About Blog Downtown Alpena
Blog Downtown Alpena is a blog devoted to all things Downtown Alpena, Michigan. Not just a guide of things to do or things to see— of which there are many— but a way to share the stories, the people, the places, the history, and the events of our downtown.
We like to call it a travel blog for our own downtown. Part food, part arts review, part calendar of events, part history lesson, part photography, part news coverage.
Blog Downtown Alpena was created by Anne Gentry, and Alpena native and downtown enthusiast, in May 2016. Just about a year later in April 2017, Anne became Executive Director of the Alpena Downtown Development Authority (DDA) and continues to manage and write the blog with the help of DDA staff and volunteer writers.
Whether you visit us everyday, or whether you’re visiting us for the first time, I hope this blog allows you to learn and to linger on what makes us uniquely Downtown Alpena.
About the Authors
Kingsli Kraft
Kingsli is an Alpena native and a graduate of the University of Michigan. She now works at the Alpena Downtown Development Authority as the Marketing and Outreach Coordinator. She volunteers with Thunder Bay Theatre as a Board Member, Secretary, and on several committees. She enjoys reading, writing, yoga, hiking, caring for all of her plants and trying new recipes. You can follow her on Instagram here.
Anne Gentry
Anne is an Alpena native and graduated from Brown University in 2015 with her BA in Comparative Literature with a focus on English and Italian Literature. She has also lived and studied in Bologna, Italy and Adelaide, South Australia. She is currently Executive Director of the Alpena DDA, where she leads the execution of DDA goals, projects, and events. In her free time, she enjoys cross-country skiing, cooking Italian food, shaking cocktails, and spending time with family and friends.
Interested in being an author for the blog? Send us an email blogdowntownalpena@gmail.com or message us on social media.
What is the DDA? The Downtown Development Authority Mission as established by Public Act 197 of 1975 is: To corre
ct and prevent deterioration in the established DDA district; to encourage historic preservation; to acquire and dispose of interests in real and personal property; to create and implement development plans in the district; and to promote the economic growth of the district.
The mission of the Alpena DDA is to implement positive economic, physical, and aesthetic changes in the downto
wn.
Blog Downtown Alpena 