| General Non-Fiction posted August 29, 2023 |
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A town with old-fashioned values.
A Peaceful Town
by prettybluebirds
Growing up in the town of Shelby, Michigan, in Oceana County, was a wonderful experience. The town was, and still is, small and quiet, with a population of around three thousand. Rolling hills surround the town, and in the springtime, a person can almost get a beauty overload when orchards of cherry, apple, and peach trees burst into bloom. The autumn colors are fantastic, too. The woodlands consist of primarily maple trees with sumac thrown in to add a touch of gold. Color tours often find their way to Shelby, where they might visit some of the local eateries like the Brown Bear Tavern, known for its huge burgers, or the Country Dairy Restaurant, which serves homemade ice cream made from the cream of their own cows. And, of course, I must include Debbie's Restaurant on the main street, a place where some of my family meet every weekend to eat.
It's only a short drive from Shelby to Lake Michigan, Silver Lake, and the dunes, where one can find various forms of recreation. There is a lovely park at Silver Lake with public access if boating or water skiing is your pleasure. Mac Woods Dune Rides offers thrilling trips on the rolling hills of the dunes. There is horseback riding at Rainbow Ranch and numerous hiking trails and camping areas for nature lovers. One exciting feature in Shelby is the old railroad track that the township paved and converted into a bike trail. It provides miles of cycling through the surrounding countryside.
Oceana County is known for its asparagus and cherry crops. My father owned a fruit farm, which he sold to my brother, Louis, and it is now a Centennial farm. My siblings and I, grew up working on the farm where we picked cherries with ladders into boxes called lugs. We got paid by the lug, the same as the Mexicans my dad hired. The work was hard on those hot summer days, but we thought nothing of it. It was the way things were done in those days. In the fifties, it took two weeks and twenty workers to harvest the fruit; now, modern machinery shakes the cherries, and it only takes a couple of days and six people to complete the harvest. The same applies to asparagus picking. Workers used to trudge across the fields carrying a heavy sack and bending over to pick. Now, they ride on canvas-covered vehicles to protect them from the sun and rain. It's still back-breaking work because even though the pickers ride a low-slung device, they must constantly bend over to pick the asparagus.
Every spring, an asparagus parade occurs, and some lucky teenage girl is elected to be the Asparagus Queen for the following year. The parade switches off between Shelby and the nearby town of Hart. Hart hosted the event this year, and it will be in Shelby next spring. It is a fun time for everyone, with craft shows and flea markets to enjoy after the parade.
A freeway, U.S. 31, runs west of Shelby. I can recall when the original highway wasn't much more than a paved two-track road. Then it moved east of Shelby but was still only two lanes, only vastly improved. Later, in the early seventies, construction began on a four-lane highway a few miles west of Shelby. The freeway was a much-needed improvement, with traffic increasing every year, but it destroyed some of the best mushroom-picking areas in the county.
There have been some changes in Shelby since I grew up there in the fifties. Modern classrooms have replaced the three-story, red-brick high school I attended, and a short distance north of town, Peterson Farms built a colossal processing plant that covers several acres. The processing plant created a need for worker housing, both seasonal and permanent, so there are several areas with units built for that purpose. Also, Mercy Health erected a small hospital on the south side of Shelby. It was a much-needed improvement because after Hart Hospital closed, the nearest hospital was in Grand Rapids or Muskegon, some forty miles away. But chiefly, Shelby has remained unchanged despite tourism and the addition of Peterson Farms. Main Street still has the same buildings I remember as a child, and the lovely old homes, some three-story, still grace the town. Cherry Hill Grocery, where my mother bought groceries, is the same except for the addition of freezers and computerized checkouts. There are still only two checkouts in the exact location they always were. Three beautiful old churches that existed long before my time still welcome all who care to worship.
The town of Shelby is close to several major recreational areas yet retains its old-world charm, and the long-term residents are friendly and welcome new folks into their midst. Because it is a farm-based community, the big end of the population lives in the surrounding countryside, and the town remains relatively small. If you are looking for a peaceful, beautiful place to live, Shelby, Michigan, just might be the answer to your dreams.
A Tribute to Your Home Town contest entry
Growing up in the town of Shelby, Michigan, in Oceana County, was a wonderful experience. The town was, and still is, small and quiet, with a population of around three thousand. Rolling hills surround the town, and in the springtime, a person can almost get a beauty overload when orchards of cherry, apple, and peach trees burst into bloom. The autumn colors are fantastic, too. The woodlands consist of primarily maple trees with sumac thrown in to add a touch of gold. Color tours often find their way to Shelby, where they might visit some of the local eateries like the Brown Bear Tavern, known for its huge burgers, or the Country Dairy Restaurant, which serves homemade ice cream made from the cream of their own cows. And, of course, I must include Debbie's Restaurant on the main street, a place where some of my family meet every weekend to eat.
It's only a short drive from Shelby to Lake Michigan, Silver Lake, and the dunes, where one can find various forms of recreation. There is a lovely park at Silver Lake with public access if boating or water skiing is your pleasure. Mac Woods Dune Rides offers thrilling trips on the rolling hills of the dunes. There is horseback riding at Rainbow Ranch and numerous hiking trails and camping areas for nature lovers. One exciting feature in Shelby is the old railroad track that the township paved and converted into a bike trail. It provides miles of cycling through the surrounding countryside.
Oceana County is known for its asparagus and cherry crops. My father owned a fruit farm, which he sold to my brother, Louis, and it is now a Centennial farm. My siblings and I, grew up working on the farm where we picked cherries with ladders into boxes called lugs. We got paid by the lug, the same as the Mexicans my dad hired. The work was hard on those hot summer days, but we thought nothing of it. It was the way things were done in those days. In the fifties, it took two weeks and twenty workers to harvest the fruit; now, modern machinery shakes the cherries, and it only takes a couple of days and six people to complete the harvest. The same applies to asparagus picking. Workers used to trudge across the fields carrying a heavy sack and bending over to pick. Now, they ride on canvas-covered vehicles to protect them from the sun and rain. It's still back-breaking work because even though the pickers ride a low-slung device, they must constantly bend over to pick the asparagus.
Every spring, an asparagus parade occurs, and some lucky teenage girl is elected to be the Asparagus Queen for the following year. The parade switches off between Shelby and the nearby town of Hart. Hart hosted the event this year, and it will be in Shelby next spring. It is a fun time for everyone, with craft shows and flea markets to enjoy after the parade.
A freeway, U.S. 31, runs west of Shelby. I can recall when the original highway wasn't much more than a paved two-track road. Then it moved east of Shelby but was still only two lanes, only vastly improved. Later, in the early seventies, construction began on a four-lane highway a few miles west of Shelby. The freeway was a much-needed improvement, with traffic increasing every year, but it destroyed some of the best mushroom-picking areas in the county.
There have been some changes in Shelby since I grew up there in the fifties. Modern classrooms have replaced the three-story, red-brick high school I attended, and a short distance north of town, Peterson Farms built a colossal processing plant that covers several acres. The processing plant created a need for worker housing, both seasonal and permanent, so there are several areas with units built for that purpose. Also, Mercy Health erected a small hospital on the south side of Shelby. It was a much-needed improvement because after Hart Hospital closed, the nearest hospital was in Grand Rapids or Muskegon, some forty miles away. But chiefly, Shelby has remained unchanged despite tourism and the addition of Peterson Farms. Main Street still has the same buildings I remember as a child, and the lovely old homes, some three-story, still grace the town. Cherry Hill Grocery, where my mother bought groceries, is the same except for the addition of freezers and computerized checkouts. There are still only two checkouts in the exact location they always were. Three beautiful old churches that existed long before my time still welcome all who care to worship.
The town of Shelby is close to several major recreational areas yet retains its old-world charm, and the long-term residents are friendly and welcome new folks into their midst. Because it is a farm-based community, the big end of the population lives in the surrounding countryside, and the town remains relatively small. If you are looking for a peaceful, beautiful place to live, Shelby, Michigan, just might be the answer to your dreams.
 Recognized |
All of my family, except me, eventually returned to Shelby to live. I only live about a half-hour drive away and will probably go back to Shelby too one day.
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