In The News

Any reason for Carter Oosterhouse to return to Michigan is a good one.

His latest trip to his home state Saturday morning ended up being a special occasion since it involved dedicating a new children’s playground at Windmill Island.

“I love any reason to get me back to Michigan,” said Oosterhouse, 36, a Traverse City native, who is host and producer of HGTV’s “Million Dollar Rooms” and the face of Voyage by Nautica men’s fragrance. “To do this was something special.”

The playground project was a collaborative effort between Oosterhouse’s foundation, Carter’s Kids, which erects one playground each month in the U.S., and Lake Michigan Credit Union. He is the statewide spokesperson for LMCU.

The City of Holland donated the land for the playground.

It was manufactured by Sinclair Recreation of Holland, which supplies the equipment for all of Carter’s Kids playgrounds, and installed by 37 volunteers from LMCU’s staff.

“It was not part of the initial plan,” Holland Mayor Kurt Dykstra said, “but when we heard about this opportunity, I was ecstatic. Putting this playground in this park helps bring families to this park more than anything else we could do.

“I’m really happy with the way it turned out.”

Dykstra and 2nd District U.S. Rep. Bill Huizenga, R-Zeeland, participated in a ribbon-cutting ceremony with Oosterhouse before turning loose a swarm of kids on the playground.

“As the father of five kids, I know how important places like this are in the community. It just becomes a gathering spot,” he said.

The project got an enthusiastic thumbs-up from LMCU officials.

“I think it’s awesome because it’s so bright and it really fits with the island,” said Jeremiah Kossen, vice president of operations. “We started scouting locations here in Holland, and the playground builders are located right here in Holland.

“They told me they’ve wanted to build one here for 10 years.”

The Carter’s Kids playgrounds first began being installed in 2008.

It is an effort Oosterhouse plans to continue at the rate of one per month. He thanked organizers for making his first visit to Windmill Island such a pleasant experience.

He and his wife, actress Amy Smart, live in Los Angeles, but Oosterhouse insisted he plans to retire to Michigan in the future. He and his brother, he added, are preparing to open a winery in Traverse City, which should help him get back home more often.

“It’s extremely important to me to do projects in Michigan,” he said. “My Dutch roots. I’ve never been to the island before, but this is great. The kids are naturally going to be attracted to this playground. It’s going to be here for a very long time.”