I’ve always thought that I knew South Haven quite well from our previous trips to the beach and anniversary jaunts spanning three decades.

Well, the beautiful resort surprised me and I fell in love with it all over again last weekend. I didn’t have the time to roam the beaches or to walk the busy streets in the festive downtown.

But, the eclectic mix of people who stopped at my booth during the 41st Blueberry Festival Craft Fair amazed me. We met a Turkish doctor who lives in Kalamazoo, an avid sailer Ladd with direct connection to Slovakia, literary event recruiters from Lawrence, a member of the famous Scott Club founded in 1883 and countless others.

The visitors to the Stanley Johnston Park near North Shore Drive ranged from non-readers to an avid reader who has already read 51 books as of January. So many people were up to speed in politics, that my Greenwich Meridian Memoir gained new momentum.

I got goose bumps when a lady from Dearborn informed about the current situation in both Dearborn and Hamtramack. She complained about the bells calling to prayer five times a day, and animal sacrifices in gardens.

On the other hand, I enjoyed the benefit of local people or transplants from Chicago, who either homestead in South Haven or had summer houses in the area. It felt like my book came alive with visitors turning in to its characters. A guy actually knew about the North Shore Dance Pavilion built in 1904. Another local man remembered when it was destroyed by fire in the sixties.

Then bizarre coincidences marked both days of the craft fair. A couple stopped by my booth. As I signed The Lost Town and The Quest for the Lost Town to Brenden, the dad said. “My son called me this morning and told me all about Singapore, and here you are selling books about The Lost Town of Singapore. That’s incredible.” My Greenwich Meridian Memoir went to the other son Ethan.

I was impressed how many people have heard the story about Singapore lying at the mouth of the Kalamazoo River by Saugatuck. They heard it from the guides on the Dune Rides and aboard the Star of Saugatuck.

The memoir attracted the attention of the young and the mature. So many visitors related to its content about living and escaping socialism from former Czechoslovakia to the U.S. “I can’t believe what’s going on in our country,” rezonated among visitors. “Everyone should read this.”

Some knew the mechanics of socialism– constantly waiting in lines for everything from meat to vegetables, cars and apartments. Your parents had to sign you up for a coop apartment at your birth, so you may have a place to hang your hat in twenty-some years.

Just like nothing is free in Waterworld, nothing was free in former Czechoslovakia either. Seemingly free education, resulted in low paying jobs and high taxes. The same goes for free health care for all.

Back to the craft fair and our amazing stay at the historic Kingsley House in Fennville. The village of Fennville is a location in both of my books in The Lost Town Trilogy. The protagonist Ethel is the dance maestra at the North Shore Dance Pavillion in South Haven. She lives at Peach Orchard Point near Fennville. Later, she transfers to the Big Pavilion in Saugatuck with 1,500 lights.

She is smitten by the other protagonist Art Wallace II as they embark on a journey to find the lost town of Singapore. Both books in the trilogy performed really great in South Haven. I sold a lot of book bundles to a lot of people.

We will be returning to South Haven for All Crafts Fair on Sept. 5 & 6. Come and see me in my booth no.78.

I can’t wait to return to the Kingsley House to stay in the Golden Delicious Chamber. The rooms were named as a tribute to Harvey Judson Kingsley who built the house in 1886 in Queen Anne Victorian style. Kingsley introduced apples to the Fennville area.

We stayed in the Cidar Nook Suite during our first visit. It was originally a wine cellar. The extensive remodel turned the wine cellar into a luxurious suite with a jacuzzi. The entire house was decked out with Victorian furniture. Olivia’s quiche was excellent even though I had to eat under the spruce trees at Stanley Johnston.

The Kingsley House is in close proximity to Fenn Valley Vineyards, Virtue Cidery and Crane Orchards.

The event closed down early due to a severe storm on Sunday afternoon. We headed out to the next location in the trilogy. Saugatuck was home to the Big Pavilion with 1,500 lights built by Fredrick Limouze of California in 1909.

Much like South Haven the resort was packed out as the rain pounded on the windshield. I could still see the gate to the Saugatuck Chain Ferry, a prominent location in both books. The only remaining hand cranked chain ferry in the United States is called Diane.

The Star of Saugatuck paddlewheel boat docks close by the Chain Ferry. A ride aboard double-deck sternwheeler past the old Singapore site helped me finish the sequel to The Lost Town.

Never underestimate the power of the actual physical locations of the scenes in your books.

Do videnia, Ladd.

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