From the CLA

by HAROLD WOLF President haroldwolf63@gmail.com

From left to right: Jim Bulmer and Ginny Barawskas, Ron and Jane Hensley, Kris and Mark Maurer, Roger and Shelly Baumann. Good day my fellow Canadian Lakers!

I hope you have had another GRRREAT summer in Canadian Lakes! We are officially into the holiday season with our bellies full of turkey, stuffing, and pie! I’m sure a lot of you have your Christmas trees and decorations up already (Marsha and I do not)! As an adult, Thanksgiving has become my “hands-down” favorite holiday. For starters, we get a long weekend away from work. Our traditional Thanksgiving Day goes like this for me. I wake up very early ... and one or more of my children or grandchildren, who are already at our house for the weekend, go out in the woods together to hunt. When we get back in, which is usually around 10:30, Marsha has a great breakfast ready for us. If we have grandchildren here hunting, Marsha always makes them cinnamon rolls and bacon (our grandchildren are spoiled, like I am). Of course, the house smells fantastic with turkey roasting in the oven, the pies that Marsha baked when I first left the house to hunt, and all the Thanksgiving dinner side dishes being prepared. (It seems like I write about food a lot in my letters). Well, us Wolfs love to eat! Thankfully, Marsha loves to cook for us! Later in the day, the rest of the family starts arriving. Then we watch (and complain) about the Lions game. Finally, we gather around the table to enjoy a fresh roasted Amish Turkey. We had a 21-pounder last year! And we always pause to give thanks for how blessed we are. Thanksgiving Day ... you just can’t get any better than that! Hunting, football, family, and you guessed it, eating!

But next comes December (UGH) – the complete opposite of my enjoyment of Thanksgiving. Cold, snow (not a fan), the pressure of Christmas gifts, getting all the decorations out of the attic and putting them up, only to take them back down again and back up to the attic, and did I mention the snow that I’m not a fan of? Since we have dachshunds, I need to do a lot of extra shoveling of snow for them to give them a spot to do their “potty chores” ... even if it means 7 a.m. when they first go out ... or 10 p.m. when they last go out. But Marsha loves them, and so do I, so shovel snow I do ... a lot of snow!

I try to not be a “HUMBUGGER,” and a lot of you helped me enjoy the season last year. Marsha and I were judges for the CLA Annual Christmas Home Decorating Contest. And I have to say it was very enjoyable driving around and seeing all the beautiful decorations and lights ... it gets you into the spirit of the Christmas season. Most of you would agree the CLA and being Canadian Lakes members enhances our lives in so many ways, whether you live in Canadian Lakes or are a "trunk slammer". Your CLA Board is dedicated to providing you with a very diverse schedule of events throughout the year geared towards every member, both young and old. Most recently on October 30th, we had our CLA Halloween Dance Party. We had a great turnout with a lot of creative, spooky, and funny costumes. There was the cast of Gilligan’s Island to the left (most creative costume), Dracula (scariest costume), and the “Best Couple” costume winners. Everyone who

attended enjoyed a night with great food, music, dancing, and awesome decorations around the Castle. Then the very next day on Halloween we got the Castle ready for our annual CLA Trickor-Treating, where our youngest Canadian Lakes members were able to come out and get lots of treats from over 30 volunteer treat-givers. Once again, we had a great turnout with almost 500 Canadian Lakes children, parents, grandparents, and other family members attending. It definitely was a SPOOKTACULAR EVENT. November 4th was our annual cook-off featuring chili this year. We had a wonderful turnout with 80 folks filling up on some delicious chili. We had several door prizes that were given out, and all our cooks did a great job providing their own unique spin on chili. So much so that we had a tie for 2nd place between Judy Hullinger and Sandy Politowicz. Congratulations Cooks! Now for our 1st place winner. Well,

Trick or Treat there is quite a story behind this victory. The winner bought a lot in Canadian Lakes and became a CLA member just to be able to compete in the Chili Cook-off! Not to mention, he drove four hours round trip to attend the event. Now that’s a commitment. The winner happens to be Marsha and my son, Curtis Wolf! When Marsha won the Chili Cookoff three years ago, it became a goal of Curtis to have his name next to Marsha’s on the plaque in the Highland Haus. Goal accomplished! Our son has always loved cooking with his mother! November 6th was our New Member Meet and Greet Wine & Snack event. We provided information to members who have recently moved into Canadian Lakes on what the CLA has to offer year-round. It far exceeded our expectations with 25 new Canadian Lakes members in attendance. November 8th was our CLA Gals Night Out. This event sold out early this year with 73 ladies partying at the Royal, enjoying a wonderful meal (thanks to Chef Barbie), great service (thanks to Kendall, Faith, and staff), and laughing all evening while playing some FUN games, including Family Feud, the Price is Right, and What’s in your Purse ... thank you Marsha, Robin, and Peggy for planning such a fun evening. Steve Harvey even made a special appearance to MC this special event (aka Harold, after Marsha forced me into growing a mustache and wearing a suit and tie). The ladies all had a great time. November 11th was our CLA Veterans Day Program. A big ‘thank you’ to Tricia Donegan and Elayne McCollum for organizing this important event to honor our Veterans. We had 21 Veterans, along with other of their family members and friends attending. There was a special program for our Veterans, followed by treats. I’m not sure who oversees the CLA’s schedule of events, but I need to have a talk with them (Peggy, you know it’s you)! I am exhausted, and we aren’t even done for the year. We still have our Christmas Home Decorating Contest December 10th and 11th, and our annual New Year’s Eve Party December 31st. BUT LET ME BE CLEAR ... IT IS A FUN KIND OF EXHAUSTED! None of these events would be possible without you, our Canadian Lakes members who choose to become CLA members. Your $25 annual membership is what makes all of this possible. So please, if you aren’t already a member then now is the perfect time to COME JOIN THE FUN!

Chili Cook-Off First Place Winner, Curtis Wolf

GETTING TO KNOW Kendall Ouwinga

By Lindsay Halcomb

MEET YOUR NEW FRONT OF HOUSE (FOH) MANAGER: KENDALL OUWINGA. She’s not just a pretty face, people. Kendall received a BS in Advertising and Marketing Communications from Ferris State University in 2018. Kendall grew up in the Newaygo area and her parents have owned a cottage here in Canadian Lakes for fourteen years. While attending Ferris, Kendall tended bar at Antler’s for four years and was able to get acquainted with many of you there. After graduation she took a marketing and advertising position at Two Hats Ranch and still does some of that work today.

How did Kendall end up at the Royal Grille?

Kendall started at the Royal Grille this past summer when we were so short-staffed. She was hired as a bartender at one day a week. Not even a week had gone by, and she was bumped to five days a week, and now she is our front of house restaurant manager.

Kendall has always loved bartending and serving customers, she feels comfortable doing it. When the opportunity came about, she knew she could combine her marketing/advertising background with the restaurant business. It’s quite the combination of skills she is bringing to the table. Kendall is doing everything she can do to keep pricing competitive during these difficult times of inflation and supply shortages, because she knows that competitive pricing makes our members happy.

How’s the rest of the staff doing at the Royal Grille?

One of our line cooks has a name everyone recognizes, Barbie. Not only is Barbie an excellent cook, but Barbie has stepped up to offer more of a menu with variety and flavor. Barbie has a very impressive background in the food industry, she has a positive attitude, and gets along with everyone. The staff at the Royal Grille is attentive and positive. Their willingness to serve our customers and put the customer first with all the staffing issues they have had is remarkable.

What else is new and exciting at the Royal Grille?

Kendall considers leaving the burger and sandwich reputation behind and moving toward a place to enjoy a variety of food options. Having upscale food options, but also offering our gourmet burgers and homemade soups, our members truly love is where the Royal Grille is headed. Kendall hears your feedback and wants to offer our customers what they want. The Royal Grille is gearing up to offer a total of ten beers on tap. It’s not just beer Kendall is adding behind the bar, either. Kendall’s first order of business was to get a fancy new blender for all our margarita and frozen drink needs.

And how about our beloved events coming back?

Kendall has just finished her second dueling piano night at the Royal Grille that took place on November 20. We hope you all enjoyed the dueling pianos. It was the best time with the greatest customers. Fun was had by all, and if you missed it this go-around you can expect to see the show again soon.

Kendall also plans on providing weekday events during low season like karaoke, game nights, etc. This serves as a ‘thank you’ for all the support of our customers during the busy season. A couple of additions already happening to Sundays at the Royal Grille are the Bloody Mary bar, breakfast menu items, and the 2 for $20 meal deals and all have been a huge hit.

Dare I say the Royal Grille is back? Heck yeah, I do! Kendall Ouwinga takes care of the front house like the pro she is. There’s no doubt our beloved restaurant is ready for service, families, friends, and fun. The Royal Grille’s atmosphere is on a whole new level and although there are many people to thank for that, you may start by thanking Kendall, your new FOH Royal Grille Manager.