Why do Alpena teens end up walking around at Meijer?
- Cathy Tran
- Mar 11
- 2 min read
Updated: Mar 12
By Cathy Tran
Staff writer
On a Friday night in bigger cities, high school students will find themselves at arcades, escape rooms, malls, restaurants, museums, or simply strolling the bustling streets of downtown. In small, humble Alpena, however, Friday night entertainment looks very different.
Teens find much simpler endeavors to occupy their time, such as walking around the local Meijer. In the late hours of the store, students can be heard through aisles, laughing and talking, and pushing around carts that are being used as more of a ride than a carrier.
Unusual as it may seem to those from big cities, the home of minor inconveniences, such as grocery shopping, grouchy cashiers, and strange late-night dwellers, is the place that students seek fun in, when living in a town with limited options for entertainment.
To better understand what teens in Alpena do for fun, a couple of senior students were asked what they like to do in their free time. Their responses in the interviews showed that many students turn to simple activities like going for walks, hanging out with friends, or just browsing the aisles as a source of entertainment.
For Alpena High School senior Zoe Smith, fun in Alpena means doing small things with friends. “Sometimes I go to the movies, or I'll go out to dinner with my friends, but that's about it … or go to the store like Walmart or Meijer to walk around,” Smith said.
Smith offers up a relatable experience for many of her peers that don’t have designated hang out spots. Alpena High students find it easier just to go to the store.
Another student, Lillian Miller, also expressed that Alpena has its limits when it comes to quality entertainment for the youth.
“What do I do for fun in Alpena? I go on nature walks,” Miller said.“I like to go on walks because it gives me something to do.” When asked if there was little to do in Alpena, Miller simply replied, “Yes.”
The lack of options is not exclusive to Alpena but a common quality among smaller communities. This means that everyday errands can be hangout spots for these teens.
There are many students, like Smith and Miller, who face the issue of finding things to do. Alpena, being a small town, limits options, activities, and space for the youth. As a result, teens will drive aimlessly around town, hang out with friends in unconventional places, explore both the unknown and the well-known.
And they'll do it again and again for the sake of something to do.
While Alpena may not be home to the most tempting sources of entertainment, students still make the most of what they are given and find pleasure in the simple things this town has to offer.
Whether it's going out to eat, going to the movies, walking through familiar streets, or mingling in aisle 32, the students of Alpena continue to make the best of their free time.
