INSIDE
: Float-a-Palooza returns to White Lake
REFLECTIONS OF OUR COMMUNITY
Volume 3, Issue 14 August 29, 2025 Total Raised: $69,715 Lead this Legacy SUBSCRIPTIONS AVAILABLE
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Celebrating over 1,500,000 issues delivered! Help us keep the Echo coming to your door using Zeffy.com By Sharon Hallack The Oceana Echo Community Correspondent Our “Lead This Legacy” fundraising initiative continues at Echo Publishing Inc. (EPI). As we work toward raising $250,000 (the approximate printing and postage costs for one year of publication) EPI now has another way for readers of The Oceana Echo and White Lake Mirror to give and keep these free weekly
newspapers going to every boxholder in Oceana County Zeffy.com! Zeffy is the only 100 percent free fundraising platform in the U.S. With just a few clicks readers are able to designate a donation amount and receive an emailed tax-deductible receipt. Donors are welcome to leave a tip, which will keep Zeffy.com going, however, tips are not required to make donations. A $100 donation provides
the Echo/Mirror to three households a year; a $500 donation provides the Echo/Mirror to 15 households a year; a $1,000 donation helps our writers to bring more local news to our community; and $4,000 covers the printing and postage cost of one issue of the Echo/Mirror newspaper. Echo Publishing Inc., (EPI) mission is to serve the residents and visitors of Oceana and Northern Muskegon counties by providing a free
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Large Market auction brings in almost $390K at 154th Oceana County Fair By Sharon Hallack
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Office Manager. “Kids did very well, and buyers The Oceana Echo Community Correspondent truly supported the program.” The Oceana Echo It was one for the record books when looking would like to recognize back over this past week’s and thank each 4-H large and small market member (and their leadanimal auctions at the ers) who took the time 2025 Oceana County Fair. and responsibility to raise The Large Market auc- animals for this year’s fair. tion grossed $389,798.70. We would also like to exThe Junior Market and press appreciation to evSmall Market auction ery bidder, buyer, parent, and behind the scenes ingrossed $41,675.78. “We had a record year dividual who participatfor this auction,” said ed in each of the respecKathryn Walicki, MSU Ex- tive animal projects and tension District Support/ auctions as well. It takes a community to pull off something of this magnitude every August. Top honors went to the Grand and Reserve Grand Champions in Market as well as in Showmanship and allowed them to go through the show ring ahead of everyone else in their division. But no matter where each 4-Her placed, the community concurs, a good time was had by all. In the Goats, the Grand Champion Goat raised by Jonathan VanderNaalt sold for $15/ lb. The Reserve Grand Champion Goat raised by Lillian Wasson sold for $15/lb. Gross auction sales for the only two goats on the auction totalled $2,955. In the Lambs division, the Grand Champion Lamb was raised by Gentry Monroe and sold for $26/lb. The Re-
• Contributed Photo by Calvin Roskam
serve Grand Champion Lamb was raised by Garrett Birkhofer and sold for $7.50/lb. Gross auction proceeds for lambs totalled $16,727.50. With the highest price paid per pound at $26 and the lowest price per pound at $5, the average price per pound paid was $9.87/lb. In Cattle, selling her steer for $4.05/lb. was the Grand Champion Beef raised by Mary Bisard. The Reserve Grand Champion Beef raised by Jayna Burmeister sold for $4.60/lb. Gross auction proceeds for steers totalled $250,979.70. The highest per pound paid was $6.05/lb and the lowest was $3.60/lb, for an average of $4.53/lb. For Swine, the Grand Champion Swine was raised by Bristol Dickman and sold for $12/lb. The
Reserve Grand Champion Swine was raised by Trenton Schmieding and sold for $8.50/lb. Overall swine sales totalled $119,136.50. The highest bidder paid $23.50/lb, while $6.00/lb was the lowest price per pound paid, making the average in this division $9.99/lb. Together both the Junior Market and Small Market auctions grossed $51,675.78. In the Junior Market division, the Junior Market Grand Champion Chicken was raised by Merrie Rycenga. The Junior Market Grand Champion Goat was raised by Octavia Falan, and the Junior Market Reserve Grand Champion Goat was raised by Olive Currier. The average price paid per pound was
$14.56. The Grand Champion Junior Market Feeder Calf was raised by Colton Alvesteffer and the Reserve Grand Champion Junior Market Feeder Calf was raised by Thomas Merten. The average price per pound for all junior market feeder calves was $7.25. The Grand Champion Junior Goose was raised by Tucker Sawdy and sold for $17/lb while the Grand Champion Junior Market Duck, raised by Merrie Rycenga, was sold for $42/lb. The Grand Champion Junior Market Rabbit was raised by Emily VanderNaalt and the Reserve Grand Champion Junior Market Rabbit was raised by Ella VanderNaalt. The average price per pound for junior market rabbits
was $17.50. The Grand Champion Small Market Chickens were raised by Juliet Koegel and Reserve Grand Champion Small Market Chickens were raised by Alivia Jacobson. The average price per pound for small market chickens was $13.75. The Grand Champion Small Market Feeder Calf was raised by Tori Alvesteffer. The Reserve Grand Champion Small Market Feeder Calf was raised by Aspen Alvesteffer. The average price per pound for all small market feeder calves was $6.63. This year’s Grand Champion Small Market Turkey was raised by Audrey Parks and sold for $26/lb. The Grand Champion Small Market Rabbit was raised by Jayden Miller, and the Reserve Grand Champion Small Market Rabbit was raised by Asher Sorenson. The average price paid per pound in the small market rabbit division was $21.33. Be sure to check out advertising in the upcoming weeks of The Oceana Echo, which will feature the area’s many 4-Hers and to find out who bought what. Again, congratulations and thank you all! Auctioneering services for this year’s animal project auctions were provided by Miedema Auction Services.