Visitors coming into Alpena from the south on U.S.-23 will now be greeted by 3,200 pounds of art.

Recently installed on the lawn at Mich-e-ke-wis Park are red metal letters standing 7 feet tall, 3.3 feet wide, 1.5 feet deep, and weighing about 465 to 575 pounds each, spelling out the name of our beautiful town.

Created by the Besser Co., overseen by the Thunder Bay Arts Council, and inspired by an old-timey postcard that was part of a photography exhibit of local artist Brandinn Keetch, the “Alpena Letters Sculpture” is a marvelous welcome to our community.

It tells visitors, at first glance, that Alpena is a town that appreciates art.

And it tells them that Alpena is a community that rallies to make this a better place to live, because the $30,000 project included gifts from the Besser Co., Besser Foundation, City of Alpena, Community Foundation for Northeast Michigan, Thunder Bay Arts Council, Art Vision Alpena Advisory Committee, August and Peggy Matuzak, Tim Kuehnlein and Todd Russell, Bedrock Contracting and Excavating, L and S Transit Mix Concrete Co., R S Scott Associates Inc., Thunder Bay Electric Inc., L and N Greenway, Fitzpatrick Hardware, Omega Electric and Sign Company Inc.

Thanks to all involved in bringing this project to fruition and building just one more in a long list of things that make this the best town in Michigan.

(THE ALPENA NEWS)