Volume 1, Issue 4 JUNE 23, 2023
Chuck and Janet Strahan hold up a beam from 1882 they found in their historic Pentwater home. • Ron Beeber/Echo
increases safety oversight and protocols at this year’s music festival
Pentwater couple finds old, dated Electric Forest began yesterday and is currently sending out its usual display of colors, music and more in Rothbury. The festival is taking place from June 22and has increased security after the tragic events near the Beyond Wonderland beam in their 100-year-old home 25music festival at The Gorge Amphitheater in George, Wash., June 17. By Ron Beeber
The Oceana Echo Volunteer Correspondent Janet and Chuck Strahan were cleaning out the crawl space under their 6th Street home when they came across a partly scorched, 17-foot wood beam with the date of “April 16th 1882” clearly engraved. That’s about 30 years after the first settlers of European ancestry began settling in Pentwater. Other letters engraved on the beam include a “J,” either a “T” or an “F,” a “T,” and an “I.” A few others are more difficult to make out -- maybe a C - K - I - E - R. And below them could be the letters F - I – S. The Strahan’s believe the beam was repurposed from some earlier structure elsewhere in the Village and made part of their home’s original foundation.
Two people lost their lives and others were injured during a shooting at a nearby campground. Electric Forest organizers issued the following statement on Facebook, “The tragic event at The Gorge is heartbreaking. We send our condolences to everyone that has been impacted by this terrible incident. “We want to reassure you that HQ works year-round with large-scale event security professionals, including Michigan State Police and local law enforcement agencies, (as well as the) FBI, to provide a safe environment for our patrons, staff and artists. We have been in detailed discussions with these teams over the last 24 hours for increased safety oversight and protocols. This presence will be visible to all attendees throughout the festival site and campgrounds. “In addition, we will have specialized Festival K9 Units on site. These highly trained dogs and their skilled handlers have undergone rigorous training in firearm detection amidst a large crowd and in challenging environmental conditions. “Everyone onsite plays an important role in our safety. We support the importance of the mantra ‘SEE SOMETHING, SAY SOMETHING.’ Please contact a member of the security team or festival staff member (who can be found at your nearest Neighborhood Pod or Info Booth and throughout the entire site) immediately in the event of suspicious activity, behavior, or any action by an individual that raises concern.”
Crystal Township unveils preliminary master plan for park By Paul Erickson
PERMIT NO 62
PRE-SORTED STANDARD U.S. POSTAGE
RESIDENTIAL POSTAL CUSTOMER PAID ECRWSS BIG RAPIDS, MI 49307
jor improvements to the Crystal Valley County The Oceana Echo Volunteer Correspondent Park at its June 19 meeting Supervisor Lee HysThe Crystal Township lop presented the renderBoard unveiled prelimiing, which can be seen nary plans to make maat right, created by Pam Blough of PM Blough/ PLaCE Studios of Grand Haven. Community input and collaboration with John Wilson, of Oceana County Parks, will be used in a SPARK Grant application to the State of Michigan. This grant application will be for up to $1 million in funding, without any match required. The park has been the center of efforts to save the 1937 WPA Dam, which is in need of repair and maintenance. WPA stands for Works Progress Administration, which was renamed in 1939 as the Work Projects Administration. The WPA was part of the American
New Deal agency that helped employ millions to complete public works projects. Oceana County owns
the dam, and is working with James Tiffany P.E., to complete the required repairs the Michigan Department of Environ-
ment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) has identified. This grant request is the concerted effort of Crystal Township, Ocea-
na County Parks and Oceana County. For more information on this project, please visit crystaltownship.org.