If I had a Million Dollars

If I had a dollar for every time I've said that - I'd have a million dollars for sure! 

While surfing Craigslist (a dangerous thing to be sure - I was looking for a pink stove) I came across a listing for Deer Forest in Coloma. It's for sale, again.

Deer Forest, if you're not from Michigan and have never been to this particular location, holds a special place in my heart. My first exposure to Deer Forest came when we lived in Marcellus and my parents decided to take us to "Deer Park Funland". Deer Park Funland has since become Michigan Adventure. It has rollercoasters, etc. - Michigan's smaller version of Cedar Point or Six Flags. Deer Park Funland is in Muskegon, Michigan.

Instead, my Dad headed to Deer Forest, in Coloma, Michigan. 

Imagine our surprise when we pulled up expecting to be greeted by rollercoasters and rides galore. Instead, it's the small Mom & Pop tourist location where you can (as the advertising jingle says "feed the deer, ride the ponies, feed the deer & ride the train"). Needless to say, this wasn't our plan. Some tense "marital moments" later, Dad figured out where we were supposed to go and we made the trip north to Muskegon to Deer Park Funland - where we had a wonderful day despite our detour.

Some years later we moved closer to Coloma. Their catchy jingle would play in the radio, bringing back memories of that first visit. 

Move forward more years to 2001. While visiting my family who still lives in the area, we decided to take the kids to Deer Forest.

It was a sad place. WAY too many deer who rushed the fences when you approached making you feel like they were going to bust through the fence and stampede your child into the mud. Storybook Lane needed a repaint, and the animals were sad and lethargic. The whole place had an air of neglect and looked like a remnant of its former glory.

However, the kids didn't see it that way. We fed the deer, rode the train, took goofy pictures, rode the very scary ferris wheel (I have heard the ferris wheel and train have been sold - shame) and other rides. The kids had a blast. And, in the end, we enjoyed it too once we saw it through their eyes.

So, in a perfect world, I'd buy Deer Forest and bring it back to what it should be. Golly, there'd even be room for a nifty vintage trailer park. We could sell Vroomers slippers in the gift shop. We could host car shows in the parking lot with admission to the park. And, generations could continue to bring their kids to the place that they remember from their childhood. A small, local neighborhood attraction where you can let the world pass you by for a while and simply enjoy being together. A day of fun. Now, where's that winning lotto ticket?