September 28, 2023 The Zeeland Record

Z EELAND R ECORD THE

Vol. 129-No.49

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Zeeland, Michigan

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Serving Western Michigan for more than 128 Years

• September 28, 2023

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Cost$1.00/copy $30/year

Pumpkinfest Returns Oct 6 & 7 With Out of This World Theme Zeeland has been home to Pumpkinfest for over 20 years. What makes this festival so unique is that it boasts a different and creative theme each year. Pumpkinfest Out of This World will debut on Friday, October 6th and Saturday, October 7th.

One of the many unique features of Pumpkinfest is Avenue of Art. Large, wooden structures shaped to match the festival theme are decorated by artists, families, businesses, and other various individuals/groups. The finished pieces will line Main Street, creating a spectacular art display starting September 29th -October 8th for all festival participants to admire.

“If you are looking for family fun, then look no further than Kidzfest! During the Pumpkinfest festival, Church Street is home to face painters, a petting zoo, inflatable obstacle courses, pumpkin carving, food vendors, barrel train rides, stage performances, corn play area, and much more. In addition, the community is invited to free donuts and cider on Friday, October 7th at 6:00pm. When the sun goes down the fun doesn’t stop. A glow in the dark dance party is scheduled to fill Church Street at 7:30pm Friday night for kids and families, followed by Music on Main both Friday and Saturday night from 7-10pm,” said Zeeland Festival Director Lynnette Lam Other events highlighted throughout the weekend include bingo at the library, the second annual pumpkin drop at the Dekker Huis Museum, main stage events, kids’ tractor pull, pumpkin roll at the Zeeland Christian hill, pet costume and a pie eating contest!

The much-anticipated Pumpkinfest Parade will occur on Saturday, October 7 at 3pm. The parade will feature marching

bands, horses, walking groups, along with floats and tractors that will surely be out of this world. The Parade Route is as follows: West on Main Ave. from Centennial St. to State St., South on State St. to Central Ave., East on Central Ave. ending at Maple St. “We have been assured by the city that Main Avenue will be open for the parade.

There will be no seating for spectators on the block of Main between Church and Centennial, the Don’s Flowers block, due to the snowmelt project,” said Lam. Pumpkinfest is made possible through the generous giving of the following sponsors: Visionary Sponsors: City of Zeeland, Royal Atrium Inn & Royal Park, Vork Brothers Painting LLC, Corewell Health, Sharp Roofing LLC, Request Foods, Meijer, Mast Heating & Cooling, Reckitt Mead Johnson, Vanderkolk Plumbing, Shoreline Sprinkling, AllRout, Inc., and Chips Ground Cover. Gold Sponsors Imagination Station, Wolfies Sandwiches, Zeeland BPW, Plascore, Zeeland Ace Hardware, and AAC Credit Union. Silver sponsors DTM Piercings and Tattoos, Drip, 4Front Credit Union, Don’s Flowers & Gifts, Zeeland Farm Services, Vitales Pizza, Tree of Life Juice, AcenTek, GDK, Matrix Home Solutions, West Michigan Fleet Parts, Rachel Karhoff State Farm, Zeeland Family Dentistry, VanHuis Real Estate, and Parda Credit Union. Bronze sponsors LVS CPAs & Associates P.C., Lenz Balder Insurance, Comprehensive Ear & Hearing, Huntington Bank, Macatawa Bank, Zeeland Athletic Boosters, Forge Industrial Staffing, Family Fare, Zeeland Print, Morren Bros.

Agri Service, Arrow Waste, and Zeeland Community Preschool.

READ Ottawa Seeks Volunteers to Boost Adult Literacy Services READ Ottawa, a dedicated local nonprofit organization, is actively seeking enthusiastic volunteer tutors to help expand its vital adult literacy tutoring services.

Established in 2009 in the heart of Grand Haven, READ Ottawa has championed adult literacy improvement through personalized one-on-one tutoring.

Over its years of operation, this organization has provided invaluable support to more than 250 learners, transforming lives along the way. In 2022, READ Ottawa extended its services to encompass the Holland and Zeeland areas, broadening its reach to assist even more individuals in need.

“Presently, READ Ottawa is serving 60 adult learners, with new individuals reaching out each week for literacy assistance. Some patiently await their turn on a waitlist, eager to be matched with a tutor. Those who turn to READ Ottawa often face diverse challenges, including learning disabilities, limited access to education in their home countries, or unforeseen circumstances that led them to leave high school prematurely. READ Ottawa offers comprehensive support in various areas, including reading, writing, oral communication skills, financial literacy, family literacy, workforce assistance, and tutoring for test preparation, such as driver’s license tests or U.S. citizenship exams,” said Lynn Groothuis, Training Coordinator.

In response to the growing demand for

its services, READ Ottawa has scheduled a tutor training session on October 3rd and 5th, running from 5:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the United Methodist Church of the Dunes in Grand Haven. Another training session will follow the same schedule on October 10th and 12th, hosted at the Community Reformed Church in Zeeland.

“This comprehensive five-hour program equips volunteers with the essential resources and materials needed to effectively tutor adult learners. A typical weekly commitment for a tutor involves approximately two hours of tutoring, including travel time and lesson planning. Session scheduling is tailored to accommodate the availability of both tutors and learners,” she said.

Tutors enjoy the flexibility of visiting learners at locations within or near their neighborhoods. Notable tutoring sites include Herrick District Library, Howard Miller Public Library, Loutit District Library, and Spring Lake District Library.

If you are interested in making a meaningful impact on someone’s life through literacy, consider becoming a volunteer tutor with READ Ottawa. To explore more about the organization and how you can actively participate, please visit their volunteer page at readottawa.org/ volunteer or reach out to Lynn Groothuis, Training Coordinator, at lynn@readottawa. org.

With the annual Zeeland East/West football game this past Friday evening, it was an opportunity for the school district to showcase other programs. The events began with the players and cheerleaders running out onto the field followed by elementary students participating in football and cheer programs. At halftime the Zeeland High Dance Ensemble took to the field for a performance followed by the Zeeland High Band along with members of the Creekside and Cityside middle school bands.

Rep. Slagh Will Host Morning Office Hours on Sept. 29 State Rep. Bradley Slagh (R-Zeeland) invites residents to join him at his upcoming morning office hours on Friday, Sept. 29.

Local office hours are an opportunity for constituents to meet face-to-face with Rep. Slagh to share their thoughts, questions, and concerns. No appointments are necessary to attend.

The meetings will take place the following times and locations, from 7 to 8 a.m. at The Farmhouse Restaurant located

at 430 W. Washington Ave. in Zeeland; from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. at Big Apple Bagels located at 306 Baldwin St. in Jenison; and from 10 to 11 a.m. at Signatures Coffee and Espresso located at 6375 Balsam Dr. Ste. 100 in Hudsonville Those unable to attend Rep. Slagh’s local office hours may share their thoughts by contacting his Lansing office at (517) 373-0841or BradleySlagh@House.MI.gov.

Zeeland Township to Maintain Millage Rate in 2024 In 2022 the Zeeland Township Board of Trustees reduced their millage rate from 6.6528 mills to 5.6956 in establishing the 2023 budget to assist residents and businesses that suffered through the COVID pandemic. Last week Tuesday, Sept. 19, township officials vote to retain the 5.6956 millage rate for the 2024 budget year.

“Proposed revenues from property taxes will increase by an estimated $132,100 or 8.7% more than 2023 estimated property tax revenues. This is a result of an increase in the taxable value of 8.75 and maintaining the same operating tax millage,” explained Township Treasurer Melissa Veldheer.

While the township’s millage rate remains unchanged, officials are preparing for a decrease in the Township’s Fund balance due to increased costs and capital projects. The township is projecting a fund balance of $24,721,780 at the end of the 2024 budget which is Dec. 31, 2023.

“In fiscal year 2023, ending fund balance is projected to increase by approximately $1,496,750. In fiscal year

2024, ending fund balance is estimated to decrease approximately $374,750 due primarily to the increase in capital related projects and overall inflationary increases in operating expenditures,” she said.

Included in the budget are public works expenditures of $2,064,300 for bike path maintenance and a bike path connecting Byron Road to Adams Street along 76th and 72nd streets. The township is also proposing $146,300 for cemetery land acquisition.

“Our public works expenditures total $2,374,650 or an increase of $1,807,100 or 318.4% from 2023,” she said.

The township is budgeting $203,000 for Community Policing, School Resource Officer and Traffic Services, $251,000 for the fire committee and future fire station land acquisition, $35,000 for emergency management, and $168,600 for building, electrical, mechanical and plumbing inspections.

(Continued on page 9)

OBITUARIES

Rodney Jones Shirley Dies at Age 75 Overbeek Rodney Jones, 75, of Holland, Dies at Age 77 passed away on Friday, September 22, 2023.

Rodney was a member of Our Lady of the Lake Catholic Church.

His family, church community, and neighbors will remember his servant’s heart and desire to help others.

Rodney is survived by his children: Rodney (Mary Jo) Jones Jr., Tony (Tammy) Jones, Julie (Reed) Koops; 9 grandchildren; 7 great grandchildren; siblings: James Jones, Teddy (Donna) Jones, Patrick Jones, and Audrey (Ed) Hislop.

He was preceded in death by his parents: Arthur & Bernice (Cholewa) Jones; brother, Dennis Jones; sister, Mary Ellen; and sister-in-law, Sheila Jones.

Visiting hours will be held from 5:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. on Thursday, September 28, 2023, at Langeland-Sterenberg Funeral Home, 315 E. 16th St. Holland.

Within the visitation, a time of sharing and remembrances will take place at 7:00 p.m. A Funeral Mass will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, September 29, 2023, at Our Lady of the Lake Catholic Church, 480 152nd Avenue, Holland. The family will receive visitors an hour prior to the start of Mass on Friday. The burial will be in Port Sheldon Township Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be given to Hospice of Holland.

Shirley Overbeek, 77, of Zeeland, passed away on Friday, September 15, 2023.

Shirley was born in Zeeland on March 22, 1946, to Russell and Mildred (Folkert) Koopman. She graduated from Hamilton High School as their valedictorian.

Shirley graduated from Davenport College and later married Del Overbeek. Del and Shirley raised their son Dan in Zeeland and were members of Faith Reformed Church. Del preceded her in death in 1984. She was also preceded in death by her parents and her niece Julie Genzink.

Shirley loved her grandchildren deeply and enjoyed attending as many of their events as possible.

She is survived by her son and daughter-in-law Dan and Alix Overbeek, grandchildren: Tyler, Chelsea, Braden; siblings: Lloyd and Linda Koopman, Sandy and Brad Grysen, Amy and Terry Genzink; and many extended family members.

A memorial service was held on Saturday, Sept. 23, at Yntema Funeral Home, 251 S. State Street, Zeeland. Interment was in Zeeland Cemetery. Memorial contributions may be made to West Ottawa Athletics. www. yntemafh.com

Marion Fazio Dies at Age 92

Ann Rozema Marion Fazio, 92, passed away Dies at Age 91 2023. on Friday, September 22, Ann Rozema, age 91 of Zeeland passed away Wednesday, September 20, 2023.

She is survived by her sons: Dave and Judy Rozema, and Chuck and Joan Rozema; 7 grandchildren, 21 great grandchildren and her sister-inlaw Jane Hager.

Ann was preceded in death by her husband Norman in 1996, her son Larry in 1992, and her daughter Marcia in 1960.

Ann was a longtime member of Third Christian Reformed Church in Zeeland. She was employed at Van Wieren Hardware and Northgate Appliance.

A visitation and funeral service were held on Sunday, Sept. 24, at Yntema Funeral Home, 251 South State Street, Zeeland. Interment was in Zeeland Cemetery. Memorial contributions may be given to Holland Christian Schools. www. yntemafh.com

She was preceded in death by her husband, Leonard Fazio in 1997.

She is survived by her children, Leonard and Nancy Fazio, Beth Fazio and Francois Dischinger, David and Ruth Fazio, Paul and Jennifer Fazio; grandchildren, Liz and Brady Wright, Anne and Bjorn Anderson, Sarah and Piotr Piasecki, Anthony and Amanda Fazio, James and Emily Fazio, Thomas Fazio, Marley and Austin Fineis, Joseph and Gabby Fazio; 6 great-grandchildren; and extended family.

A private family memorial service will take place at a later date.

Burial to take place in Chapel Hill Gardens West Cemetery in Oakbrook Terrace, IL. Memorial contributions in Marion’s honor may be given to the Lewy Body Dementia Association at www.lbda.org or the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network at www.pancan.org.

THE ZEELAND RECORD

Published Every Thursday Morning By The Zeeland Record Company 16-22 South Elm Street ZEELAND, MICHIGAN 49464-0039 (616) 772-2131 U.S.P.S. 698-960 Periodicals Postage Paid at Zeeland, Michigan Kurtis Van Koevering, Editor SUBSCRIPTION RATES One Year In Ottawa County................$30.00

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Entered as Second Class, Periodical postage paid at Zeeland, MI 49464 POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Zeeland Record, 16 South Elm Street, Zeeland, MI 49464

The Zeeland Record • September 28, 2023 • Page 2

Henry A. Dennis Ploegstra Kolean Dies Dies at Age 89 at Age 84

Mary Ruby Steketee Dies at Age 103

Henry A. Ploegstra, 89, of Freedom Village in Holland, ascended to his eternal home on September 18, 2023. Henry was born on August 20, 1934, in Rudyard, MI, to Menno and Katie Ruth (Kamper) Ploegstra. He was preceded in death by his parents, his brother Gerrit Ploegstra, and his sister and brother-in-law Karen and Myron Meyer, and his nephew Mark Ploegstra.

Henry’s education included Rudyard High School, Calvin University, Columbia University of New York, and the University of Chicago where he earned his PhD. His teaching career spanned seven decades and included multiple years at Rudyard High School, Exeter Academy in New Hampshire, Trinity School of New York, and St. Mark’s School of Texas, in Dallas.

He retired in 2012 after the previous 28 years at St. Mark’s.

Henry was a resident of Freedom Village for eleven years.

Henry is survived by his sister Elaine Ploegstra and Marne Perry, brother Joel and Angie (Pluger) Ploegstra, brother Glenn and Sue (De Boe) Ploegstra, nephews: Bruce and Dawn Meyer, Kelvin and Carla Ploegstra, Nicholas and Wendy Ploegstra; nieces: Sara and Brad Heeres, Tina and Jonathan Bossenbroek, Gretchen and Jeff Rottman, Erin and Josh Hutt, Ann Ploegstra, Lori and Duane Rawson, 26 grand-nephews/grand-nieces, and four great-grand-nephews/nieces.

Henry’s life was a testament to the goodness of God.

Ruby Carpenter was raised in rural upstate New York and was quite courageous when she left home at 17 to travel to Hope College in Holland, MI. She studied toward a degree in Education at Hope for two years and then returned to New York to finish her degree. In 1941, she married Cornelius J. Steketee; their 60-year marriage was strong until he passed away in 2001.

They spent about 20 years living in Grand Rapids and then moved back to Holland in 1969.

Family was everything to her; we were fortunate to have her for 103 years. Ruby and Cornie raised five active children with an 11-year age span. She shared her enduring love of animals and the natural world with her children.

Ruby was fascinated by her many backyard visitors~ birds, deer, and turkey among the giant beech trees in Waukazoo Woods. She was creative with her sewing, knitting, and tatting as well as in her garden. Among her many projects was making countless sets of hats and mittens for local children.

Cornie and Ruby traveled extensively, both in the US and abroad. As a couple, they dedicated many hours to Airstream friends and trips, producing and sharing a number of well-crafted travel programs.

Ruby attended Third Reformed Church regularly until a few years ago. She sang in the choir for a number of years and also served on the Consistory.

We appreciate all of your care and concern for her. There will be a private service soon and a celebration of life sometime during the Spring/Summer of 2024. Inurnment will take place at Pilgrim Home Cemetery.

Calvin Paul Boer Dies at Age 79 Calvin Paul Boer, 79, of Holland, passed away unexpectedly Wednesday, September 20, 2023, at home.

Cal was born in Holland on September 18, 1944, to Peter and Amy (Kuipers) Boer and was a lifelong resident of the area. A graduate of Holland Christian High School, Cal would continue his studies at Hope College, earning a bachelor’s degree. He was the Owner/Operator of Boers Transfer and Storage until his retirement in 2000. Cal was a volunteer fireman for the Holland Township Fire Department for over 40 years.

In his spare time, he could be found cheering on Hope College Athletics, tending to his Quarter Horses, or enjoying his love for animals. He will be greatly missed by all who knew and loved him.

He was preceded in death by his parents and siblings.

Cal is survived by his wife Karen of 52 years; children Kristin (Matthew) Stargardt, Amy (Matthew) Harper, Andrew (Erin) Boer, and Timothy Boer; grandchildren, Ethan, Madelyn, Adam, Austin, Ryann, Eden, and Eila; many extended family and friends.

A celebration of Cal’s life is being planned and will be announced soon.

Dennis Lee Kolean, 84, of Zeeland, passed away on Monday September 25th, 2023, at home surrounded by family.

Dennis was born on September 12th, 1939, to John and Jeanette Kolean in Holland, MI. After graduating from High School, he joined the U.S Army Reserve. Dennis met the love of his life, Sharon, and were married for 60 wonderful years. Dennis was a member of the Holland and Muskegon Beagle Club. He was an avid antique dealer and loved going to auctions. Dennis worked as a maintenance man at Parke-Davis/Pfizer. When Dennis wasn’t working, he would dabble in his garden, which he loves to keep up with and share memories with his family. Dennis was a big Hope College Basketball fan from 8 years old and on. Dennis absolutely loved his family and friends, and faithfully sheltering and protecting them. He will be deeply missed.

Dennis is survived by his wife, Sharon Kolean; son, Kurt Kolean; daughter, Lauri Kolean; sisters, Jackie (Al) Busscher and Sher DeWitt; sisters-in-law, Wanda Westveld and Sandra Postma; nieces and nephews.

Dennis is preceded in death by his parents, John and Jeanette Kolean; father-in-law, Floyd Westveld; mother-in-law, Berdena Westveld; brothers-in-law, Stuart DeWitt and Wayne Westveld; and sister-in-law, Dottie O’Conner.

A private graveside service is being planned with Jonathan Elgersma.

In lieu of flowers, please send donations to Compassionate Hearts in Zeeland and Faith Reformed Church in Zeeland.

Maxim T. Grindle Dies at Age 77 Major Maxim T. Grindle, The Salvation Army, 77, of Zeeland, Michigan, passed away on Tuesday, September 19, 2023.

Max was born in Petoskey, Michigan, on July 25, 1946, to John and Rachel (Hawkes) Grindle. After high school he served in the U. S. Army in Vietnam. He later went to The Salvation Army seminary training in Chicago. There he met lifelong friends, was trained and equipped to serve, and met his wife Betty Jean Wurtz. They married on January 7, 1978. They served together in several communities before retiring in 2012 to Zeeland.

Max was preceded in death by his sister and brother-in-law Joy and Harold Shelby.

He is survived by his wife

of 45 years, Betty, their daughter and her family Melissa & David Houser (Madeline, Maxim, Chloe) of Pensacola, Florida, their daughter and her family Lianne Crouthers (Aurora, Orion) of Grand Rapids, MI, his siblings: Darlus and William Kumpula, David and Sherry Grindle, John Brent and Linda Grindle, and many extended family members.

A memorial service was held on Saturday, Sept. 23, at The Salvation Army Church, 104 Clover, Holland. Interment was in Oakwood Cemetery in Royal Oak, MI. Memorial contributions may be made to The Salvation Army of Holland, Michigan, 104 Clover, Holland MI 49423, or the Alzheimer’s Association.

Page 3 • September 28, 2023 • The Zeeland Record

HISTORY

OUTDOORS

The Zeeland Record • September 28, 2023 • Page 4

An Open Letter to Michigan’s Deer Hunters

By Chad Stewart - Deer, elk and moose management specialist Michigan Department of Natural Resources Preface note: With the understanding that a majority of readers of this article will be deer hunters, some of what is going to be said might not sit well.

But these are things that need to be stated for the betterment of management of our deer herd into the future.

Author Jack Payne’s Springer Spaniel, Gunner, going on point during a pheasant hunt.

The Other Birds to Hunt

By Jack Payne

Turkey and waterfowl receives the most attention, but I enjoy quail and pheasant. There are more local opportunities for quail/partridge but there are options for pheasant as well.

Now before we get into the nuts and bolts, I will explain that you can hunt quail without a dog. We did just that for years. Eight years back I started hunting with my Brittney and what a pleasure. To me it’s’ more about how many flushes than how many dead birds and the way I shoot some days, this is a good thing.

Without a dog I would suggest hunting any damp areas or areas where you can find berries. Fence rolls, creek bottoms, edges of a swamp or any damp areas are prime for a hunter without a dog. If any of these spots border or are in close proximity to a clear- cut the better, they will be.

I like clear-cuts that are in age between two and ten years. Older clear-cuts still hold birds, but the shooting windows will be smaller.

Clear-cuts that have ample grass growing are another draw and this is fairly common in the younger clear-cuts.

We enjoy the smaller clear-cuts over the larger ones. In southern Michigan many of the clear-cuts will range between 5 and 10 acres.

Hunting in the northern areas of the state these clear-cuts could run as large as a couple hundred acres.

Hunting the edges of a swamp or wet area will also draw in woodcock. These small birds are speed demons. I definitely miss more than what I connect on.

When hunting up-north we found a few locations where old apple trees are. For some reasons those old trees always put up a few birds. Another area that we found has lots of various berries. Wild grapes, mulberries and other berry producing trees and bushes hold hungry birds.

The DNR has an aggressive grouse master plan. The DNR website will show the managed grouse areas across the state. Many areas of the state have a decent population of birds, but the managed areas often will have more flushes per hour than the non-managed areas.

The Pheasant opener was a traditional highlight for us. Those days are in the rear-view mirror. Today if hunting in southern Michigan your choices are limited.

You can hunt a preserve or hunt the state game areas that the DNR releases birds on. If you check out the DNR web site, you will find the areas and the potential release dates for pheasants. These release areas are not the same from year to year. For a few years the DNR released birds in Allegan County and that was convenient.

Each year I go half a dozen hunts on a preserve in Allegan County.

Wings and Rings shooting preserve plants a lot of cover for the birds.

Let me tell you that this cover is thick and four to five feet tall.

After a month or two of hunting and a few frosts the hunting becomes easier. I figure on getting wet from the morning dew this time of the year. In addition, I understand that patience is needed and a pair of good ears.

In addition to a GPS collar, I have a loud bell on my dogs’ collar.

Listening to the bell is actually easier than trying to watch a GPS screen. If the bell stops ringing, you know that the dog has stopped.

This is the time to move in slowly.

The partridges most often will flush but the pheasants can and will run. The quicker that you can get to the dog the better the odds are that the bird will flush.

When you connect on a pheasant, or a quail take a mental image of where the bird went down at. It’s easy to lose a bird in the early season. We hustle over to the last known location and quickly scour for the bird. If my dog saw the bird go down, he would hustle over as well. Try pheasant or quail hunting this fall. You will enjoy it. And stop in at Grand Valley Sport Shop this fall.

The 2023 Michigan deer hunting season is about ready to kick off, and we need to have some frank conversations about deer management in this state.

Primarily, our deer seasons aren’t impacting our deer herd like many may think. If you are in the Lower Peninsula, we simply aren’t taking enough does during the season to control the growth of our deer herd in many areas.

Since 2000, do you know how many years we have harvested more antlerless deer than antlered deer in the state of Michigan? The answer is one.

In 2009, we had an estimated antlerless harvest of 220,913 and an estimated antlered harvest of 215,104. Every other year in this century, we’ve taken more antlered deer than antlerless deer.

If you make a quick comparison with the states around us, such as Illinois, Ohio, Indiana and Wisconsin, they all typically harvest between 8% to 25% more antlerless deer than they do antlered deer in a given year.

Using those measures, we should be harvesting between 43,000 and 68,000 more antlerless deer in the Lower Peninsula alone!

While this sounds like a lot, keep in mind that the Lower Peninsula has about 40,000 square miles of land. While not every square mile is created equally, and some of those square miles won’t hold any deer due to intensive development or other factors that make the land unappealing to deer, one can see that such an increase in total harvest CAN be achievable, especially in areas where deer are abundant.

Furthermore, the gap between antlered and antlerless take seems to be widening. Our antlerless harvest has decreased by about 28% from the early 2000s to today. Our antlered harvest, for comparison, has only declined about 11% over this time, likely because of the decreased hunter numbers, not a declining deer herd.

Taking on average about 1 to 1.5 additional antlerless deer per square mile in the Lower Peninsula can improve our overall management, help balance our adult sex ratios and even improve the quality of the bucks that we see. The current trend we are experiencing is simply not sustainable for long-term deer management in Michigan.

Let’s first talk about what additional antlerless harvest means in terms of management.

First and foremost, if hunters are filling their freezers with antlerless deer, especially early in the season, it can provide a tremendous benefit to your current-year and future years’ deer herd.

Two antlerless deer are shown browsing through a marsh last year.

Intense doe harvest early in the season can help balance out the buck-to-doe ratio prior to the rut, which can intensify the rutting activity you see. If you think about having a lot of does on the landscape with fewer bucks, the competition for breeding can be greatly reduced, since many of these does are coming into estrous around the same time.

On the other hand, picture a deer herd where the buck and doe herd are more in balance, and that means when a doe in estrous comes by your stand, it’s followed by two or three bucks.

The level of excitement you can experience during the rut can be greatly improved.

However, the typical Michigan hunting philosophy to date is to hold off on taking antlerless deer until later in the season. With online reporting, we now have the advantage of seeing how deer harvests change over time and within seasons.

Last year, excluding the early antlerless weekend, Michigan hunters didn’t take more antlerless deer than antlered deer in a given day until after Thanksgiving, specifically Nov. 25. This means that nearly two-thirds of the deer season, and probably close to 80-90% of hunters’ efforts, was over before hunters began really focusing on antlerless deer. Data supports this, as over 37% of all antlerless deer reported taken in 2022 came after Thanksgiving, compared to only 9% of all antlered deer taken during this time.

Of course, it’s possible that taking those does early in the year might impact your success at taking a buck. But I am asking hunters to consider the longterm benefits of being selective in their choice of taking a buck, even if that means not taking a buck in the upcoming year. If we could get hunters to rethink their philosophy of “get your buck and then wait for a bigger buck to show up later in the season,” we would see marked improvement in our buck age structure and more balanced sex ratios.

To be fair, the mentality for many Michigan deer hunters has improved in recent years.

The number of hunters taking the first buck they see probably represents a smaller percentage of Michigan hunters than most think.

You might be surprised to know that nearly two-thirds of bucks reported harvested in Michigan

last year had antlers with at least one side with four points on it.

But for those looking to shoot any buck early in the year, consider how much time you have left in your season and what your local deer population looks like before making that decision. The choice to shoot a doe instead of that young buck could help improve your hunting both in the current year as well as in the coming years.

There are a host of regulations that the DNR has attempted in recent years to improve antlerless harvest, and some that have been considered but not yet attempted.

First and foremost, in the Lower Peninsula, hunters have been able to use either tag on their combo license to take an antlerless deer during the firearm or muzzleloader seasons. This regulation change was made back in 2020 after realizing that nearly 65% of Michigan hunters did not purchase an antlerless license. This means that our most participated-in season, firearm season, had nearly two out of three hunters ineligible to shoot an antlerless deer! This change gives everyone in the Lower Peninsula an opportunity to shoot an antlerless deer and allows hunters to be selective in their harvest decisions and to take a shot at that mature doe during the firearm season without the added burden of purchasing an extra antlerless license. And EVERYONE knows that doe – the one that kept out of range in the bow season while alerting every other deer to avoid your general location!

The option to use one of your combo license tags on an antlerless deer instead of a younger buck is meant to help balance our deer herd and give hunters purchasing the deer and combo licenses greater flexibility than ever before with how they want to use those licenses to manage their deer herd.

Hunters can even use their unused deer or deer combo licenses to take an antlerless deer during the late antlerless season if their efforts to harvest a deer came up unsuccessful during the earlier hunting seasons.

Speaking of antlerless licenses, another change in the past couple of years has again given flexibility with how these licenses can be used. No longer do you have to enter a drawing to get your antlerless license.

OUTDOORS

Page 5 • September 28, 2023 • The Zeeland Record

Michigan’s Deer Hunters (Continued from page 4) Nor do you have to purchase an additional doe license to go hunt at your cabin or a friend’s farm because they are in a different unit than where you hunt the rest of the year. Each antlerless license is good for private and public land across the entirety of the Lower Peninsula. Just ensure you have permission, purchase your license and go hunting. It’s literally that easy.

While the changes to the deer and combo license allowing antlerless deer to be taken in the firearm and muzzleloader season and the change in our antlerless license structure are two of the more notable changes made to manage our deer herd, there are other topics that regularly come up as well. Antler point restrictions, a “one buck” rule, “earn a buck” (the idea that a hunter has to harvest an antlerless deer before being eligible to take a buck) and changing the opening date of firearm season from the traditional Nov. 15 to instead falling on a weekend are all options frequently pitched to help alter the course of management.

In the interest of brevity, each one of these topics could have both benefits and baggage associated with it, which is best suited to be addressed on its own in a separate article. But, after looking at data on each topic, a simple shift to any of these topics is unlikely to result in the impact to antlerless harvest needed to effectively manage our Lower Peninsula deer herd.

While the majority of this article has been spent on the high deer numbers in our Lower Peninsula, it’s worth mentioning that in the Upper Peninsula, we have a very different scenario unfolding. While antlerless harvest needs to be increased in some areas of the U.P., in other areas, our deer herd exists at low densities. Despite areas with low deer densities, the allowance of antlerless deer harvest is possible.

Research has shown that at low densities, hunters have minimal impact on deer populations, which prevents populations from crashing due to hunting.

Because of the differences in deer density across the Upper Peninsula, we have implemented a tiered system with how antlerless licenses can be used.

In the southern part of the U.P., antlerless licenses can be used similarly to how they are used in the Lower Peninsula. In these units, winter is often milder and deer numbers are abundant.

Even in some areas with low deer numbers, the impact of

Fishing Opportunities Abound, with More Than 9 Million Fish Stocked So Far in 2023

While most hunters are looking for a trophy buck like pictured above the Michigan DNR are asking them to take a few antlerless deer to balance the population.

these licenses being available often translates to less than one antlerless deer harvested per square mile.

Across much of the central U.P., we have developed larger, similarly managed units with limited antlerless lotteries. Hunters can put in for a permit to use their universal antlerless license for either Deer Management Unit 351 in the east or Unit 352 in the west part of the region. Only 1,000 of these permits are available this year in each unit, and if history is any indication, harvest attributed to antlerless licenses in these units totals less than 400 across these 6,600 square miles.

Finally, in the far west of the U.P. and along the Lake Superior shore, antlerless harvest is again prohibited.

I understand that many hunters may be reading this and have reservations about changing their philosophy regarding antlerless harvest for fear of dropping a deer population too low.

If you find yourself in this camp, let me share some data that we use to make our deer harvest decisions. The first is the forecast of hunters we have in Michigan, which is expected to fall to around 450,000 by 2030, down from the nearly 800,000 deer hunters we had in 2000.

It’s also worth noting that our data shows that 75% of hunters don’t take an antlerless deer, while only 17% of hunters take one antlerless deer in a season. Less than 1% of hunters take four or more deer in a season. So, the fear of hurting your deer population by removing another antlerless deer because your neighbor takes too many is probably, in most cases, unfounded. Chances are your neighbor isn’t taking very many antlerless deer either, so you won’t be negatively impacting your herd by taking an extra doe

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or two.

Because of our lower hunter numbers and our continued unwillingness to shoot an antlerless deer, we are shooting far fewer antlerless deer than we have historically. That means that we have much room for improvement in terms of overall antlerless deer harvest across much of our state.

Finally, it’s important to look at the other side of deer management.

Most hunters are happy seeing a lot of deer, but when there are a lot of deer in an area, the level of conflicts associated with these deer can be incredibly detrimental to hunters and nonhunters alike.

This past year was probably a record year in terms of the number of damage complaints our department received from farmers, and associated crop damage. Some of this may be exacerbated by the spring drought we saw across much of the state, but the fact remains that deer numbers as they currently exist are taking a toll on our farmers.

The way our agency mitigates this damage is to provide outof-season permits so those landowners experiencing damage can help protect their crops and livelihood. Since very few hunters like the idea of deer being shot out of season, we hunters need to do better at controlling deer numbers in the hunting seasons to limit the impacts of deer on agricultural yields in the summer.

The other impact often associated with high deer numbers is the number of deer-vehicle collisions. According to traffic crash data, in 2022 there were nearly 59,000 reported deervehicle collisions, the highest number since 2009. Nearly 20% of the recorded collisions in Michigan involved white-tailed deer.

So, hunters, we simply need to do better with antlerless deer harvest.

Our harvest decisions we make between October and December can improve our deer herd, influence safety on our roads, support our farmers and benefit our forests.

We need to quickly, and s ub st a n t i a l l y , i n c r e a s e o ur antlerless deer harvest across much of our Lower Peninsula.

Our reputation as conservationists may be defined by it!

A Michigan DNR fish-stocking truck near the mouth of the Swan River in Presque Isle County. A total of 385,765 fish were stocked at this location in spring 2023.

More than 269 tons of fish, eight different species, plus one hybrid, and a total of 9,335,410 individual fish – it all adds up to successful spring and summer stocking efforts by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, and some great fall fishing for anglers.

Stocking is no small task.

O ver the c our se of 2,233 hours and more than 89,000 miles, DNR fisheries crews in 17 specialized trucks took 375 trips to stock fish at 705 different sites.

“We had excellent spring and summer stocking seasons that will bring significant benefits and fishing opportunities to Michigan anglers,” said Ed Eisch, DNR fish production manager. “With the hard work and dedication of our staff, healthy, highquality fish were reared and delivered to stocking sites in excellent condition. The numbers produced and stocked were right on target for most areas.”

The number and type of fish produced varies by hatchery, as each location’s ability to rear fish depends on the source and temperature of the rearing water. In Michigan there are six state and two cooperative hatcheries that work together to produce the species, strain and size of fish needed for fisheries managers. These fish must then be delivered and stocked at a specific time and location to ensure their success.

Each hatchery stocked the following fish this spring and summer: • Marquette State Fish Hatchery (near Marquette) stocked 341,423 yearling lake trout, brook trout and splake (a hybrid of lake trout and brook trout) that in total weighed 41,771 pounds. This hatchery stocked 98 inland and Great Lakes sites.

• Thompson State Fish Hatchery (near Manistique) s t o c k e d 9 9 7 , 4 3 1 f i sh t h a t included yearling steelhead and spring fingerling Chinook

salmon. These fish weighed 78,659 pounds in total. This hatchery stocked 54 sites (the majority located on the Great Lakes).

• Oden State Fish Hatchery (near Petoskey) stocked 679,488 yearling brown trout and rainbow trout that weighed 96,372 pounds.

This hatchery stocked 123 inland and Great Lakes sites.

• Harrietta State Fish Hatchery (in Harrietta) stocked 780,654 yearling brown trout, Atlantic salmon and rainbow trout that in total weighed 95,751 pounds. This hatchery stocked 228 sites (the majority located inland).

• Platte River State Fish Hatchery (near Honor) stocked 2,350,685 fish that included yearling Atlantic salmon and coho salmon and spring fingerling Chinook salmon that in total weighed 158,038 pounds. This hatchery stocked 48 sites (the majority located on the Great Lakes).

• Wolf Lake State Fish Hatchery (near Kalamazoo) stocked 1,469,465 fish that included yearling steelhead, yearling muskellunge and spring fingerling Chinook salmon that in total weighed 121,467 pounds. Wolf Lake also stocked 11,473 channel catfish obtained from the Ohio DNR (weighing 2,828 pounds), as well as 33,679 Skamania steelhead (weighing 3,511 pounds). This hatchery stocked 49 sites (the majority located on the Great Lakes).

• A cooperative teaching hatchery at Lake Superior State University (in Sault Saint Marie) stocked 28,646 Atlantic salmon weighing 2,510 pounds into the St. Marys River.

Included in this year’s total fish stocked were 2.7 million walleye spring fingerlings, fish that were reared in ponds by the DNR and tribal partners with extensive support provided by local sporting organizations.

These fish were stocked at 90 inland lakes and rivers and Lake Michigan.

The Zeeland Record • September 28, 2023 • Page 6

COUNTY

Budget Update: The Good, the Bad, and How I See It…

By Jacob Bonnema District #4 County Commission

Vaccine Choice: Good - My video on how to get a vaccine waiver for your children had over 400 shares and over 37,000 views.

Bad - The childhood vaccine budget is being slashed by commissioners thereby taking away the availability of vaccines to parents that wish to protect their children from viruses like measles, mumps, rubella and others.

My view: I promised to support medical freedom, vaccine choice, and parental rights. By reducing access to childhood vaccines, commissioners are taking away support for parents to choose to vaccinate. I believe this program should remain fully funded through the county general fund and let the new state funds for this program do what they were intended for - bring added capacity for assisting local healthcare providers, parents, and children.

Veterans Benefits: Good - The video tour I did of our Veterans’ Affairs office corrected some false narratives being spread by some commissioners, generated new engagement, and increased awareness of the excellent care for our veterans in Ottawa County.

The video was picked up by local media and veterans’ groups. The purpose was to highlight the fact that every veteran benefit offered by our neighboring counties, is also offered here in Ottawa County! We have great contracted staff already in place.

Bad - Commissioners are planning to create a new department and director before even knowing what specific needs (if any) exist.

My view: Hiring a director is unnecessary, grows government, and spends more of your dollars on salaries and benefits, when these dollars could be going to veterans’ benefits. I voted against hiring a director. I motioned to hire a needs consultant instead to help us figure out what needs (if any) could be improved.

Family Planning/Title X Law: Good - After Administrator Gibbs ignored multiple warnings from Health Officer Hambley that the proposed budget cuts would result in over $200,000 per year of Title X funding being redirected from Ottawa County to Planned Parenthood to offer their services to Ottawa County, Administrator Gibbs corrected course.

Bad - Administrator Gibbs and all six Right to Life (RTL) endorsed Ottawa Impact (OI) commissioners completely ignored my email warning about funding Planned Parenthood. I needed help. I called in support from Holland Right to Life and Right to Life of Michigan, and they were able to get the OI commissioners to focus on the error of their ways. Can you believe that the actions of Ottawa Impact almost allowed Planned

Parenthood to open an office in OC?!

My view: Keeping control of this Title X program and its services here with our health department will continue to reduce the threat of Planned Parenthood offering abortion in our county. I have successfully worked with the OCHD (Ottawa County Health Department) to remove abortion activist website links from our county website, AND to limit providing information on abortion to only if it is requested (per requirement by state law). Teen pregnancy and abortion are both trending down, and STDs (Sexual Transmitted Diseases) are lower than the US, MI and many other MI counties.

Let’s keep doing what is working!

Over 100 local doctors signed a letter to support healthcare funding. I hear you.

Ottawa Food: Good - People are starting to get a better understanding of the value and important role this program plays in our community. This is a case where the county is supporting various food pantries and ministries by providing valuable coordination between the farmer and the organization with refrigerated food disbursement and logistical support. They also help write grants and provide a laundry list of other background support, thereby freeing up the organizations to focus on the people they are serving.

Bad - Commissioners are completely cutting the funding of the coordinator and cutting the funding to the overall program by 48%. This is a HUGE problem for me as it will reduce healthy food options like fruits and vegetables the most. Food insecurity is on the rise, and this will only make things worse.

My view: Restore $300,000 to fund the coordinator and services needed to continue the support of our frontline food pantries. Let’s not force our local partners like His Harvest Stand Ministries to purchase a refrigerator truck and to use donated funds to hire a food coordinator. This is an important safety net in our community.

Without this program, multiple other more expensive problems will arise. Desperate people do desperate things. Crime will rise.

We need to fund it.

Epidemiologist: Good - We currently have 4 epidemiologists serving Ottawa County. Epidemiologists are the health detectives that track and stop diseases to keep you and your family safe (Salmonella, meningitis, hepatitis). Benchmarks for state and large city health departments recommend 1 to 1.4 epidemiologists per 100,000 population. Ottawa County has a population of just over 300,000.

We had four with COVID grant funding, which is optimal staffing.

Let’s prevent this - https://www. wxyz.com/.../oakland-county-

health-department...

Bad - Administrator Gibbs is cutting funding for 2 of the 4 thereby putting us BELOW serviceable levels for a required function, and in my opinion risks the health and safety of our community. Gibbs and some commissioners are misleading the public by saying that 3 epidemiologist jobs are included, when the truth is - while 3 Epi jobs exist, only 2 have funding.

Does Gibbs believe the 3rd epidemiologist will work for free?

I’m hoping I’m wrong on this, none of my budget questions to Gibbs or Cosby on this have been responded to. I’ve asked them to show me where the budget for the 3rd Epi is. … all I get is silence. Gibbs’ communication and financial transparency leaves a lot to be desired.

My View: We are the fastest growing county in the state.

We are lucky to have 4 on staff currently. We should keep at minimum 3 and preferably 4 on staff as rehiring and training is very expensive and timeconsuming. Growth will require it.

Fire Foam: Good - I wanted to end this post on a high note. I’m proud of this accomplishment as it is exactly the kind of work we should be doing more of. This project benefits every citizen in the county, had bipartisan and unanimous support from the commissioners and the fire chiefs. It will help Emergency Mgmt. Director Hunt sleep better at night… I’m sure Mrs. Hunt approves of that!

Bad - None that I can think of.

My view: I hope we never need these tools, and we never see a situation like what East Palestine, Ohio experienced.

But the fact is, we have the same risks in our county as they have.

We now will be prepared if a chemical fire response is needed.

Final Thought: I will be voting no on this budget. While I agree with the direction of “returning our health department funding to pre covid levels”, I think these cuts venture FAR beyond that sales pitch. I don’t agree with turning down state and federal grant funds that pay for alcohol and substance abuse programs, STD testing, food security, and more. These problems increased during Covid, and they have not gone away.

Less services but not less taxes? What’s in it for the taxpayers to accept these cuts?

These actions may cause much bigger and more expensive problems like rising crime and disease rates. Good government requires good governance. I propose first ordering an impact study on proposed cuts, and then using that information to make informed decisions that exemplify proper planning, incremental change, and sound fiscal responsibility for the upcoming 24/25 budget cycle.

Letter to County Commissioner Gretchen Crosby I feel compelled to write this letter even though I have observed that comments and criticism from county residents mean little or nothing to you and the other Ottawa Impact (OI) commissioners.

I am disgusted by your shameful and disrespectful treatment of my district commissioner Jacob Bonnema.

You passed a resolution to censure him for exercising his right to file a harassment complaint against John Gibbs. You have asserted That you witnessed the incident when, in a loud voice, Gibbs told Mr. Bonnema to ‘Get out of my face dude!’.

Your account differs from Mr. Bonnema’s and the TV reporter’s.

You claim that you first heard Mr. Bonnema talking in a loud voice, yet you admitted that you heard what Gibbs said and you said that you thought it was appropriate.

I think that most people would agree that it was Gibbs that caused the scene with his outburst and that it was inappropriate for him to talk to anyone that way. Your account is crafted to defend Gibbs and blame Mr. Bonnema for the incident.

I would contend that the blame for this incident lies with Joe Moss because he prevented Gibbs from answering Mr. Bonnema’s question at a previous meeting.

The blame also is on Gibbs for ignoring Mr. Bonnema’s requests for information, which led to Gibbs’ outburst in public. I would also contend that Gibbs’ repeatedly ignoring a commissioner’s request for information and talking to him that way could easily be construed as harassment under the county’s guidelines. I can only presume that your inaccurate account of the incident led to the determination that harassment did not occur. Your assertion that Mr. ‘Bonnema did not follow the chain of command and that he should have gone to the board chair with his complaint is almost laughable.

In view of the fact that Joe Moss was also not responding to Mr. Bonnema’s requests, how far do you think that would go?

You also stated on two occasions that you were not included in the complaint, apparently implying that you think you should have been included.

Of course, you were not included - that is not how it is supposed to work. You clearly do not seem to understand the process.

During the discussion over that censure resolution, the board debated for about ninety minutes to decide the appropriate punishment with regard to committee assignments.

In the end Joe Moss said that the decision was up to him and that he would likely remove Mr. Bonnema from the Finance and Administration Committee. It was months later that the committee decided to replace Mr. Bonnema as vice-chair. You claimed it was a result of the censure resolution and Joe Moss contradicted you and said that it was not for that reason. He said it was for a pattern of behavior, but he did not explain

what he meant by that. I doubt that there is a valid explanation.

You claim that Mr. Bonnema cost three months of business what a twist of the facts! It was OI that kept this incident in the spotlight by proposing the censure resolution and then bringing it up months later with the resolution to relieve him of the vice-chair duties. It seems to me that if your OI people had thought it out thoroughly, you should have let the matter drop and it would have quickly faded away. You were supposedly so worried about the damage that was done to Gibbs’ reputation by Mr. Bonnema’s complaint, but Gibbs actually brought it upon himself with his outrageous behavior and he continues to do a bang-up job of destroying his own reputation.

You claim to not trust Mr. Bonnema as your vice-chair.

I think he is one of the most trustworthy members of the board.

I can think of at least six members of the board that are far less trustworthy than Mr. Bonnema.

The only thing that you cannot trust him to do is to vote the way that Joe Moss wants him to vote.

I can assure you that he will vote in a way that supports fiduciary responsibility and common sense.

I can assure you that he will vote to serve the best interests of the county and his constituents. That is more than can be said for any of the OI commissioners.

Mr. Bonnema’s statement on Sept. 5 was an accurate assessment of the status of the chaos that your OI people are generating. Sylvia Rhodea just wanted to point out that “We all know who of the board of commissioners that the press carries water for and who they do not, and the allegations (in Mr. Bonnema’s statement) that we just heard are completely counter to the truth that we all know to be true with respect to the media”.

What a bunch of crap! You cannot expect the press to be your friend when you refuse to talk to them.

They naturally think that you will not talk to them because you cannot justify your actions, or you have something to hide.

Your petty and inaccurate i m pl i c a t i on of w r ong doi ng concerning a promise of support for Lakeshore Advantage did not go unnoticed. It is my understanding that there was no promise of money, only a promise to try to get it on the Finance Committee agenda to consider providing support from the county. This is in no way trying to subvert the normal process.

On another note, your little stunt of placing Adeline Hambley under oath seemed to fail miserably. It seemed to be an obvious ploy to catch her in a lie so you would have just cause to fire her. The questions that were asked were pretty lame.

Why don’t you show us that you can think independently and do the right thing every once in a while?

Mark Spykerman Holland Township

CHURCH

Page 7 • September 28, 2023 • The Zeeland Record

Bragging Rights - By Jerry D. Ousley I was around 5’ 6” at the time.

I weighed a whopping 115 pounds fully clothed and sopping wet. But I had taken all I could take. I was in high school and a bully sitting behind me kept slapping me on the back of the head. Not just a gentle brush, mind you, but a full, all-out slap. It had gone on for days and like Popeye, I thought, “That’s all I can stands and I can’t stands no more!” I turned around and said, loudly enough that it got the teacher’s attention, “Stop it and I mean now!” We both made some kind of excuse to the teacher to keep out of trouble, but this guy was obviously mad at me.

Now he was about 6’ 5”, but to me looked every bit of 12’ 6”.

To make things worse, he was on the basketball team. After class, he caught me in the hallway telling me that he was going to whip me good. I knew that there was no way I could take him. I didn’t have any secret weapons. As much as I would have liked to spring my welltrained karate moves on him, at best I could chop a wet noodle in half if it was overcooked. But I held my ground. “I’ll take you anytime and anywhere!” I spewed back at him.

“All right,” he said, “meet me at ____ (and he named a deserted corner at the back of the school to meet him. I’d tell you where that was but frankly, I don’t remember).” “I’ll be there,” I yelled.

My buddy told me that I was crazy and I was going to get killed.

I knew he was right but I had made a commitment and I was going to be there. Like a good friend he said he’d go with me but that he was staying out of it. He didn’t want to get killed too.

At the appointed time I arrived with my friend at the appointed place. I had a lump in my throat the size of Chicago but I wasn’t going to back down. I made my peace with God and was prepared to die. But a strange thing happened. The other guy never showed. To this day I don’t know why he didn’t get there.

Maybe I was such small fry to him that he didn’t want to waste his time on me. Perhaps he had basketball practice. Maybe the teacher talked with him later that day. I don’t know.

All I do know is that he was a noshow (to my great relief!).

In a much larger way, David faced his own challenge. As a young man, he was sent by his father to the battle front to take food to his three older brothers who were engaged in the war. His father also wanted to know how they were. As he spoke with his brothers a large man, nearly 10’ stepped out in an obvious place and demanded that a champion of Israel come forward to fight with him.

The challenge was that whichever won, the army of the loser would become the servants of the victor.

As he issued his challenge this hulk of a man spoke with confidence, and struck fear in the hearts of each of the soldiers of Israel.

But instead of fear, his words made David’s blood boil. In so many words he said, “Just who does this big uncircumcised Philistine think he is to defy the army of the Almighty God! I think I can take him!” (See 1 Samuel 17:23-26). Long story short, David did defeat the giant, Goliath that day. With a single stone in a sling, it was divinely guided right into the exposed forehead of the man which knocked him to the

ground. David quickly grabbed the giant’s own sword and beheaded him. It was indeed a great victory and makes good material for many encouraging sermons. And justly so.

God can and does give us victorious moments.

But what of the other men who feared for their lives? What if we were in the same situation? I’d like to think that I could rip open my shirt and become super-Christian. However, it doesn’t always work that way. All the other men were strong soldiers.

They had been selected for battle because of their strength and ability.

They weren’t weak-kneed cowards.

Even King Saul who was responsible for leading them into victory was perplexed as to what to do. If you and I had been there, would we have run out to fight the defiant Goliath?

For most of us, I think we’d be right where the other soldiers were; hunkered down waiting, wondering, and expectantly afraid.

Wait now; what is this I see?

As I wonder in fear because of my unknown situation, out steps One who seems unafraid. Someone says, “Look – The Lion of Judah!” and as we gaze upon Him in fact we see a Lamb, looking like it had been slain. This Lion/Lamb steps up to the Goliath we face, looks him in the eye and with one word from His mouth sends the Goliath defeated and on his way. He is Jesus Christ. When we stand cowering in fear, when we have no idea of what to do, or how we are going to face our situation, the battle that seems impossible, that thing that makes us afraid, if we will trust Him, Jesus becomes our champion. He stands up on our behalf. The devil is

constantly accusing us, telling God how unworthy we are and how sinful we have been. He testifies to our every failure before the God of the universe. And sadly, he is absolutely right.

But John wrote, “My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” (1 John 2:1). My friends,

no matter what we have done, regardless the guilt we are covered in, if we turn to Jesus as Lord and Savior, He will fight for us. There is no giant too tall, no obstacle too great or no barrier which He cannot break through. He is our Champion, and only He has all the bragging rights!

Jerry D. Ousley is the author of Soul Challenge, Soul Journey, Ordeal, The Spirit Bread Daily Devotional and his first novel The Shoe Tree.

Guilty and Confused

By Rev. Titus Baraka

Read: Hebrews 4:14-16 Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy. (v. 16 NIV) When I accepted Christ in January 1980, I was forgiven and accepted as a child of God. After a few days, however, I continued to be bothered by feelings of guilt for my past alcoholic life and the damages it had caused. I was later taught that no matter how many times I fall short, I am still his child. Jesus has already fought and won the battle against sin. His death and resurrection paid for our past, present and future sin. When we mess up, the grace to cover our sins is available for us. We simply need to access it through confession and repentance with confidence to receive our Savior’s great mercy.

We didn’t earn God’s favor, and we don’t need to fear reaching out to him because of something we’ve done. Jesus was “tempted in every way, just as we are – yet he did not sin,” which means he can “empathize with our weaknesses” (v. 15). That’s a comforting thought. Hebrews 4:16 tells us to “approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy.”

Do you struggle to approach God when you’ve messed up?

What do you need to confess to God and seek forgiveness for? If there are areas where God has forgiven you, but you still punish yourself, give them again to God and then let go. Step into that forgiveness today.

Rev. Titus Baraka is the Executive Director of Words of Hope Uganda.

This devotional is reprinted by permission from Words of Hope. To receive Words of Hope’s daily meditation, and learn more about their international ministry, please visit woh.org.

The Zeeland Record • September 28, 2023 • Page 8

CLASSIFIED & LEGAL ADS

LEGAL NOTICES

LEGAL NOTICE

9/28/2023

LEGAL NOTICE

LEGAL NOTICE

10/12/2023

10/5/2023

LEGAL NOTICE

10/12/2023

10/19/2023

NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE SALE

NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE SALE

NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE SALE

NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE SALE

NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE SALE

Notice of Foreclosure by Advertisement Notice is given under section 3212 of the revised judicature act of 1961, 1961 PA 236, MCL 600.3212, that the following mortgage will be foreclosed by a sale of the mortgaged premises, or some part of them, at a public auction sale to the highest bidder for cash or cashier’s check at the place of holding the circuit court in Ottawa County, starting promptly at 10:00 AM, on October 5, 2023. The amount due on the mortgage may be greater on the day of sale. Placing the highest bid at the sale does not automatically entitle the purchaser to free and clear ownership of the property. A potential purchaser is encouraged to contact the county register of deeds office or a title insurance company, either of which may charge a fee for this information: Name(s) of the mortgagor(s): Elizabeth Sanchez, an unmarried woman, and Destiny Aguilar, an unmarried woman, joint tenants with full rights of survivorship Original Mortgagee: The Dart Bank Foreclosing Assignee (if any): None Date of Mortgage: November 10, 2022 Date of Mortgage Recording: November 18, 2022 Amount claimed due on date of notice: $353,507.30 Description of the mortgaged premises: Situated in Charter Township of Holland, Ottawa County, Michigan, and described as:

Notice of Foreclosure by Advertisement Notice is given under section 3212 of the revised judicature act of 1961, 1961 PA 236, MCL 600.3212, that the following mortgage will be foreclosed by a sale of the mortgaged premises, or some part of them, at a public auction sale to the highest bidder for cash or cashier’s check at the place of holding the circuit court in Ottawa County, starting promptly at 10:00 AM, on October 19, 2023. The amount due on the mortgage may be greater on the day of sale. Placing the highest bid at the sale does not automatically entitle the purchaser to free and clear ownership of the property. A potential purchaser is encouraged to contact the county register of deeds office or a title insurance company, either of which may charge a fee for this information: Name(s) of the mortgagor(s): Jennifer Lynn Jones-Grzan and Brian Joseph Grzan, wife and husband Original Mortgagee: Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems, Inc., as mortgagee, as nominee for lender and lender’s successors and/or assigns Foreclosing Assignee (if any): U.S. BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS TRUSTEE FOR THE HOLDERS OF THE SPECIALTY UNDERWRITING AND RESIDENTIAL FINANCE TRUST, MORTGAGE LOAN ASSETBACKED CERTIFICATES, SERIES 2007-BC1 Date of Mortgage: August 24, 2006 Date of Mortgage Recording: September 12, 2006 Amount claimed due on date of notice: $127,696.21 Description of the mortgaged premises: Situated in Township of Park, Ottawa County, Michigan, and described as:

Notice of Foreclosure by Advertisement Notice is given under section 3212 of the revised judicature act of 1961, 1961 PA 236, MCL 600.3212, that the following mortgage will be foreclosed by a sale of the mortgaged premises, or some part of them, at a public auction sale to the highest bidder for cash or cashier’s check at the place of holding the circuit court in Ottawa County, starting promptly at 10:00 AM, on October 19, 2023. The amount due on the mortgage may be greater on the day of sale. Placing the highest bid at the sale does not automatically entitle the purchaser to free and clear ownership of the property. A potential purchaser is encouraged to contact the county register of deeds office or a title insurance company, either of which may charge a fee for this information: Name(s) of the mortgagor(s): Jamie Urbanawiz, a single woman.

Original Mortgagee: Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems, Inc., as mortgagee, as nominee for lender and lender’s successors and/or assigns Foreclosing Assignee (if any): Citizens Bank, N.A. Date of Mortgage: December 11, 2018 Date of Mortgage Recording: December 14, 2018 Amount claimed due on date of notice: $135,673.20 Description of the mortgaged premises: Situated in City of Grand Haven, Ottawa County, Michigan, and described as:

Notice of Foreclosure by Advertisement. Notice is given under section 3212 of the revised judicature act of 1961, 1961 PA 236, MCL 600.3212, that the following mortgage will be foreclosed by a sale of the mortgaged premises, or some part of them, at a public auction sale to the highest bidder for cash or cashier’s check at the place of holding the circuit court in Ottawa County, starting promptly at 10:00 AM, on October 19, 2023.

The amount due on the mortgage may be greater on the day of the sale.

Placing the highest bid at the sale does not automatically entitle the purchaser to free and clear ownership of the property.

A potential purchaser is encouraged to contact the county register of deeds office or a title insurance company, either of which may charge a fee for this information.

MORTGAGE: Mortgagor(s): Scott A. Ytsma and Patricia Leigh Ytsma, husband and wife Original Mortgagee: Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems, Inc. (“MERS”), solely as nominee for lender and lender`s successors and assigns Date of mortgage: July 18, 2003 Recorded on July 28, 2003, Liber 4158, on Page 156, Foreclosing Assignee (if any): Nationstar Mortgage LLC Amount claimed to be due at the date hereof: Fifty-Six Thousand One Hundred Thirty-Six and 05/100 Dollars ($56,136.05) Mortgaged premises: Situated in Ottawa County, and described as:

Notice of Foreclosure by Advertisement Notice is given under section 3212 of the revised judicature act of 1961, 1961 PA 236, MCL 600.3212, that the following mortgage will be foreclosed by a sale of the mortgaged premises, or some part of them, at a public auction sale to the highest bidder for cash or cashier’s check at the place of holding the circuit court in Ottawa County, starting promptly at 10:00 AM, on November 9, 2023. The amount due on the mortgage may be greater on the day of sale. Placing the highest bid at the sale does not automatically entitle the purchaser to free and clear ownership of the property. A potential purchaser is encouraged to contact the county register of deeds office or a title insurance company, either of which may charge a fee for this information: Name(s) of the mortgagor(s): David DeHaan and Stephanie DeHaan, husband and wife Original Mortgagee: Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems, Inc., as nominee for lender and lender’s successors and/or assigns Foreclosing Assignee (if any): Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. Date of Mortgage: August 19, 2014 Date of Mortgage Recording: August 29, 2014 Amount claimed due on date of notice: $88,740.14 Description of the mortgaged premises: Situated in Township of Park, Ottawa County, Michigan, and described as:

Unit 14, Silverwater, a site condominium, according to the Master Deed recorded in Document No. 2021-0039736, Ottawa County Records, and designated as Ottawa County Condominium Subdivision Plan No. 703, together with rights in general common elements and limited common elements as set forth in the above described Master Deed and amendments thereto and as disclosed By Act 59 of the Public Acts of 1978, as amended.

Common street address (if any): 4121 Tributary Dr, Holland, MI 49424-8463 The redemption period shall be 6 months from the date of such sale, unless determined abandoned in accordance with MCL 600.3241a; or, if the subject real property is used for agricultural purposes as defined by MCL 600.3240(16).

If the property is sold at foreclosure sale under Chapter 32 of the Revised Judicature Act of 1961, pursuant to MCL 600.3278 the borrower will be held responsible to the person who buys the property at the mortgage foreclosure sale or to the mortgage holder for damaging the property during the redemption period.

Attention homeowner: If you are a military service member on active duty, if your period of active duty has concluded less than 90 days ago, or if you have been ordered to active duty, please contact the attorney for the party foreclosing the mortgage at the telephone number stated in this notice.

This notice is from a debt collector.

Date of notice: September 7, 2023 Trott Law, P.C. 31440 Northwestern Hwy, Suite 145 Farmington Hills, MI 48334 (248) 642-2515 1508420 (09-07)(09-28)

Lot(s) 4, Lakewood Heights Subdivision, according to the recorded plat thereof, as recorded in Liber 13 of Plats, Page 37.

Common street address (if any): 211 N 168th Ave, Holland, MI 49424-1364 The redemption period shall be 6 months from the date of such sale, unless determined abandoned in accordance with MCL 600.3241a; or, if the subject real property is used for agricultural purposes as defined by MCL 600.3240(16).

If the property is sold at foreclosure sale under Chapter 32 of the Revised Judicature Act of 1961, pursuant to MCL 600.3278 the borrower will be held responsible to the person who buys the property at the mortgage foreclosure sale or to the mortgage holder for damaging the property during the redemption period.

Attention homeowner: If you are a military service member on active duty, if your period of active duty has concluded less than 90 days ago, or if you have been ordered to active duty, please contact the attorney for the party foreclosing the mortgage at the telephone number stated in this notice.

Beginning at a point in the South line of Lot 8, Block 22 in Monroe and Harris Addition to the City of Grand Haven, as recorded in Liber 1 of Plats, Page 54B, 85.00 feet East of the Southwest corner of said lot; thence Northerly to the Northeast corner of Lot 4 of said block; thence Southwesterly on the West line of said Lot 8 to said Southwest corner; thence East 85.00 feet to said South line of Lot 8 to the Point of Beginning.

Common street address (if any): 825 Pennoyer Ave, Grand Haven, MI 49417-1852

This notice is from a debt collector.

The redemption period shall be 6 months from the date of such sale, unless determined abandoned in accordance with MCL 600.3241a; or, if the subject real property is used for agricultural purposes as defined by MCL 600.3240(16).

If the property is sold at foreclosure sale under Chapter 32 of the Revised Judicature Act of 1961, pursuant to MCL 600.3278 the borrower will be held responsible to the person who buys the property at the mortgage foreclosure sale or to the mortgage holder for damaging the property during the redemption period.

Attention homeowner: If you are a military service member on active duty, if your period of active duty has concluded less than 90 days ago, or if you have been ordered to active duty, please contact the attorney for the party foreclosing the mortgage at the telephone number stated in this notice.

Date of notice: September 14, 2023

This notice is from a debt collector.

Trott Law, P.C. 31440 Northwestern Hwy, Suite 145 Farmington Hills, MI 48334 (248) 642-2515

Date of notice: September 21, 2023

1509195 (09-14)(10-05)

Trott Law, P.C. 31440 Northwestern Hwy, Suite 145 Farmington Hills, MI 48334 (248) 642-2515 1509828 (09-21)(10-12)

Part of the Southeast 1/4 of Section 26, Town 7 North, Range 14 West, Allendale Township, Ottawa County, Michigan, described as: Commencing at the Southeast corner of said Section; thence North 88 degrees 53 minutes 53 seconds West 208.71 feet along the South line of said Section to the point of beginning; thence North 88 degrees 53 minutes 53 seconds West 120.00 feet; thence North 00 degrees 12 minutes 32 seconds East 333.00 feet parallel with the East line of said Section, thence South 88 degrees 53 minutes 53 seconds East 120.00 feet, thence South 00 degrees 12 minutes 32 seconds West 333.00 feet to the point of beginning. Subject to a highway right-of-way for Pierce Street over the South 33.00 feet thereof.

Commonly known as 5639 Pierce Street, Allendale, MI 49401 The redemption period will be one year from the date of such sale, unless abandoned under MCL 600.3241a, in which case the redemption period will be 30 days from the date of such sale, or 15 days from the MCL 600.3241a(b) notice, whichever is later; or unless extinguished pursuant to MCL 600.3238.

If the above referenced property is sold at a foreclosure sale under Chapter 32 of Act 236 of 1961, under MCL 600.3278, the borrower will be held responsible to the person who buys the property at the mortgage foreclosure sale or to the mortgage holder for damaging the property during the redemption period.

Attention homeowner: If you are a military service member on active duty, if your period of active duty has concluded less than 90 days ago, or if you have been ordered to active duty, please contact the attorney for the party foreclosing the mortgage at the telephone number stated in this notice.

Nationstar Mortgage LLC Mortgagee/Assignee Schneiderman & Sherman P.C. 23938 Research Dr, Suite 300 Farmington Hills, MI 48335 248.539.7400 1509914 (09-21)(10-12)

The West 80 feet of the East 160 feet of the South 233 feet of the East 1/2 of the West 1/2 of the Northwest 1/4 of Section 24, Town 5 North, Range 16 West, Park Township, Ottawa County, Michigan.

Common street address (if any): 1049 W Lakewood Blvd, Holland, MI 49424-6428 The redemption period shall be 6 months from the date of such sale, unless determined abandoned in accordance with MCL 600.3241a; or, if the subject real property is used for agricultural purposes as defined by MCL 600.3240(16).

If the property is sold at foreclosure sale under Chapter 32 of the Revised Judicature Act of 1961, pursuant to MCL 600.3278 the borrower will be held responsible to the person who buys the property at the mortgage foreclosure sale or to the mortgage holder for damaging the property during the redemption period.

Attention homeowner: If you are a military service member on active duty, if your period of active duty has concluded less than 90 days ago, or if you have been ordered to active duty, please contact the attorney for the party foreclosing the mortgage at the telephone number stated in this notice.

This notice is from a debt collector.

Date of notice: September 28, 2023 Trott Law, P.C. 31440 Northwestern Hwy, Suite 145 Farmington Hills, MI 48334 (248) 642-2515 1510567 (09-28)(10-19)

Page 9 • September 28, 2023 • The Zeeland Record

LEGAL NOTICE

LEGAL NOTICE

09/28/23 OTTAWA COUNTY NOTICE TO CREDITORS Trust In the matter of the Shelby Beagle Trust established October 2, 2007; restated October 16, 2014 Shelby Beagle was the grantor of the Trust and her date of birth was June 7, 1937 TO ALL CREDITORS: NOTICE TO CREDITORS: The decedent, Shelby Beagle, died July 18, 2023.

Creditors of the decedent are notified that all claims against the trust will be forever barred unless presented to Mark Snyder, Co-Trustee, within 4 months after the date of publication of this notice.

Date: September 28, 2023 Mark Snyder Co-Trustee 14021 Phoenix Place Holland, MI 49424 Telephone no. (616) 485-0760 Jessica Arends (P75919) Attorney 321 Settlers Rd. Holland, MI 49423 Telephone no. (616) 392-1821

LEGAL NOTICE 09/28/23 STATE OF MICHIGAN PROBATE COURT OTTAWA COUNTY NOTICE TO CREDITORS Decedent’s Estate CASE NO. – 23-69914-DE JUDGE – Mark A. Feyen Court Address 12120 Fillmore Street West Olive, MI 49460 Court Telephone no.

(616) 786-4110

LEGAL NOTICE 09/28/23

09/28/23 STATE OF MICHIGAN PROBATE COURT OTTAWA COUNTY

STATE OF MICHIGAN PROBATE COURT OTTAWA COUNTY

NOTICE TO CREDITORS Decedent’s Estate

NOTICE TO CREDITORS Decedent’s Estate

CASE NO. – 23-69910-DE JUDGE – Mark A. Feyen, P32369

CASE NO. – 23-69909-DE JUDGE – Mark A. Feyen, P32369

Court Address 12120 Fillmore Street West Olive, MI 49460

Court Address 12120 Fillmore Street West Olive, MI 49460

Court Telephone no.

(616) 786-4110

Court Telephone no.

(616) 786-4110

Estate of Joyce Meeuwsen

Estate of Elaine Joyce Stoub

Date of Birth: July 15, 1924

Date of Birth: October 6, 1942

TO ALL CREDITORS:

TO ALL CREDITORS:

NOTICE TO CREDITORS: The decedent, Joyce Meeuwsen, died November 16, 2008.

NOTICE TO CREDITORS: The decedent, Elaine Joyce Stoub, died April 1, 2023.

Creditors of the decedent are notified that all claims against the estate will be forever barred unless presented to Paul A. Meeuwsen, personal representative, or to both the probate court at 12120 Fillmore Street, West Olive, MI 49460 and the personal representative within 4 months after the date of publication of this notice.

Creditors of the decedent are notified that all claims against the estate will be forever barred unless presented to William F. Stoub III, personal representative, or to both the probate court at 12120 Fillmore Street, West Olive, MI 49460 and the personal representative within 4 months after the date of publication of this notice.

Date: September 28, 2023

Date: September 28, 2023

Paul A. Meeuwsen Personal representative 13013 Lapis Court Fort Meyers, FL 33913 Phone: (616) 405-2840

William F. Stoub III Personal representative 3943 England Drive Shelbyville, MI 49344 Phone: (269) 615-7260

Donkersloot Law Office James A. Donkersloot (P30433) Attorney 132 E. Main Avenue P.O. Box 230 Zeeland, MI 49464 Telephone no. (616) 772-9000

Donkersloot Law Office James A. Donkersloot (P30433) Attorney 132 E. Main Avenue P.O. Box 230 Zeeland, MI 49464 Telephone no. (616) 772-9000

LEGAL NOTICE

LEGAL NOTICE

09/28/23

09/28/23

NOTICE TO CREDITORS Decedent’s Trust Estate

Roger E. Kalman (“Decedent”)

Frances Ellen Bouwma (“Decedent”)

Date of Decedent’s Birth: February 14, 1952

Date of Decedent’s Birth: June 16, 1942

Name of Trust: Roger E. Kalman Trust dated June 8, 2022

Name of Trust: Bouwma Living Trust dated May 19, 1993

NOTICE TO CREDITORS: Decedent, Robert E. Kalman, died August 20, 2023. There is no personal representative of Decedent’s estate to whom Letters of Authority have been issued.

NOTICE TO CREDITORS: Decedent, Frances Ellen Bouwma, died July 15, 2023. There is no personal representative of Decedent’s estate to whom Letters of Authority have been issued.

Creditors of Decedent are notified that all claims against Decedent, Decedent’s estate and/or Decedent’s trust(s) will be forever barred unless presented to Ross Kalman, Trustee, within four (4) months after the date of publication of this notice.

Creditors of Decedent are notified that all claims against Decedent, Decedent’s estate and/or Decedent’s trust(s) will be forever barred unless presented to Rhonda S. De Good, Rick A. Bouwma, and Renee L. Dryer, Co-Trustees, within four (4) months after the date of publication of this notice.

Dated: September 28, 2023

Dated: September 28, 2023

Ross Kalman 12095 68th Ave. Allendale, MI 49401

Rhonda S. De Good 3400 Thornapple Trail Lewiston, MI 49756

James A. Wesseling (P-40226) WESSELING & BRACKMANN P.C. 6439 28th Avenue Hudsonville, Michigan 49426 (616) 669-8185

Rick A. Bouwma 4669 26th St. Dorr, MI 49323 Renee L. Dreyer 510 28th Ave. Hudsonville, MI 49426

09/28/23

09/28/23

STATE OF MICHIGAN PROBATE COURT COUNTY OF OTTAWA

Case No.: 2023-69842-DE Judge: Mark A. Feyen Court Address: 12120 Fillmore Street West Olive, MI 49460

NOTICE TO CREDITORS Decedent’s Trust Estate

Gloria Jean Byle (“Decedent”)

Gerald W. Benson (“Decedent”)

Date of Decedent’s Birth: December 19, 1931

Date of Decedent’s Birth: August 28, 1926

NOTICE TO CREDITORS: The decedent, Bette Ann Harrington, died 03/19/2023.

Name of Trust: Byle Living Trust dated August 9, 1994

Name of Trust: Benson Living Trust dated November 6, 2002

Creditors of the decedent are notified that all claims against the estate will be forever barred unless presented to Timothy N. Harrington, personal representative, or to both the probate court at 12120 Fillmore Street, West Olive, MI 49460 and the personal representative within 4 months after the date of publication of this notice.

NOTICE TO CREDITORS: Decedent, Gloria Jean Byle, died June 23, 2023. There is no personal representative of Decedent’s estate to whom Letters of Authority have been issued.

NOTICE TO CREDITORS: Decedent, Gerald W. Benson, died July 7, 2023. There is no personal representative of Decedent’s estate to whom Letters of Authority have been issued.

Creditors of Decedent are notified that all claims against Decedent, Decedent’s estate and/or Decedent’s trust(s) will be forever barred unless presented to Susan Cooke, Trustee, within four (4) months after the date of publication of this notice.

Creditors of Decedent are notified that all claims against Decedent, Decedent’s estate and/or Decedent’s trust(s) will be forever barred unless presented to Christopher Benson and Regan Schaeffer, Co-Trustees, within four (4) months after the date of publication of this notice.

Creditors of the decedent are notified that all claims against the estate will be forever barred unless presented to Larry Horn, personal representative, or to both the probate court at 12120 Fillmore Street, West Olive, MI 49460 and the personal representative within 4 months after the date of publication of this notice.

Dated: September 28, 2023

Date: September 28, 2023

Christopher Benson 6267 Palmer Rd. Belding, MI 48809

Larry Horn Personal representative 1248 Hearthstone Court Holland, MI 49423 Telephone no. (616) 218-4722

Date of Birth: 03/15/1933 TO ALL CREDITORS:

Date: 09/18/2023 Timothy N. Harrington Personal representative 5171 Idylwild Trail Boulder, CO 80301 Phone: (303) 589-1044 Blaque W. Hough (P47697) Attorney 300 South State St. Ste. 11 Zeeland, MI 49464 Telephone no. (616) 212-9336

Dated: September 28, 2023 Susan Cooke 3848 Baldwin Street Hudsonville, Michigan 49426 James A. Wesseling (P-40226) WESSELING & BRACKMANN P.C. 6439 28th Avenue Hudsonville, Michigan 49426 (616) 669-8185

Regan Schaeffer 4560 Cardinal Drive Mt. Pleasant, MI 48858 James A. Wesseling (P-40226) WESSELING & BRACKMANN P.C. 6439 28th Avenue Hudsonville, Michigan 49426 (616) 669-8185

James A. Wesseling (P-40226) WESSELING & BRACKMANN P.C. 6439 28th Avenue Hudsonville, Michigan 49426 (616) 669-8185

NOTICE TO CREDITORS Decedent’s Estate

NOTICE TO CREDITORS Decedent’s Trust Estate

Estate of Bette Ann Harrington, deceased

09/28/23

NOTICE TO CREDITORS Decedent’s Trust Estate

LEGAL NOTICE

LEGAL NOTICE

LEGAL NOTICE

Court Telephone No.: (616) 786-4110

Estate of Marjorie Horn Date of Birth: July 6, 1929 TO ALL CREDITORS: NOTICE TO CREDITORS: The decedent Marjorie Horn, died June 7, 2023.

Cunningham Dalman, P.C. Jessica Arends (P75919) 321 Settlers Road Holland, MI 49423 Telephone no. (616) 392-1821

Zeeland Township (Continued from page 1) “Public Safety expenditures total $657,700 or an increase of $320,00 or 95% from 2023 estimated, primarily due to projected increase in capital outlay for fire station land and increased building inspection contracted services,” she said.

The township also projects an increase in cost in general government operations of $53,250 or 5.9% increase.

“The election department will increase one election in 2023 to four in 2024 plus the additional costs of early voting contracted services with Ottawa County.

Building and grounds included $200,000 for Township Hall renovations in 2023, and $95,000 for HVAC and elevator repairs in 2024,” she said.

The township is planning to spend $87,500 for Drenthe Grove operating expenses and capital outlay and $355,750 for Van Zoeren Woods operating expenses and capital outlay which includes improving the trails.

Overall, the township’s 2024 fiscal budget is projecting $6,954,550 in revenues and $6,136,950 in expenditures. The remaining $817,600 would be added to township fund balances.

The board unanimously approved the budget after holding a public hearing.

SPORTS West Golf Finishes Second at Jamboree The Zeeland West varsity girls golf team placed 2nd at their home jamboree held at Crestview Golf Course Wednesday, Sept.

20.

Rylee Smith led the Dux with a great even par score of 36 which was tied for first out of 29 players. Izzy Zamora added a 44, Eve Kasten 46, and Gabbi Shivers contributed a 55.

East Girls Take Autumn Sunrise Invitation The Zeeland East boys’ and girls’ cross-country teams traveled to Covenant Christian High School for the Chargers’ Autumn Sunrise Invitational on Saturday, Sept. 23.

The girls’ varsity team finished 1st out of 9 teams in the Autumn division. The Chix were led by Emma Drnek who finished first overall, followed immediately by Ally Kuzma who finished 2nd. Meredith Cook (8th) and Taryn DiLaura (10th) also earned medals in the race.

Boys’ varsity finished 2nd out of 7 teams in the Autumn division, edging out Lowell by a single point. Caden Guffey led the team with 7th place finish followed by Nate Davis (9th), Dylan Walters (15th), Tristen Hinson (21st) and Aaiden Gillespie (23rd).

In the girls’ JV race, the Chix finished 4th out of 9 teams. Libby Post (12th), Audrey Durham (15th), Kat Wilson (16th), and Sophie Koleszar (18th) all earned medals. Boys’ JV finished 2nd out of 7 teams with Joey Michmerhuizen (1st), Jeffrey DeWitt (7th), Sam Downing (8th), and Paxton VanNoord (15th) all earning medals.

The Zeeland Record • September 28, 2023 • Page 10

Dux Win Birdbowl Battle Over Chix Dux Soccer Defeats Mona Shores The Zeeland West boys’ varsity soccer team got another great conference win on Wednesday, Sept. 20, as they took on a very scrappy and physical Mona Shores team in Muskegon. Coming off a weekend tournament win the Dux looked to continue their winning ways.

The game against Mona seemed to be very evenly matched to start as both teams looked to control possession.

Mona did not offer too many dangerous offensive threats and the Dux missed a couple of early opportunities as a quality cross just got away from Sophomore Zach Anderson and it was sent over the top of the goal. Trigev Elkins and Micah Henry both had shots on frame, but Mona’s Keeper was well positioned to make the saves.

Mona got on the board 1st as a long ball was sent over the top of the Dux defense who up to that point had been playing very well. A few moments of poor defense led to a rifle of a shot that found the side netting to put Mona up 1-0.

Not even 1 minute later the Dux equalized after Trigve Elkins took the pass off of the restart, made his way through 4 or 5 Mona defenders and calmly beat the keeper to even things at 1 just before half.

The 2nd half started a little slow for the Dux as Mona ramped up their defensive pressure and continued a relentless attack with long ball after long ball, but the Dux defense stood tall. The Dux picked up their offense presence and almost put in a 2nd goal as Micah Henry took a ball on the left wing, beat a defender and placed a beautiful ball that went off of a Mona defender and hit the post. A few other quality crosses were just missed and a beautiful shot by Gael Garcia went just over the top of the goal.

The Dux did eventually break through when Micah Henry took another ball on a dummy run from Trigve, beat 2 defenders and placed the ball smoothly through the goal keeper’s legs to put the Dux up 2-1.

Mona continued to press but goalie Lucas Smith and the Dux defense would not break.

The final was an outstanding 2-1 victory for the Dux, who up to that point had never won at Mona Shores.

“This was a tremendous game for us as we look to finish off our conference schedule Thursday back in Muskegon against a very good ReethsPuffer team. We look forward to another challenge on the road before finishing the regular season at home next week,” said Coach Andy Hondorp.

The annual ‘Birdbowl’ matchup between Zeeland East and Zeeland West football teams this past Friday evening, Sept.22, was won by the visiting Dux 36-13.

After forcing the Chix to turn the ball over on their initial possession of the game the Dux started an 8-play 39-yard drive.

On a second down and 7-yard situation Trent Bolhouse broke free for a 7-yard touchdown with 4:40 remaining in the first quarter. Isaiah Vander Zwaag successfully ran in the extra point attempt to give West an 8-0 lead.

In the second quarter the Dux once again took advantage of good field position to mount a 4-play 32-yard drive. Rolando Robellin scored on an 8-yard touchdown run. His attempt to run in the extra point attempt ended short of the goal line with a fumble.

On the following kickoff the Chix mounted a 9-play 60-yard drive. Tyler Loeb put East on the scoreboard with a 16-yard touchdown run. Chix quarterback Austin Kerr’s attempt to pass for the extra point failed as East trailed 14-6 with 3:25 remaining in the half.

The Dux managed to assemble one final drive before halftime as they went 68-yards in 5 plays. VanderZwaag would catch a pass from Trent Bolhouse for a 20-yard touchdown with 41 seconds left in the half. Robellin caught a Bolhouse pass in the endzone to complete the extra point attempt as the Dux led 22-6 at halftime.

“Joe (East Coach Joe Woodruff) is doing a great job with his staff and team preparing them for tonight’s game. They are going places,” said West Coach John Shilito.

In the third quarter the Dux went on a 16-play 80-yard drive after taking the opening half kickoff. Vander Zwaag scored on a 2-yard run with 2:49 remaining in the third quarter. Vander Zwaag also caught a Bolhouse pass to complete the extra point attempt to extend West’s led to 30-6.

In the fourth quarter the Dux scored on a 70-yard pass from Bolhouse to Trey Sloothaak to complete a 3-play 84-yard drive.

Zeeland West running back Isaac VanderZwaag, #5, tries to escape from being tackled by a Chix defender.

VanderZwaag was stopped short of the goal line in his attempt to run in the extra point.

In the final drive the Chix leaned on running back Eli Walcott for 5 successive carries as they went on a 68-yard drive.

Walcott scored on a 5-yard run with 16 seconds left in the game.

Dylan Killilea successfully kicked the extra point to make the final score 36-13.

“The guys did a great job this evening responding to Parker Holman being injured and

stepped up to fill his absence.

Holman is one of the hardest working players on the team and it was hard to see him not playing tonight,” said Shillito.

“We came and expected a physical game tonight. They played up to their potential and we didn’t. We need to improve all aspects of our game,” said.

Woodruff.

The West offense was led

by Robellin with 13 carries for 113 yards. Bolhouse completed two of four passing attempts for

Zeeland East running back Tyler Loeb, #2, prepares to stiff-arm a West tackler.

A pass from West quarterback Trenten Bolhouse sails through the outstretched hands of received Trey Sloothaak, #2.

90 yards and two touchdowns.

For East Walcott led the offense with 5 carries for 68 yards, Loeb had 16 carries for 65 yards and Keur has 17 carries for 64-yards.

Keur completed six of 11 passing attempts for 35 yards. Ethan Rosenberg had 4 receptions for 20 yards and Asher Reimink had 2 receptions for 15 yards.

Vander Zwaag led the Dux defense with 7 tackles and six assists, Sloothaak had 7 tackles and 3 assists, Keaton Hendrick had 5 tackles and three assists and Brody Maas had 3 tackles and 2 assists. The Chix defense was led by Gabe Amid with 3 tackles and 6 assists, Chris Seay had 4 tackles and 2 assists, Reimink had 3 tackles and 2 assists, Loeb had 2 tackles and 4 assists and Rosenberg had 3 tackles and 1 assist.

GARDEN

Page 11 • September 28, 2023 • The Zeeland Record

Daffodils with a Difference

By Melinda Myers

There are so many reasons to love daffodils. These spring-blooming bulbs aren’t fussy about where they are planted. They come back to bloom again year after year and are not bothered by deer, rabbits, or other garden pests. But there’s also a whole world of beautiful daffodils beyond the classic yellow ones. Daffodils are available in unusual flower styles and unexpected colors that can bring a whole new look to spring gardens.

Get an early start on next year’s daffodil season with Barrett Browning, a variety with pure white petals and brilliant red-orange trumpets. It is an excellent choice for naturalizing. Pink Charm also boasts white petals but has a large coral-pink trumpet with ruffled edges. It is considered one of the best pink daffodils and is known for its vigor and reliability.

Add eye-catching color with the dependable heirloom Red Devon’s brilliant yellow petals and flashy orange cups. For a more subtle approach choose the pastel hues of British Gamble. Its white petals are a perfect backdrop for the ruffled peachy-pink trumpet on these enormous, 5” blossoms.

Change the shape of things with some split trumpet daffodils.

Cassata is a strong grower with a ruffled lemon-yellow cup that lies almost flat against broad white petals. Cum Laude boasts big, bright, extra frilly flowers with peachy accents. Lemon Beauty’s flowers feature pure white petals, and its split trumpet resembles a bright yellow star.

Double daffodils add elegance to gardens and spring floral arrangements. They also stretch the season by blooming several weeks later than most other types. La Torch’s upward-facing fragrant double flowers are a mix of yellow petals and bright orange ruffles.

Delnashaugh is a late-blooming double with layers of pure white petals interspersed with apricot-pink ruffles. Lingerie’s extra-large blooms have thickly ruffled centers of white and golden yellow petals.

Some daffodils produce a bouquet of blossoms on each stem. The Pueblo grows just twelve inches tall, and its primrose yellow flowers gradually fade to creamy white. Beautiful Eyes has two to three flowers per stem, with white petals, bright orange cups and a gardenia-like fragrance.

Take it down in size by planting a few miniature daffodils. Tuck them into rock gardens, under shrubs, along paths, in containers, and mix them with other spring flowering bulbs and perennials. Tete a Tete has perky, bright yellow blossoms and grows just 7” tall. Tete Boucle is similar in size, but its double flowers display layers of yellow, gold, and green petals.

Jet Fire is another outstanding miniature daffodil. It has bright orange trumpets and golden yellow swept-back petals and is a great small-scale naturalizer in the landscape. Minnow is an adorable little gem with pale-yellow petals and bright yellow trumpets. Sundisc’s petite flowers have pale yellow petals and an almost flat, deep yellow trumpet. Miniature daffodils are a particularly good choice for perennials gardens, where they won’t overwhelm neighboring plants.

For more on these and other unique daffodils, see Longfield Gardens Types of Daffodils to Know and Grow. With so many daffodil varieties to choose from, you are sure to find new ways to add spring beauty to your yard and gardens.

Melinda Myers has written more than 20 gardening books, including the recently released Midwest Gardener’s Handbook, 2nd Edition and Small Space Gardening.

She hosts The Great Courses “How to Grow Anything” DVD instant video series and the nationally syndicated Melinda’s Garden Moment TV & radio program. Myers is a columnist and contributing editor for Birds & Blooms magazine and was commissioned

by Longfield Gardens for her expertise to write this article. Her website is www.

MelindaMyers.com.

David L. Wilson, CFP ® Managing Partner

Our purpose is to positively impact you and your family by providing comprehensive wealth management and retirement income planning, so you can live the life you have always dreamed of.

To schedule a review appointment or to attend an upcoming workshop, Call (616) 931-1270 or visit the web at www.gen-wealth.com 244 East Main Avenue, Zeeland, MI 49464

Advisory services offered through Generational Wealth Management, a Registered Investment Advisor.

Fall Landscape Care with Pollinators in Mind

By Melinda Myers

No matter where you live, investing time caring for your landscape now will pay off with a healthier, more beautiful landscape next spring and for years to come. Incorporate the following practices into your fall maintenance to support pollinators and the plants in your landscape.

Don’t rake the leaves to the curb or haul them to your municipality’s composting center.

Instead, handle them with your lawn mower. Shred leaves and leave them on the lawn as you mow this fall. As the leaves break down, they add organic matter to the soil and as long as you can see the grass through the leaf pieces, the lawn will be fine.

Put any extra fall leaves to work in the garden. Add shredded leaves to your compost pile or dig them into annual gardens as a soil amendment. Just dig a twoto-three-inch layer of shredded leaves into the top 12 inches of annual or new planting beds. The leaves will decompose over winter adding organic matter to the soil.

By spring, your garden bed will be ready for you to finish preparing and planting.

Spread some of the fall leaves on top of the soil around permanent plants as a mulch. They help insulate the roots, conserve moisture, suppress weeds, and as they break down improve the soil.

Fall mulching gives you a jump on next spring’s landscape chores.

It also provides winter homes for some beneficial insects and insulation for bumblebee queens, frogs, and others that overwinter in the soil.

Leave healthy perennials to stand over winter. They will add motion and texture to the landscape. The seedheads add beauty and many provide food for the birds. Hollow stems of a variety of perennials provide winter homes for many native bees and other beneficial insects.

Use a quality bypass pruner to cut back and dispose of any diseased or insect-infested plants. photo courtesy of Corona Tools

This also increases winter survival as research found perennials left standing are better able to tolerate the rigors of winter.

Be sure to cut back and dispose of any diseased or insectinfested plants. Removing these reduces the source of disease and insect pest problems in next year’s garden. Use a bypass pruner to cut the plants back to just above the soil surface. Corona’s XSeries Pro bypass pruner (www. coronatoolsusa.com) is lightweight and professional grade with its blade ensuring smooth, clean cuts on both green and dry stems and branches.

Continue watering throughout the fall and only during the day when soil and air temperatures are at or above 40°F. Trees, shrubs and perennials suffering from drought stress in fall and early winter are more subject to root damage and subsequently insect pest and disease problems. Make sure new plantings, moisture lovers, evergreens and perennials

in exposed sites are thoroughly watered when the top four to six inches are crumbly and slightly moist.

Add some new plants to the landscape this fall. The soil is warm, and the air is cool, providing excellent conditions for planting and establishing trees, shrubs and perennials. Include some fall favorites like pansies, asters and mums to containers and garden beds for instant color and food for late-season pollinators.

Many garden centers add healthy new plants to their inventory specifically for planting this fall.

No matter where you live or the size of your garden, get outdoors and enjoy the beauty of fall. And be sure to invest a bit of time and energy now to ensure your landscape is ready for the season ahead.

Melinda Myers has written more than 20 gardening books, including the recently released Midwest Gardener’s Handbook, 2nd Edition and Small Space Gardening.

Myers’ website is www.MelindaMyers. com.

How to Care for Fresh Flowers The beauty of having a garden is buds continually blooming on one plant or another throughout most of the year. While this provides lovely views from your windows, it can also be nice to bring some beauty indoors.

Don’t be afraid to snip off a few blossoms each week. Many plants thrive after trimming and may reward you with even more flowers. Once you’ve gathered a bouquet from your garden, consider these tips to help keep fresh flowers at their best for a week or more: Bacteria can quickly destroy fresh flowers, which is why it’s important to use a clean vase. Any floral foam, wires or frogs used in your arrangement must also be washed in warm, soapy water.

Remove any lower leaves that may come in contact with water inside the vase.

Carefully trim each flower stem at a 90-degree angle. It may also be helpful to cut flowers while they are underwater to keep moisture flowing into the stems.

Keep your arrangement out

of direct sunlight. The darker and cooler the room, the longer your blossoms will bloom.

Adding a crushed aspirin, bleach, vinegar, sugar or penny to the vase are age-old tricks.

However, you can keep bacteria at bay and help flowers thrive by adding a packet of flower food to the water. It can be found at your local florist or home improvement

store.

Flowers are living things that still require water, food and care after they are cut. Every 2-3 days, be sure to change the water, replenish the flower food and recut the stems for additional days of glorious color.

Find more ideas for freshening up your indoor spaces at eLivingtoday.com.

COMMUNITY

During the East/West football game on Friday evening, the Creekside and Cityside middle school bands joined the Zeeland High School band to perform at the opening of the game and at halftime. Flag corps members are shown performing at halftime.

West Nile Virus Infection Identified in Two People The Ottawa County Department of Public Health (OCDPH) is alerting the public that two people in Ottawa County have tested positive for West Nile Virus (WNV). Both were hospitalized. . Neither person has a history of travel and likely became ill from being bitten by an infected mosquito in West Michigan. This is the highest reported number of cases of WNV in Ottawa County since 2018. Because WNV can result in very serious illness for some people, OCDPH is encouraging the community to use precautions during outdoor activities, such as bonfires and sporting events, to protect themselves from mosquito bites, particularly as warmer weather continues in the region.

Mosquitoes stay active until the first hard freeze of the year.

WNV is the leading cause of mosquito-borne disease in the continental United States. It is most commonly spread to people by the bite of an infected mosquito. Cases of WNV occur during mosquito season, which starts in the summer and continues through fall. There are no vaccines to prevent or medications to treat WNV in people. Most people infected with WNV do not feel sick. About 1 in 5 people who are infected develop a fever and other symptoms. About 1 out of 150 infected people develop a serious, sometimes fatal, illness.

Symptoms Eight in 10 people will not develop any symptoms of WNV. Mild symptoms can include fever, headache, body aches and joint pain, vomiting, diarrhea and rash.

Some people will experience more serious illness, which can

affect the body’s central nervous system and result in encephalitis (inflammation of the brain) or meningitis (inflammation of the membranes that surround the brain and spinal cord).

Symptoms of severe illness include high fever, neck stiffness, muscle weakness, vision loss, stupor, disorientation, tremors, convulsions, numbness, paralysis, and coma.

Prevention The best way to prevent exposure to WNV is to avoid mosquito bites. Suggested steps include, apply insect repellents that contain the active ingredient DEET or other EPAapproved products to exposed skin or clothing. Always follow the manufacturer’s directions for use, wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants when outdoors. Apply insect repellent to clothing to help prevent bites, maintain window and door screening to help keep mosquitos outside; and empty water from mosquito breeding sites around the home, such as buckets, unused kiddie pools, old tires and other water-holding containers where mosquitos can lay eggs.

No vaccines or prescription medications are available to prevent or treat WNV. Rest, fluids, and over-the-counter medications can help alleviate symptoms. In more severe cases of illness, people may need to be hospitalized to manage symptoms. If you think you or a family member might have West Nile virus disease, talk with your health care provider.

Information on WNV, and other viruses transmitted by mosquitoes and insects in the State of Michigan, can be found here.

Royal Park to Host Christmas Bazaar The residents at Royal Park will be hosting their 20th annual Christmas Bazaar. December 9, 9-1pm at Royal Park Place 500 Parkside Dr, Zeeland Michigan.

The event will feather a warm and pleasant Holiday walk through their decorated lobby. Enjoy a 12foot Christmas tree and a lobby filled with Holiday Joy., Music family laughter and a free cocoa/ Cookie/Coffee bar. Items galore

from A-Z. Delicious Baked goods, Banquet, Pig in the blankets, Farmhouse favs, Mary Kay, Avon, Scentsy, Glass lawn art made from old China, Crafts, crotchet hats, gloves, scarves timeless knitting, personalized beaded key chains, needle point and more. Sign up for prizes awarded throughout the day.

Join in the fun.

No charge for vendors, simply register with Paula 616 772 2224.

The Zeeland Record • September 28, 2023 • Page 12

Hope to Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month

Zeeland Hospital Earns National Ranking

This year’s Hispanic Heritage Month Lecture at Hope College will feature the documentary “First Voice Generation” on Wednesday, Oct. 4, at 6 p.m. in the Knickerbocker Theatre.

“First Voice Generation” focuses on students from the Hope College TRIO Upward Bound program and brings awareness to first-generation college students, the education gap in America, and access to higher education for low-income students. A panel discussion will follow the screening with Cynthia Martinez, who is the film’s director/producer; Hope College staff and students; and individuals featured in the film.

The public is invited.

Admission is free.

“First Voice Generation” follows the stories of three Latinx high school students in Holland during an unprecedented global pandemic year. The students struggle with their identity growing up in a historically Dutch community, feeling they don’t belong because they are children of Mexican immigrants. They dream of being the first in their families to go to college, but a year of challenges ensues with virtual learning, and the cost of affording college seeming impossible. The film has been featured at the Central Michigan International Film Festival, Capital City Film Festival, The Los Angeles Mexican American Television and Film Festival, Philadelphia Latino Film Festival, and the San Antonio Film Festival.

Hope College TRIO Upward Bound works year-round with 92 college bound students from Fennville, Holland and West Ottawa High Schools in grades 9-12. Hope College TRIO Upward Bound, has helped thousands of Holland area students since 1968.

It is one of the oldest continuous federally funded TRIO Upward Bound programs in the country.

Filmmaker and journalist Cynthia Martinez is a Hope College TRIO Upward Bound alumna. A graduate of Western Michigan University, she set out to work and realized she had stories to tell.

With that passion, she enrolled in the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism and completed her master’s program in 2012. Her experience includes working for Univision News in Miami and is currently engaged with direction and producing films and media that advocate social justice.

To inquire about accessibility or if you need accommodations to fully participate in the event, please email accommodations@ hope.edu. Updates related to events are posted when available in the individual listings at hope. edu/calendar The Knickerbocker Theatre is located in downtown Holland at 86 E. 8th St., between College and Columbia avenues.

Corewell Health Zeeland Hospital has been recognized as a top performer in the 2023 Bernard A. Birnbaum, MD, Quality Leadership Ranking by Vizient, Inc., a leading health care performance improvement company.

The hospital ranked seventh out of 333 community hospital members of Vizient and was recognized for demonstrating excellence in delivering highquality care based on the Vizient Quality and Accountability Study, which has been conducted annually since 2005.

“Zeeland’s Top Performing award is in great recognition of the high quality of care delivered to our Zeeland patients and families,” said James Moses, MD, MPH, chief of quality, safety and patient experience for Corewell Health.

The ranking evaluates hospital performance in six categories: safety, mortality, effectiveness, efficiency, patient centeredness and equity.

The Vizient Quality and Accountability Ranking helps participating hospitals and health systems understand their performance against their peers and identifies structures and processes associated with high performance in quality and safety across a broad spectrum of patient care activity.

The recognition period is for work spanning July 1, 2022, through June 30, 2023.

“Corewell Health Zeeland Hospital has demonstrated high level commitment to the continuous improvement that is necessary to succeed in today’s evolving healthcare environment,” said David Levine, group senior vice president, advanced analytics and data science for Vizient. “The annual ranking leverages a unique, comprehensive and timely metricsbased methodology to recognize hospitals that achieve results on key measures that define quality patient care and delivery. Congratulations, Corewell Health Zeeland Hospital, on this prestigious honor.”

Local Poor Farms Highlighted Herrick District Library will present “Michigan County Poor Farms” 6 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 3, at the Holland Museum, 31 W. 10th St. The free event is in partnership with the museum.

Long before the advent of modern social welfare, county governments in Michigan maintained poor houses or poor farms. Participants will explore the early history of these facilities in their attempts to care for Michigan’s poor, elderly and destitute and discover the lives and records of the inmates that resided at state poor farms.

Presenter Adam Oster is the community engagement librarian for the Library of Michigan.

Entries for Hollands Parade of Lights Downtown Holland is now accepting entries for the 2023 community-wide Parade of Lights, scheduled for Tuesday, November 28 at 6:30 pm. Local businesses, corporations, schools, non-profit organizations, churches, and families are all encouraged to participate in this popular holiday parade. The main requirement for participation in the procession is to be decorated from top to bottom with holiday lights…the more, the merrier! The 2023 Parade of Lights is proudly sponsored by Gentex Corporation.

“Gentex is proud to once again sponsor this great community event that brings everyone downtown for a night of holiday fun,” said Senior Director of Human Resources Seth Bushouse. “The Gentex team is already working on ways to light up our entry this year and we hope more participants sign-up to join the parade as well.”

The Parade of Lights begins at 6:30 pm at the corner of 8th Street and Columbia Avenue in Downtown Holland and continues west down Eighth Street until it reaches Eighth Street Market Place, home of the Holiday Kerstmarkt.

The parade will feature over 75 floats, trucks, marching bands, walkers and more…all decorated in thousands of sparking holiday lights. Santa Claus will arrive in Downtown Holland at the conclusion of the parade, greeting young and old alike as he makes his way down 8th Street.

To enter the Parade of Lights, businesses and organizations must complete the online application found at www.downtownholland. com. Parade spots are filled on a first come, first served basis and interested parties are encouraged to submit their applications as soon as possible as spots fill up quickly. All parade entries are required to be decorated from top to bottom with holiday lights.

A $50 entry fee applies to all businesses and is due with the application, while a $25 entry fee applies to non-profit organizations.

Please contact the Downtown Holland office at 616.796.1210 or paradeoflights@cityofholland. com with any questions about the application process.

Youth Natural Art classes Coming to HDL Local author, artist and educator Jenny Geuder will host a pair of events Saturday, Sept. 30, at Herrick District Library’s (HDL) North Branch, 155 Riley St., as she talks about her latest book “Nature Explorer” and encourages kids to get outside and use art to learn about the natural world.

Kids ages 5 and older will express their artistic side by painting rocks with Jenny 10 to 11 a.m. Kids ages 8 and older will learn drawing techniques to help them create bird pictures 12:30 to 1:30 p.m.

Registration required at herrickdl.org/events for each child participating in an art activity.