During the five minute "Hurricane" of August 9, 2009 the Village of Fruitport sustained tree damage that was shock and aw for all who live here. It started as heavy rain for five minutes then five minute of whiteout and pounding winds followed with five minutes of rain. Meteorologists called it wind shear while some folks said tornados but by any name we all know the outcome. Throughout the village hundreds of trees were laid to waste. Counting the growth rings on some of the uprooted large oaks, their ages were between 125 and 135 years.

Pomona Park in many respects was very fortunate, only ten trees were lost with a majority of others sustaining limb damage. The major oak in the middle of the park survived. At six feet its trunk is fourteen feet in circumference and eighty-five feet tall.

Fruitport Lions through the recommendation by Mike Johnson, pledged up to five thousand dollars to go toward the restoration of Pomona Park. With the pledge in place Lions Club members went to work. Matt Jones, owner of Able & Willing Tree Service cut ten trees damaged beyond salvage and ground their stumps. More than thirty trees needed trimming plus brush chipping. David Markgraf, owner of Goll’s Welding removed the heavy logs. Tom Christmas removed limbs too large to chip. Bruce Raymond was the liaison with Zelenka Nursery acquiring twenty-four large trees for the park. Russ & Pat Stressman donated six cedars. Marv Engel, owner of Engelwood farms donated twenty yards of top soil. Ken Johnston, owner of Great lakes Landscaping, donated his time and staff planting the thirty new trees in the park system. The project was completed at a cost of two thousand four hundred dollars to the Lions Club.