The South Frankfort, then Elberta, Alert was first published in February of 1911, and had a brief run of several years until sometime before the end of World War I. In February of 2011, it rose again in the form of a free paper available at local businesses and distributed to residents on the fourth Friday of each month. The Alert operated in this way until the end of 2012, when life became suddenly scarier and more expensive.

Since then the Alert has been entirely located on its Facebook page and here at elberta-alert.org. Its mission is still to provide news, information, entertainment, and a forum for all voices in the community. Submit letters to the editor, rants, articles, images, cartoons, suggestions, stories, hearsay, doggerel, and God bless you, paid advertisements, to elberta.alert@gmail.com, or to PO Box 357, Elberta, Michigan 49628. The editors reserve the right to edit submissions for length. Submissions will not be returned, so don’t send your originals: send copies.

We gratefully accept DONATIONS! The editorial team is all-volunteer.  You can help make deeply local media happen in the Village and on the Web with a donation of any amount. —Emily Votruba, Acting Managing Editor

DEPARTMENTS

The Alert Reader Letters, comments, suggestions, and corrections from our dear readers

Blast from the Future The teen/youth column, in which a local kid waxes prosodical about a topic of his or her choice

Foghorn Anonymous rants, chvelling, or public service announcements on any subject, profanity bleeped or deleted

On and off the Apron Local commerce, business, and money matters

Deeply Local Politics/Rep Rap Our little piece of the national conversation, including reports on council and township meetings. The Rep Rap column explores how the work of our elected officials affects Villagers.

Culture Bluffs Art, music, dance, lecture series, festivals … news from the artsy side of town

The Mess Deck A groaning board of all things food related in the area. Recipes and cooking tips, restaurant reviews, news about local food programs, the Elberta Farmers’ Market … if you can eat it, you’ll read about it here.

Infrastructure and Planning The present and the future! Man, Elberta, you’ve got good bone structure. This is what we’re doing with it.

Open Season How we’re getting along with Mother Nature: hunting, fishing, bird-watching, Bluff hiking, gardening, and ecological matters affecting Elbertians

You Mist It the First Time/Remember When with Ken The Elberta Alert shines a light on local history—but never at the expense of covering the here and now. Ken Holmes, a treasure trove of stories and photos, presents a snapshot of local history in the paper edition each month.