Scoops, said about the festival. “Tourists are gonna be here and fishermen are gonna be here. It’s a busy time of year.”

The Brown Trout Festival brings in people from all across the midwest to Alpena to compete in the fishing tournaments and participate in other festivities. This surge in visitors often means a boost in foot traffic and sales for many downtown businesses.

“I’ve seen a huge increase in foot traffic,” Griffin James, owner of Cedar and Threads, said. “A lot of people from all over the state come here to experience our wonderful Brown Trout Festival.”

The festival occurs annually in July, which is already a busy month locally. For some business owners like Buza, the festival is an event that is often planned for in advance.

“With Brown Trout being in the later stages of the month, we can’t let our guard down,” Buza said. “We’re stocking to the fullest that we can get and staffing to the fullest we can get because we know we have to be ready to serve our customers.”

The festival isn’t the only event in Alpena that has seen a boost in sales for some local businesses. Fresh Palate Owner Eric Peterson attributes some of his increased traffic to the Brown Trout Festival, but he also cites the Art at the Bay event, which happens annually during the festival’s opening weekend, as another event that has brought more customers to his restaurant.

“It has been a busy week since Brown Trout started,” Peterson said, “But I also definitely see an increase in traffic from Art on the Bay.”

According to local business owners in Alpena, this year’s Brown Trout Festival was a good one thus far.

“Talking to other business owners downtown, it’s been a very great Brown Trout season,” James said.