Volume 1, Issue 13 AUGUST 25, 2023
Birch & Blossom brightens up Hart, places 2nd at Pitch North By Sharon Hallack The Oceana Echo Community Contributor
The 152nd Oceana County Fair’s track had another record-breaking year during the Mixed Colt Stakes Harness Racing event.
Gary Veurink remembered, Sally Veurink honored during harness racing at the Oceana County Fair By Stacia Erickson The Oceana Echo Community Contributor
PERMIT NO 62
PRE-SORTED STANDARD U.S. POSTAGE
RESIDENTIAL POSTAL CUSTOMER PAID ECRWSS BIG RAPIDS, MI 49307
Monday and Tuesday nights saw the Oceana County Fair once again host Michigan Harness Racing on its grounds. This fair is one of only a handful left across the state able to boast the honor of hosting such an event. Former Board of Directors Treasurer, the late Jerry Spencer, was a longtime fan of harness racing and helped keep harness racing alive in this county. The Oceana County Fair also credits an additional long-time fan and Racing Superintendent for many years for his support and dedication: Gary Veurink. Gary grew up in Sun, Mich., and attended Grant High School, where he was a star athlete as a running back on their winning football team and a state competitor in track. Gary, after his stint in the Army as a paratrooper, entered the Michigan State Police. After retiring from law enforcement, he began to follow another love—horse racing! In retirement, he spent 20 years raising, training and racing standardbred horses at tracks in Chicago, Detroit, Northville, Muskegon and also at fairs around the state. Gary oversaw the Oceana County Fair racing events for many years and was very much appreciated. Gary’s wife of 60 years, Sally, (pictured below) was honored at Monday’s Racing Grandstand event with words of appreciation from Fair Board President Paul Erickson. He cited Gary and Sally’s service to the community and especially to the Oceana County Fair. Erickson presented Sally with a lovely bouquet of a dozen roses on behalf of the Oceana County Fair Board of Directors. Gary and Sally had four children: Jon (Terri) Veurink, Gary (Shannon) Veurink, Julia (Kim) Loncar and Amy Veurink, along with eight grandchildren. • Stacia Erickson/Echo
He’s only four months into his new business, and already Noble Graham-Lattin, owner of Birch & Blossom flower shop in Hart, is on his way to making a name for himself. The store is filling a void the city has had for a long time, bringing fresh flowers, plants, unique gifts and easy craft activities to the community, while sharing some of its business philosophy along the way. In addition to getting this new business up and running, Graham-Lattin recently competed in the Pitch North competition, held in Fremont and hosted by the Right Place of Grand Rapids. He was elated to place second in the competition and receive $3,500 to expand the shop’s “Taste of Oceana” and “Taste of Michigan” gift crate product lines. The annual competition takes place in conjunction with the Newaygo, Oceana and Lake County Economic Development Alliances. “It’s a ‘Shark Tank-like’ feel,” Graham-Lattin said. Out of the 28 applications, they selected five finalists. You have five minutes to give your (business) pitch and take five minutes of questions (from the judges). This year’s finalists and their prize awards included: First Place: $5,000 Yatziry Ortega, Mi Tierra Mexico; Second Place: $3,500 Noble Graham-Lattin, Birch & Blossom; Third Place: $1,500 Jackie Dickinson, Straight Path Farms; Fourth Place: $1000 Ashley Agler, Mindful Trout and Fifth Place: $500 Brian Woods, Big Skinny’s of Hesperia. Volunteer judges for the event included Andrea Simon, owner of A New Era of Crafting and the 2022 first place winner; Jennifer Armstrong, loan officer for Lake-Osceola Bank; John Buckley, president & CEO of Gerber Federal Credit Union; Larry Yachcik, general manager of Waters Edge Golf Course; and Scott Beal, executive director of the Hart-Silver Lake Sand Dunes Area Chamber of Commerce. Birch & Blossom offers a large assortment of gift items created and produced by small “Michigan-makers.” Graham-Lattin’s goal is to help as many up-and-coming business entrepreneurs as he can. By joining Birch & Blossom, these makers can keep their start-up costs lower and focus on creating and growing their brand. “We’re not just selling products,” Graham-Lattin said. “We’re invested in helping small Michigan makers grow their businesses. Our philosophy is that as we build our business, we want to bring others along. We want to be a platform and help them get their name out there. I feel we need both commerce and community. If we focus on commerce, we can support the community we live in.”
Noble Graham-Lattin With his prize winnings, Graham-Lattin will have the funds needed to create one-of-a-kind gift baskets featuring a variety of small makers’ goods, along with some well-known Michigan brand items. “We’re finding that people put value on small batch production,” Graham-Lattin said. He is also working with the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) to “soup up” his website with hopes of being able to eventually offer online retail sales across the country as well. Graham-Lattin began his business career at McDonald’s at the age of 15, and by the age of 17, he was in the leadership program. After he graduated with a degree in Industrial Organizational Psychology, which he added is a fancy name for knowing how to assess business data, Graham-Lattin ended up working in business and retail management for 12 years. However, he found it wasn’t feeding his soul, and he missed being creative. He’d always enjoyed gardening and floral design, sharing many of his creations with others. By chance, one day he was asked by a friend to make a funeral arrangement. Before he knew it, he was taking orders and making floral arrangements on a regular basis. With this new business venture, Graham-Lattin wants people to feel welcome and at home, whether they are coming in for flowers, a gift, a craft activity or just to browse. “We want to be a place for gathering and a resource,” he said. “We offer items in a wide price range. We want to be accessible to everyone, no matter your taste or budget.” The Pitch North competition is made possible through the support of many area businesses and organizations. For a full list, please visit https://www.rightplace.org/news/ pitch-north-announces-winners-2. Birch & Blossom is located at 112 E. Main St. Suite 3 inside the Hegg’s Gallery of Fine Furniture building. For more information check out www. birchandblossomshoppe.com, Facebook and Instagram @birchandblossomshoppe or call 231-873-8588.