Despite virus, Michigan groups aim to keep summer fireworks tradition

ALPENA, Mich. (AP) — Some small Michigan communities aren’t giving up on summer traditions despite the coronavirus.

The Alpena Municipal Council is giving people time to raise money for a July 4 fireworks show along Lake Huron in the northern Lower Peninsula.

Lafarge North America, which operates a cement plant in Alpena, will match donations up to $12,000, the Alpena News reported.

The event “has been woven into the fabric of the Alpena community for generations,” Lafarge said in a statement.

The Alpena Area Chamber of Commerce held a drive-by bracelet sale Friday to raise money. The overall goal is to raise $23,000 by May 28.

Watch Great Lakes Now’s segment on shipwrecks in Alpena:

Featured image: The shopping district in downtown Alpena, Michigan, in 2010. (Photo by Michigan Municipal League from Flickr, licensed under CC 2.0.)