Monday, September 24, 2012

Allan and Kim Tie Knot - 1982

Allan and Kim Tie Knot - 1982
Kim Myers and Allan Overhiser were both 1978 Fennville grads.  They started dating their junior year.  Kim was a cheerleader for Allan's basketball team.  Kim played basketball, softball and tennis.  Kim was good at math and worked as a bank teller in the fall of '78 before starting at Western Michigan University (WMU).  She started out in computer science and then switched to accounting.  Allan had started at WMU in the fall of '78.  In Allan's second year he selected agribusiness as a major after thinking he might want to work the family farm.  College weekends were spent at home doing laundry and loading up with meals for the week.  Summers 79, 80 and  81 Allan helped Dad (Albert) run the farm.
 
1982 was a very busy year.  Mom retired from teaching at South Haven.  Kim and Allan graduated from WMU.  Allan continued his on the job training with dad and then there was the September 25th wedding.  It was at the Douglas Community Church with a reception at the St Peters Catholic Church Reception Hall.  It was a very festive gathering of family and friends 30 years ago.

Grandma Edna had been widowed in 1969 and continued to live in the house on the original farmstead.  Allan and Kim moved into a mobile home just east of Edna's house.  The mobile home was located on the site of the 1860s house that Henry built.  It was very beneficial for Edna to have care givers on call.  Allan and Kim very much enjoyed having always happy Edna to "look after".

Allan and Albert worked the farm and Kim worked at Fleming Brother's Oil Company and later at DuWell in Bangor.  This was following in the footsteps of mom having the regular job (teaching) while Albert farmed and made money some years.  In 1984 a farm partnership was formed between Albert/June and Allan/Kim.  On the last day of August that same year a hail storm destroyed the peaches that had not been picked as well as all the plums and apples.  The farm did not have any crop insurance so it was a lean year financially.  The 2012 total freeze killing of all the fruit was similar to the 1945 freeze.


At The Farm September 24, 2012
The retail building and animal barn will be open 9 to 5 Friday, Saturday and Sunday through the end of October.  One major farm improvement has just been completed. The pond on the original farm had dried up so it was mowed and then dredged.  Water is filling in the pond that will be stocked with fish.  A boat and dock may be coming soon.

Adam and Alex are playing soccer and Kortny and Kelsy are playing volleyball.  The quads are all in the marching band which keeps Kim and Grandma Meyers busy altering uniforms.  Aaron is playing tackle on the football team but can not wait for basketball season to get started.  He is tall and still growing.  Will he be taller than 6' 4" uncle Tobe (Edna's brother)?