WOOD Radio Local News

WOOD Radio Local News

WOOD Radio Local News

 

Gaines Fall Heritage Fest set for this Saturday outside township hall

GAINES CHARTER TOWNSHIP, Mich. -- One of West Michigan's largest fall festivals takes place this Saturday in Gaines Township.

The annual Heritage Festival will run from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. outside the township hall, 8555 Kalamazoo Ave., at the southwest corner of Kalamazoo Avenue and 84th Street.

Live music, antique tractors and fire trucks, a petting zoo, a farmers’ market, arts and crafts, food trucks, a historic fishing encampment and hayrides through adjacent Prairie Wolf Park are some of the festival highlights.

The Gaines Historical Society has run the festival in its current form since 2011. Historical Society president Shirley Bruursema chairs the free, family festival.

“We have a lot of homemade stuff, with knitting, crocheting and sewing,” Bruursema said. “Doll clothes, wood crafts. Any craft item, you name it we’ve got it.”

“We have a surprise fire truck coming,” Bruursema said, referring to a vintage 1959 Chevrolet vehicle that was originally purchased by Gaines Township that year. “Somebody found it on a lot in Detroit. Daniel Kamp (recently) bought it, and he and his son brought it back to the township,”

Kamp has been with the Dutton Fire Department for 32 years. He said it may have been the second truck purchased by the township.

“It was built by American Fire Apparatus in Battle Creek,” he said.

Other Dutton Fire trucks and firefighters will be at the Fall Heritage Festival, as well. Some antique fire trucks will be coming from the Dutton area. Bruursema said Alto will bringing either an antique fire truck or tractor. She confirmed that antique tractors will be coming from Byron and Gaines townships, as well as Dorr.

The Kamp family will be running the hot dog roast this year.

“The money (raised) will be used to repair the (vintage) fire truck,” Bruursema said.

Mary’s Country Critters out of Wayland Township will be running the mobile petting zoo again this year. It is owned and operated by Mary Tegethoff.

“That’s the highlight for kids. She brings a nice variety of animals. That is something that everyone looks forward to. This will be her fourth time there,” Bruursema said.

“I’m bringing a mini horse, a miniature donkey, a Mini Rex rabbit, a chicken and a duck. Also, two sheep and two goats,” Tegethoff said.

“When you come to a heritage festival, you see what happened in the past and the animals were part of the past,” she said.

As for the free rides through Prairie Wolf Park, Rich McConnell of Gaines Township will drive the tractor that pulls people in a long wagon on a trail through the park.

Doug Smith of Hastings will be performing country music live on stage from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. And then, Mick Bruursema will be playing in the afternoon.

At 12:30 p.m., Brian Diemer, the former Olympic track star, will read from a book he wrote about the history of the adjacent 45-acre Prairie Wolf Park.

Also, 50 copies of a booklet written by the Historical Society’s Linda Crumback about the history of the William J. Hardy family also will be available for purchase at the Historical Society booth. The 68-page soft-covered tome is titled, “William J. Hardy & His Family.”

The family came to Gaines Township in the 1840s and William Hardy became the area’s first African-American landowner when he bought 95 acres of township farmland. He became the first black elected official in Michigan when he was elected the township supervisor in 1872.

Hardy Pond in front of the township hall is named after him, and a marker was placed on site in 2015 during a dedication ceremony there in 2015.

There will be a lot of food at the Heritage Festival.

The Historical Society will be selling apple cider and doughnuts donated by the Meijer store in the Gaines MarketPlace Shopping Center. Bruursema said she plans to make 22 loaves of bread. Some examples include homemade applesauce bread, pineapple carrot bread and banana bread.

Doug’s Good Time Pig Roasting & BBQ Shack out of Shelbyville will be one of the vendors present.

Jerry Berg plans to set up a historic fishing encampment at the festival. He runs a fishing museum and cultural center in Comstock Park.

The Kent County Sheriff’s Office will bring its Mounted Unit at the Heritage Festival.

“They’re bringing their stallions, which we’re really excited about,” Bruursema said.

Russ Vos Tree Farms out of the Moline/Wayland area will bring a trailer full of trees, plus crafts.

The Gaines branch of the Kent District Library will be hosting games for children.

Bruursema said Byron Center Television (BCTV) will video-record the Fall Heritage Festival for airing on Comcast cable channel 25 in Byron and Gaines townships.

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