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)?

School Boy AllanO

School Boy Allan O

Mother June taught at Lincoln Elementary in the South Haven system.  Allan attended the Fennville schools.  Summers were times for hard work.  Albert took charge of the farm in 1961 and bought the first cherry shaker in 1970.  Allan remembers he, his Dad (Albert), and a crew would shake their tart cherries and the orchards of others during most of the month of July.  That was a rush rush hot hot harvest time.  August was the peach harvest month then back to school.  He belonged to a 4 H club, church group, and spent lots of time with his older cousin Scott Evans.  When Martin and Chuck's kids would come to visit Allan was the activities director and tried to keep the snowmobiles and horses running.

In 1974- 75 Allan's class was split into two sessions because a new high school was being built.  It was a fun time with classes in the morning and golf in the afternoons.  Cousin Scott's class was the first to graduate from the new high school building.  In high school, Allan played basketball and baseball for 4 years, golf for 3 years and football for 1 year.  In 1976 Mom and Dad bought a newish Chevy from Uncle Dutch (Ralph) Evans.  Allan (age 16) was given the family car (1970 Chevy Bell Air) to drive.  Of course, Allan had been driving farm equipment and play equipment most of his life.  Kim Myers was in Allan's class and they started dating their senior year.  Tune in next month and learn if that romance flourishes. 

At The Farm July 5, 2012

Remember, no u-pick this summer.  The sour cherries that survived the freeze are being pitted and will be available fresh this weekend (July 6-8) and then frozen pitted tart cherries will be available as long as they last.  There will be some peaches for sale at the retail building starting the end of July.  Plans are to be open weekends (Fri, Sat & Sun) for most of the growing season.  The animal barn is stocked and fruit and vegetables will be for sale at the stand.

Because of the frozen harvest, the farm is receiving the best most complete trimming it has ever had.  Allan's smaller than normal summer crew will also be working on several deferred maintenance and improvement projects.  The kids are playing sports and working on the farm.