The Sun and News, Saturday, June 12, 2021/ Page 3Heritage Festival back on the calendar for October
James Gemmell
Contributing Writer
Plans for one of Gaines
Charter Township’s most
popular events are quickly
coming together.
The 11th annual Heritage
Festival is scheduled for
Saturday, Oct. 9 outside the
township hall, 8555
Kalamazoo Ave. SE, and at
adjacent Prairie Wolf Park,
from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
“Scheduled” is the key
word, because the COVID-
19 pandemic forced cancella-
tion of last year’s event. And
the 2019 Heritage Festival
was scrubbed due to torren-
tial rains, according to
Festival Chairwoman Shirley
Bruursema.
“We had the biggest event
planned ever, and that morn-
ing we had monsoon rains.
So, it’s been (a few) years
since there has been one.
And we are looking forward
to it again,” said Bruursema,
president of the Gaines
Historical Society and a for-
mer longtime member of thetownship’s board of trustees.
Because of the cancella-
tions in 2019 and 2020, this
will be only the ninth
Heritage Festival to actually
take place. The fami-
ly-friendly event is free to
attend. Donations are accept-
ed from the various food
vendors that participate.
“For a lot of these ven-
dors, that is their Christmas
money and so forth,”
Bruursema said.
Each vendor donates one
of its items as somethingsimilar to a door prize to
those who participate.
A barbecue wagon and a
bake sale at the Historical
Society booth are quite popu-
lar at the Heritage Festival.
Arts and crafts also are a
staple.
“We’ve got hayrides,
country music, and an 1800s
fishing village is being set
up,” Bruursema said.
“Possibly, an antique ice
cream wagon, as well. We’ve
got invitations out to 60 ven-dors to come and show their
wares. There is no charge to
be a vendor.”
Hayrides through the near-
by woods are a popular part
of the Heritage Festival. The
Dutton Fire Department
hosts a hotdog roast, and rib-
bons will be presented this
year for the best antique trac-
tors.
Bruursema said the petting
zoo is “always the big high-
light. It has ponies, rabbits,
chickens. You name it, it’sthere.”
There used to be an antique
corn grinder, but the operator
retired. And the antique doc-
tor buggy that was part of the
event was sold by its owner.
Weather permitting,
Bruursema said she expects a
big return of the Heritage
Festival this October. “We’re
just really happy about the
whole thing, being able to
start up again. People are so
excited.”we have life insurance.
because, well, you
can’t predict the future.
simple human sense
DELTON • 269.623.
HASTINGS • 269.948.
bucklandinsurance.com
ORV ordinance to get scrutiny this month
Greg Chandler
Staff Writer
Middleville residents will
get a chance later this month
to weigh in on a proposal to
restrict the use of off-road
vehicles on village streets
and roads.
A public hearing on the
proposed ordinance change
is planned for the Village
Council’s 7 p.m. Tuesday,
June 22, meeting at the
Village Hall, 100 E. Main St.
Anyone wishing to com-
ment during the public hear-
ing must do so electronically
through Zoom at the follow-
ing website address: https://
us02web.zoom.
ius/j/85091930539. The
meeting identification num-
ber is 850 9193 0539, and the
passcode is Village.
Detailed instructions for
joining the video conference
of the meeting and providing
public comments via video
conference are available on
the village’s website, villa-
geofmiddleville.org.
“It clarifies what the law-
ful use and operation of
ORVs on village streets [is],”
Village Planning and Zoning
Administrator Brian
Urquhart said at a June 1
committee of the whole
meeting.
The proposed ordinance
change would allow ORVs to
be operated only under these
conditions:
If the ORV has proof of
no-fault insurance, has cor-
rect installation of safety
equipment such as head-
lights, taillights, brake lights,
turn signals, a horn, wind-
shields and street-legal tires,
and a valid Michigan regis-
tration and license plate;
Or, the ORV may be oper-
ated upon unimproved or
vacant private property of noless than 5 acres between 10
a.m. and 6 p.m. with the per-
mission of the landowner;
however, such vehicles can-
not be operated within 200
feet of an adjacent occupied
residential property.
“As the village continues
to grow and develop, there
are not many places like
that,” Urquhart said of the
second provision in the ordi-
nance.
Because the proposal is a
change to the general village
ordinance code, a public
hearing is not required, but
village officials decided to
schedule a hearing because
of public interest in the pro-
posal.
Council Trustee Mike
Cramer, who last month pro-
posed banning ORVs from
use on village streets unless
they meet state vehicle code
standards, says the current
ordinance on ORVs, whichwas enacted in 2013, isn’t
working.
“All we’ve gotten from it
is noncompliance,” he said
during council comments at
the June 1 committee of the
whole meeting.
“I am an ORV enthusiast
myself, and I would hate to
see someone do something
stupid and ruin it for every-
one else, and driving [ORVs]
in traffic without insurance is
as stupid as it gets,” Cramer
added.
Andrew Beck, who lives
in the Misty Ridge subdivi-
sion and owns a side-by-side
ORV, has spoken out against
restricting ORVs on village
streets.
“I have seen nothing but
more and more side-by-sides
on the roads, outside of this
village,” Beck said during
public comment at the com-
mittee of the whole meeting.
“I believe that, by allowingthem in our village, we
would be promoting our
local businesses ... It costs
gas to run, and the people
running them eat food. We
have all of that right here in
our town.
“I know that Nashville, to
the east of us, has supported
this, and even taken it steps
farther than I’ve even
requested.”
Beck proposed the estab-
lishment of a committee to
further study the proposal.
Derek Saunders, who
owns a local Allstate insur-
ance agency in Middleville,
advocated for a dedicated
lane for ORVs that meets the
safety standards.
“What creating a lane for
an ORV would do would
give them in the wintertime a
place to go safely, with the
side-by-sides and the
four-wheelers ... Until that
happens, I don’t believethere’s anything that insur-
ance is going to get behind,”
Saunders said at the June 1
meeting.
Due to social distancing
requirements and physical
constraints at the Village
Hall, anyone wishing to
attend the June 22 meeting in
person must contact Village
Clerk Glorimar Ayala prior
to 4 p.m. that day to make
arrangements for participa-
tion.
Comments also may be
submitted via e-mail to Ayala
at ayalag@villageofmid-
dleville.org. E-mails received
prior to 5 p.m. on June 22 at
that address will be distribut-
ed to council members, and it
will be noted that those com-
ments were received by the
village prior to the meeting.How to increase Middleville’s popularity
To the editor:
To the community of
Middleville. I know most of
you would agree with me that
Middleville needs some dif-
ferent fast-food restaurants.
There are so many pizza
places and about two other
different kinds of restaurants.
I think that Middleville
should have some other fast-
food places like a Panda
Express, or maybe even a
Chick-fil-A.
Having some different
fast-food places also would
help the popularity of it.
Having a place to eat, like
Chick-fil-A, would bring a
lot more people into
Middleville. This would
increase traffic, but, with the
popularity of restaurants like
these, people would come
from Hastings and even
Caledonia just to eat there.
With more people coming
into Middleville, it also
would cause them to see
some of the other things in
Middleville and maybe even
increase the popularity of
other businesses here. Places
like the TK store and even
the thrift store on M-
would most likely gain morebusiness.
Increased popularity of
Middleville also would open
the eyes of other businesses
and make them more likely
to move new stores or even
other restaurants here. This
also would cause an increase
in available jobs in
Middleville with new busi-
nesses coming here, general-
ly helping Middleville
become an even more thriv-
ing community.
Trenton Farrow,
MiddlevilleLETTER TO THE EDITOR
Save A Lot upgrades Cutlerville store
A full renovation of the
Save A Lot discount grocery
store in Cutlerville is now
complete.
The Cutlerville location at
6718 S. Division Ave. is one
of three West Michigan-area
Save A Lot stores that have
been fully remodeled.
“We’re thrilled to be able
to bring upgrades to several
West Michigan-area Save A
Lot stores and enhance local
residents’ shopping experi-
ences the moment they step
foot into the store,” said John
Leppink, president of
Leppinks, Inc., which owns
and operates seven Save A
Lot locations across West
Michigan. “The newly mint-
ed stores provide a modern
aesthetic and an easi-
er-to-shop footprint, making
it seamless and more enjoy-
able for customers to shop
for grocery essentials and
quality fresh meat and pro-
duce they’ve come to
expect.”
Customers entering the
stores will notice a lighter,
brighter and easier-to-shop
footprint that includes new
décor, shorter aisles, updated
dairy and meat cases and new
exterior paint and signage, he
said.
The store fully reflects
Save A Lot’s new brand
image, providing a fresh look
and enhanced functionality,
according to Leppink.
”We’re delighted that the
West Michigan-area stores
are continuing to providecustomers with top-notch
service and an upgraded
shopping experience with
these new store remodels,”
Save A Lot chief executive
officer Kenneth McGrath
said.
Founded in 1977, Save A
Lot is one of the largest dis-
count grocery store chains in
the U.S. with approximately
1,000 stores in 32 states and
13 wholesale distribution
centers. The chain offers pri-
vate label brands, national
brand products, USDA-
inspected meat, farm-fresh
fruits and vegetables and
non-food items.
The Cutlerville Save A
Lot store is open daily from 8
a.m. to 9 p.m. every day.