INSIDE
: Local students win big at Ride with Pride
REFLECTIONS OF OUR COMMUNITY
Volume 3, Issue 51 May 15, 2026
Total Raised: $113,669 Lead this Legacy SUBSCRIPTIONS AVAILABLE
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YOUR YOUR LOCALLY LOCALLY OWNED OWNED ANDAND OPERATED OPERATED NONPROFIT NONPROFIT NEWS NEWS SOURCE SOURCE YOUR LOCALLY OWNED AND OPERATED NONPROFIT NEWS SOURCE Thank you to our most recent donors to our Lead this Legacy Fundraising Campaign READER:
James & Lavonne Curtis Arlene Davey-Bromley
Gene Carignan Thomas Owczarski
Greg & Ruth Jacobs Marty Hayden
Charles Highland PAPERBOY: Nancy Reschke (Trust)
HHS Tractor Day sees highest participation to date By Sharon Hallack The Oceana Echo Community Correspondent Bodey Lawler
Kloe Graham
Casey Lamblin
By Sharon Hallack
• Kloe Graham of Hesperia High School took first place in the Literary Arts category for her collection of poetry, “After Gold Whispers," “Through the Wilderness” and “Sugared Laughter." Both Lawler and Graham were awarded $1,000 each. • Casey Lamblin of Shelby High School took third place in the Solo Music category for his piano performance of “Clair de Lune” and received a $300 award. Other area students who participated in this year’s showcase were: • In the Performing Arts category, Hannah Hiddema and Christopher Hiddema of Hesperia High School, performed a vocal duet of “Anything You Can Do” by Irving Berlin from the musical "Annie Get Your Gun"; and the quartet of Joselyn Calixto Sanchez, Adelide Fleming, Michael Neino and Cael Omness of Shelby High School performed “Bare Neces-
sities” by Rolland Kernen. • In the Visual Arts category, Emma Smith of Shelby entered her artwork titled “Metamorphosis” done in oil; while Jane Howard of Pentwater High School entered her artwork done in graphite, titled "Perspective." • In the Literary Arts category, Olivia Dykstra of Shelby High School entered her pieces titled "Four Hours" and “Pinatas in My Pocket," and Emma Werkema-Grondsma of Pentwater High School submitted her piece titled "Whose Land." To view the program and find links for viewing each submission, please visit https:// www.westmishowcase. org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Showcase-2026-Program.pdf The Oceana Echo extends its thanks and congratulations to every participant who represented their schools and Oceana County with excellence this year!
Oceana schools represented across multiple categories at 45th Annual West Michigan Showcase The Oceana Echo Community Correspondent
PERMIT NO 62
RESIDENTIAL RESIDENTIAL POSTALCUSTOMER CUSTOMER POSTAL ECRWSS ECRWSS
PRSRT STANDARD PRSRT STANDARD NON PROFIT NON PROFIT U.S. POSTAGEU.S. POSTAGE PAID PAID
BIG RAPIDS, MI 49307 BIG PERMIT NO 62RAPIDS, MI 49307
Oceana County had a strong showing at the 45th Annual West Michigan Showcase held in March at the Frauenthal Center in Muskegon. The following students performed and placed at the 45th Annual West Michigan Showcase: • Bodey Lawler of Pentwater High School took first place in the Digital Arts category award for his short film, "Who We Are." This award-winning short film is on display in a loop at the West Shore Community College’s Mannier Dawson Art Gallery for the month of May.
Under sunny skies and unexpected 70-degree weather, Hart High School celebrated their annual Tractor Day, Thursday, April 23, providing a variety of activities for students across the district. In the morning, the annual tractor parade looped through campus with students from across the district in attendance. “This year’s parade saw 24 participants, the most we have had yet,” HHS teacher and organizer Kristie DeVries said. According to DeVries, the High School Leadership class led three separate activities for students from Diman-Wolf and Spitler Elementary in the morning, which included touring the tractors, doing a seed-planting activity and visiting the petting zoo. In the afternoon high school students attended a brief assembly where a Tractor Day video, created by the media class, was shared and tractor awards, voted on by all of the drivers in the parade, were handed out. Following the assembly, high school students rotated between three different activities. Three local speakers, Gerrit Herrygers, Gary Nienhuis and a representative from Paradise Ranch, shared about their respective agriculture-related career fields in the main gym. A mini informational fair held in the auxiliary gym featured Shelby State Bank, the Hart Rotary Club, NAF Asparagus Queen, Gray and Company, the 4-H MSU Extension Office, Birch & Blossom, and Grace Adventures Paradise Ranch. Students were able to con• Sharon Hallack/Echo nect with each community stakeholder represented to learn more about what nearly an hour outside playing yard they do. games and participating in friendly Lastly, students were able to spend competition through various activities.
• Sharon Hallack/Echo
Hart Hills Gravel Road Race rolls through Oceana By Sharon Hallack
Road Race held last Saturday saw 323 registered The Oceana Echo Community Correspondent participants and hundreds of spectators! RidThe Hart Hills Gravel ers were able to choose
between four courses: 13, 25, 35 and 55 miles each. Ride times averaged 39:42 to 1:48:29 for the 13-mile course; 1:14:37 to 2:34:30
for the 25-mile course; 1:59:25 to 3:57:04 for the 35-mile course; and 2:43:11 to 5:17:06 for the 55-mile course. All ages,
types of bikes and experience levels were welcome and participants enjoyed a great day riding Oceana County’s gravel roads.