Once we finally installed our new air conditioner and spent a glorious week basking in the luxury of shore power, we knew our time in Oriental was ticking down. But the town had other plans and kept drawing us in…

The story goes that a part-time resident of Oriental was pondering how to celebrate New Year’s Eve in Oriental. Given the town’s name, he figured a dragon should be involved. The welcoming nature of the town to the “first” dragon led to more and more dragons popping up. You’ll see them all over town, and some of the dragon eggs have been officially marked as nesting grounds to help protect this legendary creature. So we went on a hunt to discover as many dragons as we could!

The Zeeland Historical Society recently shared a fascinating piece of our hometown’s history, detailing the arduous journey of our founders from the Netherlands to Michigan. This story resonates deeply with me, especially after my family’s recent travels along a similar route.