By Joanne Bailey-Boorsma
joanne@wktv.org
When Dan Sippel would visit Dan Verhil at the One Trick Pony, he would make a point about asking about an old blue, yellow, and white West Michigan Tourist Association sign.
“He would always ask me when I was going to give it back,” said Verhil about Sippel, the CEO/executive director for the West Michigan Tourist Association (WMTA), who admitted that he figured one day he would return the 1930s sign to the the organization.
After more than 40 years in the restaurant business, as owner of the Cottage Park and One Trick Pony, Verhil decided to retire in 2021, and upon his retirement, returned the 1930s sign back to the tourism advocacy group.
A precursor to Travel Michigan and the Pure Michigan campaigns, WMTA has worked to support local businesses since the start of the organization in 1917.
“At that time, there was a meeting with various counties in the region that were interested in highlighting or boosting tourism for the area,” said WMTA Marketing Manager Erin Murphy. “They wanted to make the state and Western Michigan aware of what was in the area and it became the model for campaigns that came afterwards.”
Signs like the 1930s one were distributed to participating businesses to be displayed so travelers would know it as a trusted travel destination. Murphy noted, it was similar to the digital TripAdvisor badges that tourists rely on today.
In fact, the WMTA’s offices were located in the building that currently houses the One Trick Pony, 136 Fulton St. Before purchasing the Cottage Bar, Verhil worked at that office for about a year, he said.
Located at 18 LaGrave SE, the Cottage Bar has been around since 1927, originally opened by Peter Varano and Earl and Marie Coons. Dan’s father, John, had purchased the establishment and ran Grand Rapids’ oldest continuously operating restaurant until 1980.
Verhil took over in 1980 and around that time, had the opportunity to purchase the building next door, which was the former WMTA offices.
“So I went from working for them to becoming their landlord,” Verhil said.
WMTA continued operating out of the Fulton Street location until 1995. The organization now has offices located on Kenmoor Avenue. The WMTA move allowed Verhil the opportunity to open his second restaurant, the One Trick Pony, in 1996.
“I was deconstructing the upstairs one day and I came across the sign,” Verhil said. “I thought it was cool and decided to hang it in the restaurant.”
That is where the sign hung for about the next 30 years. During that time period, Verhil’s restaurants were WMTA members, so the sign continued its purpose of designating to travelers that it was “a trusted travel destination” as well as serving as a connector between the WMTA and Verhil.
In 2021, Verhil announced that he had sold the restaurants to Jaswinder “Jassi” Dhami, who owns the Palace of India next door to One Trick Pony. When Verhil left, he took the sign with him and this past October presented it back to WMTA.
“We had previous signs from the 1920s, the 1940s, and the 1950s,” Murphy said. “So it was really great to be able to add this sign to that collection.
We are just really grateful to have the sign and be able to hold that piece of history once more.”
Murphy noted that the signs are currently in a collection housed at the WMTA’s office. There currently are no plans to display the signs.
