Two sports new to the Spring Lake Heritage Festival lineup were introduced to participants in Central Park Saturday morning. Around 40 people gathered at the tennis courts in Central Park for an of Pickleball, said Jimmy O'Hearn, who gave the demonstration. Some stayed and played a few rounds of the game while, in the baseball diamond nearby, a group of people clad in kilts played an entirely different sport - the sheaf throw.

The country's flag was honored and later burned Tuesday evening at separate ceremonies in Grand Haven. The local Elks Lodge, joined by members of the American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars posts in Grand Haven, held its annual Flag Day observance at Waterfront Stadium.

Stepping under a sign that read "On the Banks of LaGrande Riviere' transported visitors 300 years back in time. Harbor Island was transformed Saturday with military tents, wooden furniture, campfires and re-enactors dressed in period attire - all reflecting the 18th century-era of the Tri-Cities area. The 11th annual Feast of the Strawberry Moon drew thousands of visitors.

A crowd of children danced in front of the stage of Grand Haven Christian School's cafeteria as a local school band performed for the school's Community Picnic and Concert on Friday night.

As we wove our way through a mass of red, white and blue-clad humanity following the United States' 2-0 win over Canada in the Gold Cup opener at Ford Field on Tuesday, my friend had a dazed look on his face. "Are you OK,' I asked. "Oh yeah,' he said in a dream-like voice, looking around at the thousands of soccer-crazed U.S. supporters. "This is how soccer should be.' ---

At the base of the flagpole outside of Spring Lake High School, under Sunday afternoon's sweltering sun, 193 students tossed their graduation caps into the air for their last act as seniors. The SLHS Class of 2011 graduated Sunday in a ceremony in the school's gymnasium. The bleachers were packed with family and friends, who watched as the seniors walked into the gym through two different doors. The two lines - one of boys and the other of girls - met in the center and exchanged hugs.

Spring Lake pitcher Sam Weerstra's range of emotions went from tears of sorrow to tears of jubilation within a few seconds, all because of a controversial ending to the Lakers' Division 2 district softball championship game against Orchard View on Saturday. With Spring Lake clinging to a 5-4 lead with two outs in the top of the seventh inning at Wanrooy Field, Orchard View junior standout Megan Vanderal stepped up to the plate and smashed a two-run home run deep over the left field fence off of Weerstra, giving the Cardinals an apparent 6-5 lead.

As the sun slid behind the trees west of Grand Haven High School on Thursday evening, 373 of the school's students went from being seniors to alumni. The high school's 135th commencement exercises were held in Buccaneer Stadium under a brilliant blue sky. Parents, friends and family filled the home team stands to watch the new graduates accept their diplomas. Before that, students heard from school and district administrators, and a few of their classmates.