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THE
ANNOUNCER An Allendale and Surrounding Area Publication
Rain or Shine, Allendale Shows Up! Celebrating the 2026 Leprino M45 Run
October Calendar Check it out!
APS Bond Info
Inside!
Best of Allendale Vote Now!
ALLENDALE AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
The Announcer is delivered to you as a free monthly publication serving Allendale Township. It is brought to you by the Allendale Area Chamber of Commerce.
Scan Me! WEBSITE: www.allendalechamber.org OFFICE HOURS: By Appointment ADS SENT TO: Christie Tidd at allendaleannouncer@gmail.com
2026 Sustaining Partner Circle
October 2026
BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT
The Connection You Don’t See:
Keeping Allendale Moving
When most people think about the infrastructure that keeps Allendale running, roads, water and sewer systems probably come to mind. What is easier to overlook is the communications network connecting many of those systems behind the scenes. As Allendale has grown, Allendale Charter Township and AcenTek have worked together to coordinate the infrastructure needed to serve the community. It is a relationship that residents may rarely see, but one that plays a role in keeping essential Township operations connected. One example is Allendale’s lift stations. New lift stations, which are wastewater pumping locations, are connected through AcenTek’s network, allowing Township staff to remotely monitor equipment in the field. For residents, a lift station simply needs to work. Behind that expectation are pumps, controls, monitoring equipment and reliable communications that help Township personnel know what is happening throughout the system and respond when attention is needed.
The partnership becomes especially important as Allendale continues to grow. New developments, road construction and utility projects often require multiple types of infrastructure to occupy the same spaces. Township staff and AcenTek crews coordinate when communication lines need to be moved, protected or incorporated into a larger project. The expansion of Lake Michigan Drive was a major example. As road improvements moved forward, existing fiber and communications infrastructure had to be relocated while maintaining the network serving the community. The project required careful planning and cooperation between those working above ground and those responsible for the infrastructure residents rarely see below it.
That local connection has deep roots. Allendale Telephone Company began serving the community in 1910. AcenTek acquired Allendale Telephone Company in 2009 and began building fiber in Allendale in 2014, helping transition the community from traditional copper infrastructure to a network built for the growing communication needs of homes, businesses and public services.
The traditional process of splicing telephone lines required careful manual connections.
Today, fiber lines are spliced using specialized technology for precise, high-speed connections. More than a century after the first telephone lines connected Allendale, technology looks very different. The need for local cooperation does not. Today, Allendale Charter Township continues the work of maintaining and expanding the infrastructure a growing community depends on, while partnerships with local utilities and providers help make that work possible. Much of that coordination happens quietly, without residents ever seeing it. And in many ways, that is the mark of infrastructure doing its job: when the connections behind a community work, the community can keep moving forward.
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Multi-Chamber Business Blind Date at 160 68th St SW, Grand Rapids - Email Angie to reg Creative Dance at the Library at 10am Grand Valley Renaissance Festival at GVSU Harvest Fest at Trail Point Brewing Co from 12 - 10pm Grand Valley Homecoming at 1 Campus Dr, GVSU at 3pm Library Advisory Board Meeting at Allendale Township at 6:30pm Allendale Township Planning Commission Meeting at 7pm Knitting for Allendale at the Library from 2 - 4pm 1 on 1 Tech Tutoring at the LIbrary at 2pm Fall Into New Connections - Joint Chamber Event at 8pm at Honor CU in Jenison
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Crafted Chaos at the Library at 10am
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St Luke Food Pantry on 42nd on GVSU campus from 3 - 5pm
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St. Luke Food Pantry on 42nd Ave on GVSU campus at 3pm Touch-a-Truck at Allendale Ace Home Center from 10am - 12pm
Cider + Paint at Farmhaus Cider from 12 - 1:30pm Allendale Schools @ GVSU Soccer fields Grand Valley Piano Chamber Series at 10610 S Campus Dr at 3pm The Cozy Reads Book Club at the Library at 1pm Allendale Township Board Meeting at Allendale Township at 6pm Ask an Expert Series - Financial Wellness with LMCU at 6:30pm Introduction to Wood Burning at theatLibrary at 6pm Township Office at 6pm Allendale Township Board Meeting the Allendale
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Afternoon American Mah Jongg at the Library 2pm
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Serial Readers: A True Crime Book Club at Trail Point at 6:30pm
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Fall Drop-in Craft: Leaf Suncatcher at the Library at 1pm
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The Curious Compassionate Book Club at the Library at 6:30pm Help Me Grow Ottawa Playgrounds at the Library at 10am
Trick or Treat Street 2026 at Indian Trails Camp from 1-4pm Mission Allendale Food Truck at Lighthouse Community Church from 9:30-11:45am Allendale Schools Tarry Hall night at 6:15pm Choose One Another: Choosing One Another in Political Differences at the Library at 6pm Medicare 101 at the Library at 9:30am Pumpkin Walk 2026 at Second Church, each night from 6 - 9pm
October Calendar of Events
LOCALEVENTS
*Please check with location or event before attending as information may have changed since publication
Aendale's
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2026 Chili Cook-Off at Trail Point Brewing at 2 - 4pm Cash for Community - Boots, Bucks & Big Dreams at Engine House No 5 at 6pm National Friends of the Library Week Celebration at the Library at 1pm Adult Book Discussion at the Library at 6:30pm Friends of the Library Meeting at 7:30pm Resilient Spine Education Seminar at Snap Fitness at 6:30pm Evening American Mah Jongg at the Library at 6pm Monster Mash Dance Party at the Library at 10am Diaper Ministry at Valley Church from 10 - 11am
FOOD
GVSU Trail Point: Tues - Sunday Farmhaus Cider: Wed - Sunday
All Community Events: tinyurl.com/37nfn86s
MON TUE
Baby Storytime at the Library at 10am Trivia at Trail Point Brewing from 7 - 9pm Karaoke at Main St Pub starting at 8:30pm Trivia at Main St Pub starting at 8:30pm
FRI
Senior Fit Time at Allendale Park at 11am, all abilities welcome Run Club at Farmhaus Cider at 6pm Pajama Storytime at the Library at 6:30pm Trivia at Farmhaus Cider at 7pm Moms with Moms Group at the Library at 10am Trivia at Embassy Bar and Grill starting at 8pm
SAT
THR
Storytime at the Library at 10am Trail Point Run Club + Vinyl Night at 6pm
WED
WEEKLYEVENTS
Karaoke at Embassy Bar and Grill starting at 9pm
APSATHLETICS allendaleathletics.org
October Calendar of Events
LOCALEVENTS
*Please check with location or event before attending as information may have changed since publication
Aendale's
Township board meeting dates are October 12 and 26. You can find board agenda and minutes on our website: www.allendalemi.gov
General Election Info Early Voting Location:
October 24-November 1 Daily 8:00am-4:00pm Allendale Township Hall 6676 Lake Michigan Drive
This Month at Allendale Township Library
Friends will be celebrating National Friends of Libraries Week on Saturday, October 24, from 1 to 3 pm. Celebrate e with FREE donuts, cider, and crafts. Fun for the whole family!
STOP INTO THE LIBRARY TO VOTE FOR YOUR FAVORITE FA FA AV VORITE STAFFSTA T FFTA F FDECORATED DECORAT A ED PUMPKIN FROM AT OCTOBER OC CTOBER 19 19 - OCTOBER 31.
Pumpkins previously decorated by staff
PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID GRAND RAPIDS, MI PERMIT 1
ALLENDALE AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
We are like that place that hands out the giant candy bar.
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