The Journey to Western Michigan began September 18th with a potluck welcome dinner at one of the Western Michigan member’s lakeside homes. It was a lovely time to reconnect with friends who visited FFWNC in 2024, as well as an opportunity to make new friends.
It was a busy week, starting with a visit to see a miniature railroad set-up at one of the Western Michigan club member’s homes. We also saw the largest covered 
bridge in Michigan, followed by a delicious Amish lunch prepared by an Amish family. The family was very gracious and discussed their lifestyle with us. Then a visit to the Menno-Hof Museum.
The following day, we enjoyed a sand dune buggy ride and learned about the shifting dunes, which was followed by a sail on a tall ship on Lake Michigan. On Sunday, we met in Grand Rapids for a personal tour of the Art Prize Festival, hosted by a local Western Michigan club member who shared highlights of the city.
The Highlight of the journey shared by all of us ambassadors was volunteering at the Gleaners. We prepared over 6,000 pounds of potatoes for dehydration to send to countries in need. On the final journey day, we toured the Meyer May house, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and went on a tram tour of the Meijer Gardens, which was filed with sculptures and unique gardens..
The journey ended with a farewell breakfast and an impromptu musical event by Diane Tokarski (mountain dulcimer) and Paul Franklin, a fiddle player and member of the Western Michigan Club.
–Ellen Brazauskas & Ginger Zemp, Co-Journey Coordinators
You must be logged in to post a comment.