Every summer, a vacation was met with great expectation by each of us in the family, and, if we were driving to our destination, a state license plate game helped occupy the time.

I’m sure many of you have played the game, as well, keeping track of how many different state license plates could be found during the drive.

I can remember my family was so into the game that, one vacation, I had to drive up and down the rows of vehicles parked in the Colonial Williamsburg parking lot to try and find Alaska and Hawaii, always the two hardest plates to find.

Thomas Wolfe once wrote a book, “You Can’t Go Home Again,” which in many ways has merit, but not so for me, recently.

Returning to Alpena for a short visit provided a wonderful reunion with many friends and family. While time prevented me catching up with everyone, I have learned to be content with what I’m given.

And, in my visit to the community, I was struck time and time again with this one thought: The town has a vibe and energy right now that is contagious.

From the fireworks along the water of Thunder Bay to the slice of Americana known as the community’s Fourth of July parade, people showed up in masses. There were smiles on faces, people were enjoying the company of others, and, when the American flag and the region’s veterans drew near, men still removed their hats and families brought up their hand to cover their hearts.

Prior to the Fourth, when the latest Viking cruise ship arrived in town, I was struck with all the visitors “oohing” and “awing” at sites downtown. It was fun to see their excitement at getting a photograph at the fish mural at The Center Building or comparing gifts just purchased at one of the downtown stores.

Diane and I stayed at the Holiday Inn Express downtown because it provided us easy access to many of the events we wanted to attend during the holiday week.

Each morning at breakfast, I enjoyed sitting at a table centrally located in the dining room and listening to the conversations of guests comparing notes of where they had visited yesterday and where they were headed off to that day.

Those guests were fascinated by the quality of the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary’s museum. They were mesmerized by seeing the wrecks in Thunder Bay via the glass-bottom boat. They were impressed by the quality and quantity of the various lighthouses within easy driving distance from the hotel.

During our stay, I did not hear one negative comment from any of them.

Instead, I often heard surprise at the many opportunities the community afforded them on their stay. More than one family expressed the desire to return again next year but stay longer to explore even more of the region.

It was gratifying to hear such praise and good impressions from the guests.

Oh, and one more thing.

The hotel downtown was packed with guests during the holiday week and license plates on the cars parked in the lot ranged from New York to Tennessee, Minnesota to Rhode Island, and many, many states in between.

Who needs the Colonial Williamsburg lot?!

Bill Speer retired in 2021 as the publisher and editor of The News. He can be reached at bspeer@thealpenanews.com.