Hundreds Gather For DeZwaan Celebration

HOLLAND, MI (WHTC) – The 50^th anniversary season of Windmill Island Gardens is underway. Hundreds flocked to the island on Saturday to mark the golden anniversary of the dedication of the DeZwaan windmill. It was April 1965 when DeZwaan was dedicated in a ceremony that included Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands and Michigan Governor George Romney. Holland native Larry Wagenaar, who is executive director of the Historical Society of Michigan, says the windmill would never have come to Holland without the tireless efforts of local historian and Dutch-American advocate Willard Wichers. Wagenaar says Wichers succeeded in negotiating with the Dutch government in allowing DeZwaan to come to Holland after it had decided it would not allow any more windmills to leave the country.Holland Mayor Kurt Dykstra says it would be hard to imagine the city without DeZwaan. The windmill underwent a major renovation project that was completed early last year after a crack was found across its cap. Saturday also marked the unveiling of a new book depicting DeZwaan’s history, written by Alisa Crawford, the island’s events director and miller at DeZwaan. Royalties from the sale of the book will go toward an endowment for DeZwaan through the Community Foundation of the Holland/Zeeland Area.