The Canadian Laker - June/July 2023

JUNE/JULY 2023

Happy Almost Summer Canadian Lakers! It sure felt like this time of year was never going to come. Mother Nature just didn’t want to give up winter this year, but she finally granted us some favorable weather. What plans do you have this summer? Will you be hitting the links, parking a chair at the beach, heading off to weddings, graduations, or family reunions? We all seem to pack a lot of activities into the summer months and Canadian Lakes is no exception. You will want to check out the CLA Picnic and Young Anglers Fishing Contest on July 1 and be ready the following weekend for the 5K Fun Run/Walk and the CLPOC Parade & Fireworks on July 8. Summer in Canadian Lakes is special all on its own because of the wonderful community, but this summer is even more special for Canadian Lakes...this year Canadian Lakes turns 60!

In this issue of The Canadian Laker, you will see all your favorites from Chris Zimmerman’s Outdoor Mystery to Joyce’s Choices, book reviews by Joyce Wilcox. There is also plenty of corporation news in this issue like the General Manager & Board President’s messages and news from our Safety & Marketing Departments. It gets better from there as well because this issue is full of features you will want to read.

Wherever you are when The Canadian Laker hits your mailbox or inbox, I hope you are able to enjoy the day with your favorite snack or beverage while making time to stay up to date on all the summer happenings within Canadian Lakes. Let’s make this summer epic! Enjoy the GOOD life, Canadian Lakers!

CLPOC Photo

Photography by Unknown

Photography by Lindsay Halcomb

Photography

In this issue

Canadian Lakes Property Owners Corporation

PUBLISHER

Canadian Lakes Property Owners Corporation 10690 Pierce Road

Canadian Lakes, MI 49346

P 231-972-7651 canadianlakes.org

PRODUCTION & ADVERTISING

SVK Multimedia & Publishing PO Box 586

Hudsonville, MI 49426

616.379.4001

SVKmp.com • jolsasvk@gmail.com

EDITORIAL

Lindsay Halcomb, Marketing Director

Art and Editorial provided by Canadian Lakes Property Owners Corporation thecanadianlaker@gmail.com

VOLUNTEERS

Joyce Wilcox

Chris Zimmerman

Cora Foley

PHOTOGRAPHY

Chuck Richardson

Di Schwartz

Dan Strandt

Candy Parnell

DEADLINE DATES

Feb/March - January 3

April/May – March 3

June/July – May 2

Aug/Sept – July 3

Oct/Nov – September 1

Dec/Jan – November 2

SUBMISSIONS

Canadian Lakes sanctioned groups and outside organizations are encouraged to submit articles, pending approval by CLPOC Board. Submit all copy as an email attachment to Editor at thecanadianlaker@gmail.com. Credits are noted with articles and photos.

GUIDELINES FOR ARTICLES

Submit in Microsoft Word®, double spaced, preferably in Calibri font 11pt. or Arial font 11pt. For complete guidelines, contact thecanadianlaker@gmail.com.

GUIDELINES FOR PHOTOS/GRAPHICS

Photos: Digital high-resolution photos. Low resolution photos usually not accepted. Graphics: Submit graphics in .png or .jpg format.

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The Canadian Laker is owned and published bimonthly by the Canadian Lakes Property Owners Corporation (CLPOC) as its official magazine and is mailed at standard rate to each property owner of record to the address on file with the corporation. The Canadian Laker is a trademark of the CLPOC. Copyright ©2023 by CLPOC, all rights reserved.

Although every effort is made to ensure accuracy of content published in The Canadian Laker, the CLPOC cannot assume any responsibility for content, warranties, and representations made in advertisements herein.

Advertisements or sponsor recognition appearing in The Canadian Laker is not an endorsement or recommendation of the advertiser’s product or service by the CLPOC. All warranties and representations made are solely those of the advertiser and any such claims regarding an ad’s content should be addressed directly to the individual advertiser.

CLPOC reserves the right to refuse publication of any editorial content, advertisement, or unsolicited material.

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From the General Manager

As I write this on May 5th, it has been a cold start to our season. The forecast does offer some warmer temperatures and I am hopeful winter is finally over. Without good Spring weather members have not been able to enjoy golf or boating as much as we would like. We are hopeful the weather will cooperate and at least get us back to normal or above average temperatures.

SPECIAL NOTICE

this will be based on asphalt prices. We are in the process of identifying all of the overlay areas within our program and then will request contractor quotes. We are planning to have this work done in the July/August timeframe. We also plan to do road and parking lot striping.

Greg Babbitt General Manager gbabbitt@clpoc.org

CLPOC OFFICE

10690 Pierce Rd. Canadian Lakes, MI 49346 Phone: 231-972-7651

OFFICE HOURS

Monday - Friday 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturday 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

MEMBER SERVICES

Tara Schweitzer memberservices@clpoc.org

Again, this year, as part of our annual “Summer Fest” I want everyone to know that the Fireworks this year will be on Saturday evening, July 8th. This day also has activities scheduled for everyone to enjoy. Please go to www.members. canadianlakes.org for a complete list and brief descriptions. Also, please see the articles later in this edition of The Canadian Laker.

I want to encourage all of you to go to our new website, www.members. canadianlakes.org, and provide us your e-mail address. I cannot stress the importance of this enough. If we do not have your e-mail address, you are missing out on important information, meeting notices, 2 weekly updates, special announcements, etc. It is important that you do not rely on other sources for information. The only way to insure you are getting all the accurate CLPOC news that we want to communicate to you is to get it from the “horse’s mouth.”

Speaking of our new website, by going there you will find the newly amended Rulebook. As part of the rulebook the Penalty Schedule has also been amended. These amended rules will take effect on June 22nd, 2023. I would ask that you familiarize yourself with our rulebook to avoid any potential issues or fines. You may also receive a hard copy of the rulebook at the CLPOC office.

ANNUAL MAINTENANCE REMINDERS

• Due to the price of Asphalt, we postponed last year’s Asphalt Maintenance Program. This year we are hoping to do many asphalt overlay areas, of course

• Under the direction of our Lake Manager, the lake weed treatment spraying will again be taking place in midJune dependent upon the optimal timing of weed development. It also may occur at separate times for different lakes. Please follow the instructions on the notices that will be posted in the spray zones. In the non-spray accessible areas this year, we have budgeted for two commercial weed harvests and the timing of these will depend on weed development.

• We will also again be operating the Truxor Lake Maintenance machine on the smaller lakes/ponds. Our Lake Manager is in the process of developing our plan. Initially the plan will be to work in many of the same areas as last year and if possible, getting to other additional needed areas this season.

SPEED LIMIT

As always, a friendly reminder as we get into our busiest time of year, please remember the speed limit within the community is 25 mph. I certainly want everyone to enjoy their time here and driving safely and responsibly is important for all members and guests. So PLEASE drive cautiously around the community as we have many active children out and about. Again, this year, we will be placing the speed bumps at stop signs and the speed monitor at various “high speed” areas as deemed necessary.

My Staff and I are looking forward to another great season as we do our best to insure you are enjoying the amenities and entertainment opportunities. Let us all do our best to remain positive and we hope you have a great summer and will plan to attend the July 8th weekend festivities as we look forward to seeing many of you there.

Please remember to be safe this summer while you make lasting memories in our great community.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD, STAFF, AND MYSELF, I want to welcome those of you planning to be at Canadian Lakes during this holiday time. I hope you, your families, and guests all enjoy our great community. We have many exciting things planned which we hope you will take advantage of.

This is the time when our community population is at its largest. So, I need to provide some friendly reminders. NO WAKE will be in force on Thursday, July 6th, per the deed restrictions. Please be aware and advise your guests that our community speed limit is 25 mph and make sure all vehicles parked on common property have proper CLPOC Identification. Minors under 12 years of age are not permitted to operate motor vehicles on any road or common property area and any person aged 12-15 years’ operating an ORV, trail bike, golf cart, etc. on any road or common property area must have an ORV certificate and be under the visual supervision of a parent or guardian.

Lastly, I ask that everyone be courteous to all your fellow members and guests, so everybody can enjoy their time here. Please drive and boat cautiously and be especially aware of children playing.

I wish each of you a safe, enjoyable, and relaxing holiday time!

— Greg Babbitt, General Manager gbabbitt@clpoc.org

Summer Fest 2023 Activities

SATURDAY, JULY 1

Firecracker Open begins at 7am at The Royal and runs all day. Every hole is turned into a par 3. Enjoy the fun as this event has become one of our most popular.

Young Anglers Fishing Contest is from 7:30am to Noon at The Pines Park pavilion just west of the CLPOC office. This contest is always a great time for kids.

CLA Summer Picnic is from 5pm to 7pm at the Highland Haus. This is a great event put on by the hard-working volunteers of the CLA. This will be an outdoor picnic on the lawn, so please bring your own chair or blanket and enjoy the festivities. Hot dogs, chips, ice cream, etc., provided while supplies last. There will be events for the kids including the balloon guy and the Outback Ranch.

SATURDAY, JULY 8

5K Walk/Run East of the Tennis Courts at The Royal. Shirt pick up at 7:30am and race begins at 8:30am. To ensure the safety of 5K runners and walkers on Saturday morning, try to avoid driving in the area of The Royal course from 8:30 to 9:30am.

The course starts outside the indoor pool entrance. The runners will go west down the hill and turn left at the stop sign onto Clubhouse Dr. West. They continue south to the stop sign at Main Street, turn left, and continue to Clubhouse Drive East. They will turn left and stay on East Clubhouse Drive all the way back to The Royal.

Community Parade is at 1pm starting on West Royal Road by the dog park commencing to the CLPOC Office. We have fire trucks, floats, classic cars, bikes, walkers, etc. Once again, we will have lots of candy flying through the air for the kids and adults too. Parade participants should meet at the dog park just off the North end of West Royal Road, no later than 12:30pm. West Royal Road will be closed from Island Drive to Pierce Road for approximately one hour beginning at 12:45 pm.

Concert is from 7- 9pm at The Reuther Music Pavilion. Enjoy some music as the Lakeside Motor Sports Summer Concert Series presents the Brenda Loomis Band. This band has graced our stage in past seasons playing original songs, along

with country, rock and blues cover tunes. Brenda Loomis, a Nashville recording artist, and songwriter, along with her husband, Paul have had six songs reach #1 on Soundtrack.com over the past two years. So, bring your lawn chairs or pull up your boat and enjoy an evening of great music!

Fireworks at dusk at approximately 10:15 pm at the Highland Haus/Alpine Haus area. Music for listening and dancing, provided by DJ Robert McKinney, begins at 8pm and continues until the end of the fireworks. He will play a wide variety of music so let him know your requests. Also, the Ace Hardware crew will again be handing out LED light up items to the kids. You won’t want to miss this great event!

Krapohl BODY SHOP Be prepared for summer

•

Holiday Week/ Weekend Amenity & Office Hours

INDOOR POOL

AND FITNESS CENTER

Friday (6/30): 10am – 8pm

Saturday (7/1) thru Sunday (7/9): 9am – 8pm

OUTDOOR POOL

(6/30 - 7/9): 11am – 6pm (Weather permitting)

ROYAL GRILLE

Friday (6/30) & Saturday (7/1): 11am – 9pm

Sunday (7/2): 11am – 6pm

Monday (7/3) & Tuesday (7/4): 11am – 8pm

Wednesday (7/5): CLOSED

Thursday (7/6): 11am – 8pm

Friday (7/7) & Saturday (7/8): 11am – 9pm

Sunday (7/9): 11am – 6pm

CLPOC OFFICE

Friday (6/30): 8am – 4:30pm

Saturday (7/1): 9am – 1pm

Sunday (7/2): CLOSED

Monday (7/3): 9am – 1pm

Tuesday (7/4): CLOSED

Wednesday thru Friday (7/5-7/7): 8am – 4:30pm

Saturday (7/8): 9am – 1pm

From the Board

Paul L. Szymkowicz President

pls.clpoc@gmail.com

The summer season has arrived, finally. The weather has been unseasonably cold and wet for this time of year, but hotter weather is on its way. With the exception of our winter amenities, all of our summer amenities are now open and ready for use.

Let’s think about that for a moment, all our summer amenities. Both the indoor and outdoor pools have been

drained, cleaned, and refilled. The floating docks have all been inspected and repaired. The boat launch ramp has been installed. The beaches have all been graded and the swim buoys installed. The three golf courses have been cleared of winter debris, the grass has been freshly cut and the sprinklers systems recharged with water. All the golf carts have been cleaned and are ready for service. The campground bath houses have been cleaned and the electricity and water systems turned on. The ballfield and all the pavilions are now ready for use. Pickleball, basketball, and tennis courts are open. The Royal Grille restaurant and the Canadian Lakes Castle are receiving some much-needed upgrades.

We are fortunate to have so many great amenities available to us here in Canadian Lakes that it is difficult to name them all.

Our summer season may start with the arrival of the Memorial Day weekend and end with the passing of Labor Day, but for our department heads, staff, and employees, this season is much longer. This is what our General Manger and staff refer to as our “High Season.” This is the time required before the summer to get our amenities ready for use, maintain them throughout the summer, and

then continues into the fall for winter shutdown.

I would like to thank our General Manager, our Department Heads, our staff and employees, our great volunteers, and my fellow Directors that all contribute to making this process work. Please continue to support the effort that is being made to constantly improve Canadian Lakes for us all.

There are several events planned for the summer. The Reuther Music Pavilion is booked for the summer, please join us for some live concerts. The Fourth of July fireworks show is always a great time and the summer parade that hosts our Fire and EMS responders is scheduled to take place on July 8.

The Canadian Lakes Association also has some great events planned for this summer, please check you current Lite Lines for more information. If you have not yet joined the CLA, there is no better time to do so.

I have witnessed more of my summer friends that leave for warmer weather in the winter returning. We wish all our traveling members a safe return and look forward to catching up with some of you.

Have a fantastic summer and please continue to stay safe.

Until next time.

CLPOC BOARD OF DIRECTORS board@clpoc.org

OFFICERS

President Paul Szymkowicz pls.clpoc@gmail.com

Vice President

John Colley jacclpoc@gmail.com

Treasurer James French jbf.clpoc@gmail.com

Secretary Steve Wilcox doctorw.clpoc@gmail.com

DIRECTORS-AT-LARGE

Dan Altier altierdt@gmail.com

Linda Ricketts linda.clpoc@gmail.com

Shannon Hannon shannon.clpoc@gmail.com

Jerry Juncker juncker.jerald@yahoo.com

Steve Brandt abrandtcl@gmail.com

CLPOC BOARD MEETINGS

Regular Monthly Board Meeting

Fourth Saturday 9 a.m., Highland Haus

Workshop Board Meeting

Second Wednesday 5:30 p.m., CLPOC Office Conference Room

Photography by Hailey Gandy

Photography by Hailey Gandy

CORE VALUES

• Our heritage: We value our history and its ideals of friendliness, mutual support, affordability, and shared responsibility for our natural environment.

• Participating in the activities we love: We value participating in activities we love with our friends and neighbors and supporting the diverse and changing interests of our members.

• Protecting property values: We value taking proactive steps to protect and enhance the investment members have made in their homes and in community amenities.

• Financial soundness and sustainability: We value a financial structure that enables us now and in the future to meet community standards for the quality of our properties, membership programs and services and safety.

• Shared governance: We value and depend on the leadership and participation of members in the governance activities of the community and on an informed membership.

• Volunteerism: We value the active volunteer community service of our members, both in Canadian Lakes and in the surrounding communities.

• Leading into the future: We value careful planning, openness to change, and taking proactive steps that will ensure our best future as a community.

CANADIAN LAKES PROPERTY OWNERS VISION STATEMENT

Canadian Lakes is a premier recreational and residential community set in West Michigan’s scenic heartland. As a unified community of private property owners offering an unequaled quality of life, Canadian Lakes fulfills the diverse needs of all members in a natural setting for present and future generations to enjoy. This Core Vision is characterized by:

• The natural beauty of the area and its desirability as a place to live

• Outstanding recreational and social activities

• Financial soundness and sustainability

• Protection of property values through disciplined growth and the development and maintenance of a high quality infrastructure.

MEDICARE MADE CLEAR

Serving all of Canadian Lakes Water heaters | Bladder tanks | Pressure switchs 616-238-7333

Remodel, new construction service and water softeners sales

oberlinplumbing@gmail.com

BETH BLOEDEL

Canadian Lakes resident Beth@ShorepointeBenefits.com 231-920-1716 Office • 313-690-5723 Cell In person or virtual meetings available

Specializing in Medicare Supplements, Part C & Part D Licensed Michigan Agent 25 Years Turning 65 or retiring? ShorepointeBenefits.com

COME CELEBRATE THE 10TH ANNIVERSARY OF OUR

Summer Concert Series!

BY DIANE SPIEKER

to promote awareness and growth for the community. The aluminum sculpture of three musicians on the pavilion grounds was also contributed, in part by FSU. The sculpture was created by FSU design and welding students supervised by welding professor, Dave Murray in collaboration with local artist, Robert Barnum. The pavilion has become a recognizable landmark for the Canadian Lakes community thanks to contributions by many talented individuals. Ken Reuther passed away in 2015, however his memory lives on through the musical performances every summer and his vision has had a positive and lasting effect on the community.

Ten years ago, on June 30, 2013, the official opening performance of the Reuther Music Pavilion featured Ken’s son, Rick Reuther, along with Mary Rademacher and their All-Star Band. We are thrilled that Rick and Mary will be returning for the opening concert of our 10th anniversary season!

Yes, it has been 10 years since the first concert at the Reuther Music Pavilion! This summer we are celebrating 10 years of summer concerts with a talented lineup of entertainers! The popular Lakeside Motor Sports Summer Concert Series for 2023 will offer a variety of musical performances featuring a few old favorites and a few new surprises.

The Reuther Music Pavilion

is named in honor of the late Ken Reuther, a Canadian Lakes resident, who, along with his wife, Barb, purchased a weekend getaway home on West Royal in 1978. Ken grew up on the New Jersey shore where he developed a love for music as he listened to big bands perform at seaside pavilions. From the beginning, Ken envisioned a music venue on the shores of Canadian Lakes.

Ken was one of the founding members of The

Ferris Foundation, so he used his ties to Ferris State University and his friendship with Gary Gerber, Associate Professor of Architecture to engage students to design versions of a pavilion as a class project. The FSU faculty and students, along with a team of Canadian Lakes residents and local professionals donated their expertise to finalize a plan for the construction of the Reuther Music Pavilion. Ken provided the funding as a gift to Canadian Lakes

The Lakeside Summer Concert Series is primarily funded by a generous group of local businesses, including Lakeside Motor Sports, our title sponsor. Concert Sponsors include Coldwell Banker Lakes Realty, Isabella Bank, Canadian Lakes Association, Ice Mountain, Morton Township, and Hayden Outdoors Real Estate. Series Sponsors include Sweeney Holbeck Edison Insurance Agency, Tullymore Golf Resort, Century 21 Whitehouse Realty, Canadian Lakes Property Owners Corporation and Lakeside Pizza & Grinders. Your continued support of these businesses, along with your free-will donations at each concert makes this concert series possible!

HERE IS THE LINE-UP FOR THE 10TH ANNIVERSARY CONCERT SEASON

Sunday, June 11th — Rick Reuther & Mary Rademacher with their All-Star Band performed at the official opening concert in 2013, and we are fortunate to have them return for a 10th Anniversary opening performance! Rick and Mary have both been honored as Musician of the Year by the Western Michigan Jazz Society. This show will feature a variety of standards and show tunes and is sponsored by Morton Township.

Saturday, June 17th — The Derek Winter Band is making their first appearance as a new/popular country band and is sponsored by Hayden Outdoors Real Estate.

Sunday, June 25th — The Lakeshore Big Band is a 17-piece traditional big band performing classic Swing and Big Band tunes from the early days of Jazz to current popular music. Put on your dancing shoes for this walk down memory lane, which is sponsored by Ice Mountain.

Saturday, July 8th — The Brenda Loomis Band has graced our stage in past seasons playing original songs, along with country, rock and blues cover tunes. Brenda Loomis, a Nashville recording artist, and songwriter, along with her husband, Paul have had six songs reach #1 on Soundtrack.com over the past two years. This return performance is sponsored by Lakeside Motor Sports.

Saturday, July 22nd — Shimmie Pearl has been making music collectively for decades around West Michigan. Their talent and experience shine through funky bass sounds, bluesy horns, versatile keys, skillful guitar licks and soul-filled singers. This first-time performance is sponsored by Isabella Bank.

Saturday, August 5th — Moonshot will bring the crowd to its’ feet and fill the dance floor! After Moonshot’s first performance last season the pavilion committee was told that “it would be a dereliction of duty” if Moonshot did not return to our stage this season! This fabulous band is being sponsored by the Canadian Lakes Association.

Saturday, August 19th — Soul Syndicate is a premier soul, R&B and funk band featuring a dedicated horn section and talented vocalists. Soul Syndicate masterfully combines the best, classic dance tunes into multi-song medleys to keep the audience dancing all evening. This crowd-pleasing band is sponsored by Coldwell Banker Lakes Realty.

Save these dates for the Lakeside Motor Sports Summer Concert Series! Weather cancellations will be posted near the entrance to the Canadian Lakes office off West Royal and on Facebook, so remember to “like” our Facebook page, Canadian Lakes Reuther Music Pavilion. All concerts begin at 7 pm, so drive your boat or ATV and bring your lawn chairs and coolers for many fun-filled evenings at the pavilion! As in past years, a food truck will be on-site.

Come celebrate the 10th Anniversary of our concert series at the Reuther Music Pavilion. The Lakeside Motor Sports Summer Concert Series… that’s how you know it’s summer in Canadian Lakes!

Continuing The Mission:

In 1937, HomeWorks Tri-County Electric Cooperative was founded by a group of mid-Michigan farmers looking to bring electricity to their rural areas that weren’t served by the state’s large investorowned utilities. Over 85 years later, HomeWorks is repeating that history by delivering HomeWorks Connect highspeed fiber-optic internet to members across the co-op’s service footprint.

“HomeWorks Connect was designed specifically for our electric members, as another way for us to fulfill our mission of providing them with reliable services that enhance their quality of life,” says HomeWorks CEO Chris O’Neill. “Our members enjoy living in rural Michigan, but their lives require access to the same internet speeds and reliability as their big-city brethren. They weren’t getting that before - not even close - so we stepped up to build a network that would deliver for them.”

The co-op broke ground on the construction of the HomeWorks Connect fiber internet network in May 2018, with a commitment to reach all 23,000+ members across the co-op’s 13-county footprint within five years. That goal was achieved when mainline construction of the 2,100-mile network was completed

in May 2023. In Canadian Lakes, the service has been available to HomeWorks members since mid-2022. It’s a service HomeWorks CIO Tom Manting says is superior to the broadband offered by many other providers because of the advantages of fiber, which include low latency, highavailability uptime, and high bandwidth with the ability to support more users and more data at higher speeds than other technologies.

“Technology changes, and the bandwidth needs of internet users are increasing every year,” says Manting. “Fiber is unique in that the bandwidth limitations of the fibers are unknown, meaning that the 1Gb offering we have today can easily be upgraded to 10Gb, 100 Gb, or 1,000 Gb tomorrow. Our intent is to ensure that our subscribers can always have the bandwidth they need at an affordable price.”

In the 21st century, and especially since the COVID-19 pandemic, access to high-quality broadband can be lifechanging. HomeWorks Connect fiber internet is affording HomeWorks members in Canadian Lakes and beyond countless new opportunities to work and school from home, open small businesses, attend online medical appointments, stay in closer contact

with family and friends, eliminate cable bills by streaming tv services, and more.

“I work for software companies with offices all around the world,” says HomeWorks Connect subscriber Kirk Noren. “When I am in an online meeting, my colleagues always ask me about my internet, because it just never drops, and it seems so crisp. And I say, ‘you know what? I live in the middle of nowhere, and I have the fastest internet of any place in the world that I’ve ever lived. Nothing has been as fast as the internet that I have in rural Michigan.’”

HomeWorks Connect subscribers may come for the high speeds and reliability, but they’re often equally as impressed with the customer service they receive. HomeWorks Connect promises no pricing games, so subscribers don’t have to worry about their bills increasing exponentially after a promotional period. The co-op also offers 24/7 tech support, and when customers call, they speak to a local team member on the other end of the line.

“I was pretty impressed when the CIO of the company called me up to answer my question about my modem,” says Noren.

O’Neill says that personal touch is all a part of being served by a local cooperative.

“We’re delivering the speeds and reliability that you would get in the biggest cities in the country, while maintaining the superior level of customer service that you’ve come to expect from your rural electric Cooperative,” says O’Neill. “When you subscribe to HomeWorks Connect, you get the best of both worlds. Plus, as a member of a not-for-profit co-op, you’ll reap the benefits of any margins made by the business, in the form of capital credits. Quality broadband access is a necessity in today’s world, and I am proud to be meeting that need for members in Canadian Lakes and across our entire mid-Michigan footprint.”

If you’d like to learn more about HomeWorks Connect fiber internet service, the co-op is hosting a free broadband open house at Tullymore Golf Resort on July 17, from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m.

HOMEWORKS CONNECT DELIVERS RELIABLE BROADBAND TO CANADIAN LAKES AREA

Congressman John Moolenaar (second from left) tours the HomeWorks Connect fiber network and discusses rural broadband access with members of the HomeWorks team.

Photography by Kacey Thelen

Canadian Lakes 5K Fun Run/Walk

WE PLAN TO HAVE the 5K Run/Walk around Lake Laura on Saturday, July 8. The tee shirt pick-up will be from 7:30 – 8:15 a.m. in the parking lot that is east of the Royal Grille and tennis courts (9775 East Clubhouse Drive) and the race will start at 8:30 a.m. in the same area.

Four trophies will be awarded: to the first adult male and adult female finisher in the 5K run, and to the first youth (12 years and younger) male & female finishers in the 5K run. This is a “fun run” meaning that there will not be a clock and finishing times will not be recorded. Pets and strollers are welcome. Water will be available for participants after the run/walk.

This event is open to everyone and there is no entry fee; it’s FREE. You do not need to be a Canadian Lakes member to participate, nor do you have to purchase a tee shirt. If you would like to purchase a tee shirt with the Canadian Lakes logo, you can pick up a tee shirt order form at The Pines Pro Shop, the CLPOC Main Office, or on our public website canadianlakes.org to print the form. Note: A tee shirt purchase is not required, and it’s only guaranteed if the tee shirt form and $13 is received by June 23. A limited supply of tee shirts for purchase will be available on race day.

If you have any questions, contact Lee Wolken at 231 9727756 or at leewolken@yahoo.com.

2022 Under 12 Winners: Anthony Rzepka & Nicole Dagley!

Marketing

EXCITING NEWS!

Lindsay Halcomb Marketing Director lhalcomb@clpoc.org

The Marketing Department has some very exciting news to report! We have hired a Marketing Associate and her name is Annette Schuman, she is fantastic, and she also resides in Canadian Lakes full time just like me. She’ll be stationed in the office, but you will also see her out and about in the community on different assignments. Annette will be a great asset to the CLPOC; she is a team player with big, wonderful ideas. Please feel free to stop by and welcome her to the team.

NORTHSTAR (NS)

We continue to marvel at the capabilities of the NS software. It helps my department assist members in many ways. There are still plenty of remaining items to work through, not just for my department, but for all departments. Each department continues to work through these remaining items. But I must say, everyone is navigating their way through the obstacles very well.

MOBILE APP

We should hear by the end of Memorial weekend when we will be ready for the mobile app launch. I have my fingers crossed for some time next week. The membership will be notified via Member Bulletin, our website, and our official FB page when the app is

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available. Annette and I have plans on how to help the membership get access once we go live. The app itself is user driven, but we still would like to set aside some time to help members who need assistance. We will also alert the membership of those plans on all outlets.

CANADIAN LAKES CELEBRATES 60 YEARS

This year Canadian Lakes turns 60 and without spoiling any surprises, I would recommend that you plan on attending the CLPOC Parade and the Firework Show on July 8. You can find the times on our Summer Fest Event Schedule on page 9. We will also be promoting our summertime events on our FB page,www.facebook. com/canadianlakes, all summer long! Let’s have a great time and enjoy this wonderful community we live in.

facebook.com/campcanadianlakes

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facebook.com/castleincanadianlakes

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facebook.com/theroyalcanadianlakes

facebook.com/thehighlandscanadianlakes

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Assistant Webmaster Lee Ann McCormick canadianlakes.org

CANADIAN LAKES

ASSOCIATION

HELLOOOO ... High Season! We Canadian Lakes members are truly blessed to have all the activities at our disposal year-round, but nothing is quite like “High Season” in Canadian Lakes! There is so much to do, and so many people to do it all with. Marsha’s and my grandkids talk to us about how busy THEY are, and of course we listen to them like good grandparents do. But then we tell them to go look at our calendar which hangs in our kitchen (yes, we still have a “REAL” paper calendar on our wall ), and it blows their mind how a couple of old farts like us are as busy as we are! Finding a weekend in the summer for friends to come and visit is no small task. But how fortunate can you be to have so many fun things to do!

By the time you receive this Laker we will have just had a new CLA Event, our CLA Membership Drive, held June 9th. I’m hoping we had a great turnout! But if you missed it, it’s not too late to COME JOIN THE FUN. By becoming a CLA member for just $30 a year for your entire household, you will enjoy all the benefits of membership and the satisfaction of knowing you are helping the CLA provide all the fun, entertaining and educational events throughout the year. How will you know when and where all these fun Events will take place? Well, with your CLA Membership, you will receive our monthly Lite Lines newsletter. In each issue there is a schedule and details of upcoming events along with opportunities to win prizes every month. Another benefit of your CLA Membership is being able to take part in our CLA Shopping Spree Contest, which is for CLA Members only. Our 2023 Contest runs Thursday, June 1st through Monday, July 31st. All you need to do to participate in this Contest is to first of all be a CLA Member, save your receipts from any business who advertise in our CLA Directory and Buyer’s Guide which you receive for being a member, sign the back of the receipt, and put it in one of our drop boxes located at Hixson’s, the Canadian Lakes Pharmacy, or Ace Hardware. You will then be entered

2022 Ice Cream Social

includes an overnight stay at the Woods, Dinner at Antlers, and an 18-hole round of golf with cart at the Royal Golf Course. The more you shop, the more you can enter, and the better your chances are to win.

Other fun CLA Events this summer you need to know about are, on Saturday, June 24, our Summer Arts & Crafts Show. On Saturday, July 1st is our annual CLA Picnic, held on the grounds of the Highland Haus. We will have live music, Outback Ranch wagon rides, outdoor family friendly games, tattoos for the kiddos, entertainment by DJ the Clown, a Corn Hole tournament, and “free” food including Hot Dogs, Corn, Potato Salad, Chips, Popcorn, and Ice Cream! The CLA Summer Picnic is one of the CLA’s signature events for the year, and you won’t want to miss it. All CLPOC Members in good standing, your family and guests are invited to attend the Picnic. On Wednesday, August 9th is our Ice Cream Social at the Castle. These are just a few of our summer Events that you can come and enjoy. Make sure you watch the CL News for Posters that include information on all these Events, as well watch the Information Sign Boards at the CLPOC Office, the Airport, and the Alpine Haus which include dates and times of the CLA’s major events and watch our monthly Lite Lines newsletter which features details on the monthly CLA events.

Your CLA Board is always striving to make sure our Canadian Lakes members have plenty of FUN opportunities to COME JOIN THE FUN month-aftermonth, year-after-year.

Stay Healthy, Safe and Strong!

Harold Wolf CLA President

269-209-9871

haroldwolf63@gmail.com

Ken & Lori Copeland - 2022 Shopping Spree Winners pictured with EMS Boat Storage owners Dave and Kacy Dertien.

CLA Volunteers

The Winery at Young Farms

BRINGS FRIENDLY EXPERIENCE TO CANADIAN LAKES

BY R. COLLINS

In southern Mecosta, Michigan, just east of the Canadian Lakes, lies a hidden gem in the heart of the state. The Winery at Young Farms sits on a lush vineyard and blueberry farm that crafts estate-produced blueberry wine, as well as hybrid wines and dry reds that rival even those from esteemed winemaking destinations in the country—all in the heart of north-central Michigan. For winery owners Mark Young and Abby Young, the goal when opening their tasting room in 2017 was to provide their Canadian Lakes community with high quality wine, without sacrificing the neighborly experience.

“When we started, we wanted to create this feeling that you were really

just drinking wine with your friends, so it doesn’t look like a traditional business, honestly,” said Mark Young. “[The winery] is in my front yard, so it’s just like you’re hanging out, drinking a glass of wine with me and my wife. I think it’s a unique experience in that usually, most of the time, you can chat with the winemaker.”

Though both Mark and Abby have backgrounds in different professions, in pharmacology and pediatrics, respectively, the winemaking dream was never far from reach. Mark had lived in Mecosta County his whole life and had even made his first bottle of wine in his college dorm room. The Youngs eventually bought the property in 2003 to harvest Christmas trees, but when

they became interested in growing other crops, a soil test revealed their next endeavor: blueberries. You can still find the winery’s flagship blueberry wine—and best-seller—Bertha’s Blue, on rotation, along with a selection of whites, reds, ciders, and another fruit wine that together, give any wine palate, from those that stay on the sweet side to those that prefer the dry, something to sample.

“Maybe the most surprising wine is called Eugene’s Red, which is a mix of cabernet sauvignon with grapes sourced from southwest Michigan that’s blended about fifty-fifty, depending on the year, with Marquette grapes, which we grow,” Young said. “It’s a dry red, and in Michigan we’re definitely not known for our dry

reds—but I would put this up against any dry red. It’s aged 20 months in oak barrels and is just a really good, deep, dry red.”

Like the tasting room and the property itself, the wine menu at The Winery at Young Farms, is made to host anyone who walks through the door. It is this friendly, accessible energy that the Youngs continue to enjoy as they approach their sixth year of winemaking on the estate, and for Mark, it is a continuous advantage of the Canadian Lakes region as a whole.

“It’s diverse in its own way in that you just never know who’s going to walk through the door. You have young professionals, retirees, and people who have never tried wine before. We’re still a big agricultural community so we have a

lot of farm families,” Young said. “There are just all these people from different backgrounds, but everybody gets along. It doesn’t really matter who you are or where you came from, when you walk in—and it’s not just the winery but everywhere you go [in Canadian Lakes]— you get along with everyone else.”

Visit the Winery at Young Farms tasting room this summer for estatemade wine, small plates, summer events, and more. The tasting room is open from Tuesday to Saturday, from 1 to 9 p.m., and the winery hosts live music on Thursdays and Fridays from 5 to 8 p.m., as well as a weekly book club.

Visit thewineryatyoungfarms.com to learn more.

fishing FOCUS ON

Dale Doepker

For questions about the Fishing Club or about fishing in Canadian Lakes, contact Dale Doepker at dtroutman97@aol.com or 231-972-8663

23rd Annual Canadian Lakes Bass Tournament Saturday, June 24

THE TOURNAMENT will be from 7:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Check-in time is 6:30 to 7:00 a.m., with a mandatory meeting at 7:00 a.m. The boat check-in location is White Pine Beach, on Maple Crossing Road North of Sunset Shores. The director of the tournament is Jason Snyder.

The entry fee is $25 for each angler in twoperson teams, with an optional $10 additional fee per boat for big bass awards.

There is a five-fish team limit of largemouth or smallmouth bass and fishing is only on the main chain of interconnected lakes. Ten percent of the entry fees go to the Canadian Lakes Fishing Club, before awards, for youth events. The total weight award pays five places: 30%, 25%, 20%, 15%, and 10%. The big bass award will pay two places: 60% and 40%. The payout may be modified if the number of entrants is too low.

The Registration Entry Form must be filled out, accompanied by a check made out to Jason Snyder, 11474 S. Lookout Ridge, and received by Thursday, June 22nd. Cancellation after June 22nd will lead to forfeiture of entry fees.

At least one person on each team must be a member in good standing of Canadian Lakes or parent, sibling, child, or grandchild of same. Entry forms and complete rules are available at the CLPOC kiosk or CLA website. All boats must be registered in Canadian Lakes and have a current 2023 Canadian Lakes sticker. For additional information contact Dale Doepker, dtroutman97@aol.com, 972-8663.

Fishing Club Bass Fun Nights Adults and Youth

Wednesdays, June 28 & July 26

FISHING IS FROM 6:00 to 9:00 p.m.

Please show up before 6:00 p.m. to register and fish for three hours. At 9:00 p.m. we will have pizza, along with comparing our recorded longest bass from catch and release, with artificial lures only.

Bring your own refreshments. Awards are given for the longest fish and total number of bass 14” and over, with only one award per person. We meet at Pierce Beach and if you do not have a boat, come anyway and someone will likely take you

on theirs. Entry is $7.00 for Club members and $8.00 for others. The total award amount will be $3.00 times the number of paying participants. Youth 16 and under do not pay the entry fee but are eligible for the cash prizes.

Winners from the 2022 Bass Tournament!

21st Annual Young Angler’s Contest

Saturday, July 1

SATURDAY, JULY 1, 2023, for Canadian Lakes members children, grandchildren and house guests, 16 years and younger. Prizes will be awarded in each of 4 age groups: trophy and prize for largest fish, prize for second largest and 4 or more additional prizes by drawing, so any youth can win a prize.

Anglers are to provide their own tackle and bait and may fish in any of the Canadian Lakes waters,

from shore, dock or in a boat. All anglers or their parent/guardian must register at the Pines Pavilion west of the CLPOC main office between 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. on Friday, June 30, or Saturday, 7:30 to 9:00 a.m. where they will each be given a bag with gifts and instructions. All fish must be caught between Sunrise and 10:45 a.m. on Saturday, (honor system).

Adults may assist the youth only by baiting the hook, casting it out and unhooking the fish. All fish entered must be caught and lifted out of the water with a rod in the hand of the youth. Participants are to bring in only their single largest Bluegill, Pumpkinseed or Sunfish. between 10:00 and 11:00 a.m. Saturday for weigh-in. The awards presentation will begin at 11:00 a.m. Crappie, rock bass and perch are not eligible for the contest. All bass, pike 24” and over, and all muskies must be released live.

We will also be filleting entered fish at a separate table for the demonstration. Fishing Club caps ($6 or $15) and tee shirts ($12) will be available for purchase.

The Mecosta County Optimist Club will again provide a free picnic lunch, consisting of hot dogs, chips, cookies, and drinks, beginning at 10:00 a.m. Please bring your own chairs and other refreshments if desired.

There is no advanced entry form, but registration is required by the youth or adult on the afternoon before or morning of the event. There is no charge, and anglers 16 years and under do not need a fishing license.

18th Annual Bullhead Tournament Adults & Youth

Friday, August 4 and Saturday, August 5

FISHING BEGINS at 8:00 p.m. Friday, August 5th and ends at 2:00 a.m. Saturday, August 6th, in any of the Canadian Lakes water bodies. (Shore fishing is usually best.)

The entry fee is $10 per person, except youth 16 and under are free, but are eligible for cash prizes. The weigh-in will be 10:00 to 10:30 a.m. Saturday, August 5th at the Pines Pavilion. Twenty percent of the total collected will be used to cover the cost of snacks and refreshments.

Adult’s heaviest bullhead and most total weight of bullhead will each pay 30%. The youth heaviest and most total weight will

each pay 10%. (One award per person, tie breaker is heaviest in the other category.)

All Canadian Lakes members, families and house guests are welcome to participate. Anglers can fish together but weigh-in is individual, so fish must be kept separate. Gear is restricted to MDNR fishing regulations: three rods and two hooks per rod. The minimum size is nine inches to qualify, so please release all smaller fish.

Pack all fish on ice in a cooler to bring to the weigh-in. This is a catch and keep tournament and all fish kept will be cleaned and cooked for the participants to

CL Fishing Club Meetings

June 14 and July 12, 7:00 pm at the Alpine Haus

ANYONE WITH AN interest in fishing or helping youth catch fish is welcome to attend.

enjoy. (All anglers are to bring in their fish, 9” and over regardless of number!)

Entries must be received by 4:00 p.m. on Friday, August 5th. Mail or deliver names and money to John Eberhardt, 11102 Westlawn, 239-207-8091, lidisllamas@yahoo.com

Bottled water, snack bags and cooked fish will be provided for participants. Please bring your own beverages and other food to share if desired. Youth 16 and under are especially encouraged to participate, as this is the easiest way for them to catch fish and see how easy they are to clean, plus they taste so good.

Patrick Fox, winner of largest fish in his age group at the 2022 Young Angler's Contest!

Does your home sit on a

Loon Precautions

Our three loon pairs have returned for the summer. They each appear to have nested, and hopefully will each hatch two baby loons. Please stay at least 100 feet from any loons and their nests, so as not to disturb them.

If you are idle in the water and they approach you, enjoy them, but be careful when you motor away. Last year we had only two successful baby loons on our lakes and only 10 in our entire county.

Osprey Report

A pair of ospreys have been sighted on our nesting platform on Buchanan Road, between the Main Lake and Lake of the Clouds. We wish them well in hatching and raising two or three baby ospreys as they have in past years. In our entire county last year, we had reports of 17 nests and 21 total baby ospreys. We also have reports of six bald eagle nests within Mecosta County.

Lake Patrol

LAKE STEWARDS (Canadian Lakes members), periodically patrol our lakes to observe non-compliance with CLPOC Rules and state boating laws. They may also assist boaters in distress and pick up litter which they observe. They will not normally confront a boater unless they are observed doing something which appears to be an immediate hazard to themselves or others.

Both the Mecosta County Sheriff Department and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources officers patrol our lakes periodically to ensure that State boating and fishing laws are being followed but will not enforce CLPOC Rules. Our Lake Stewards program is established to help assure safe operations on the waters of Canadian Lakes, and report observed violations to the Canadian Lakes Safety Department.

We currently have four Lake Stewards on the Main chain of lakes and one on Lake of the Clouds. The only obligation is to perform a patrol with a boat or pontoon, displaying the Lake Steward’s sign, at least three times each summer boating season. Any time a Lake Steward is boating for any reason on the lake they are encouraged to display the sign and make observations. Simple display of the Lake Steward’s sign on a boat helps serve as a safety reminder to other boaters.

We need several more Lake Stewards. If you can help, please contact Dale Doepker, Lake Steward Leader, dtroutman97@aol.com, or 972-8663.

Photography by Di Schwartz

Photography by Di Schwartz

Mystery of migration unveiled in birders’ paradise

MYS T ERIES

By Chris Zimmerman

The first time I went to Jack Miner’s Migratory Bird Sanctuary I was just a boy, some 50(!) years ago. For some strange reason, I still remember that day trip with my cousins as we traveled from Detroit to Kingsville, Ontario, Canada. It was the first time I really remembered being in the tunnel from Detroit to Windsor. I marveled at the Canadian and American flags painted on the drab, yellowing tiles in the bowels of the tunnel. In the back of my naive head, I couldn’t help think it was a miracle that the tiles kept the Detroit River from gushing into the tunnel and drowning us all.

In those days, passing through customs was a walk in the park. No passports needed. No cameras, facial recognition software or proof of vaccinations. Entering a foreign country was as easy as a walk in the park.

When we arrived at Jack Miner’s 40 minutes from Windsor, I was amazed at the thousands of migrating ducks and geese. The sound of all those birds was deafening; the sight, most impressive.

Fast forward to early spring, 2023 in Canadian Lakes. What started out as a kind gesture of feeding cut corn to a pair of hungry mallards on our lake, turned into a recruiting effort for Noah’s ark. One pair

of mallards turned into a dozen pairs, that were in the throes of mating season. My, my how those mallards carried on, with the drakes, battling for territorial domination and the hens quacking the quacks of joy after a long flight north.

When I told my dad about the abundance of mallards I had entertained, he said, “you know, Jack Miner started out that way.”

And so it began. The trip down memory lane. Back to the early 70s, with four or five cousins in the back of a woodsided station wagon on our way to Jack Miner’s. Some of us facing backwards in the bucket seat behind the middle bench seat. My uncle drove while his wife smoked cigarettes as if they were going out of style. Nary a seatbelt in use.

The mystery of waterfowl migration unfolds every spring and fall. Jack Miner’s is a great place to take it all in. The sanctuary was started way back in 1904 and Jack Miner was known as a naturalist, conservationist, and lecturer. He was one of the pioneers of attaching numbered metal leg bands to ducks and geese. When hunters shot a duck or goose with a band on it, the information helped to identify how long the bird lived and which direction it went after leaving the sanctuary.

Located just a few kilometers from the north shore of Lake Erie, Jack Miner’s has a great layout for waterfowl watchers. Several ponds on premises give migrating ducks and geese a place to cool their heels, while observation decks give

Northern shoveler. Note the long, scooped bill.

Drake Gadwall (left) and hen.

visitors a chance to take in the action. Jack Miner’s attracts migrating ducks and geese by the hundreds of thousands. Their website, www.Jack Miner.ca, boasts that it was once rated the second greatest tourist attraction in Canada.

Last April, I planned a trip to Jack Miner’s. Although I missed the massive northerly flight of waterfowl, it was still fun to take that trip down memory lane.

Almost a half hour east of Kingsville, Point Pelee National Park is the place to go for a more diverse birding experience. Strangely enough, the park is funnel shaped and juts into Lake Erie, effectively cutting miles off the long flight across one of the Great Lakes. Most of the park is covered in forest, however, one side of the peninsula has an impressive marsh, and the other side, a pebbly beach. A two-lane road from the park’s entrance south to the very point is carved through a tunnel of trees. Easements along the way are great for taking in subtle differences in habitat. Hiking trails twist through the understory, offering birding enthusiasts a chance to probe the forest or the beach in search of migrating birds.

Spring and fall are the best times to catch the bird migration. By the

Point’s definition, “fall” is mid-August to December. Songbirds are first to pass through the point in late summer, followed by birds of prey in October, and waterfowl in November.

Literature gleaned from one of the park’s headquarters suggest there are benefits and pitfalls when trying to intercept the fall migration of songbirds. In the fall, songbirds aren’t in a rush to head south. They tend to linger inside the park, which is great for bird watchers. The bad part is, songbirds aren’t all that vocal in the fall, and their feathers can be either immature or not as brilliantly colored as they are in spring. Through years of study — and data collected from leg band returns — biologists have determined that Pelee

sits at the intersection of two corridors of waterfowl migration: the Atlantic and Mississippi flyways. Although it’s impossible to determine which ducks are using which flyway, my wife and I spotted two species of ducks that are seldom seen in Canadian Lakes: Gadwalls and Northern Shovelers. Gadwalls are rather drab-looking, with a grayish brown color, a chestnut wing speculum and a black rear end. In duck hunting circles, shovelers have a peculiar nickname “post hole diggers” because their odd, spoon-shaped bill that is used to scoop food off the bottom of the marsh. It was fun to watch both species as they bobbed for food and carried out their courtship.

My wife and I shoveled a ton of adventure into a weekend getaway. It was great to watch the birds, visit a foreign country, eat fantastic perch dinners and reminisce about our youth...many years ago. For a great birding experience, I highly recommend a quick trip to Jack Miner’s and Point Pelee.

Our team at McLaren is built on a culture of quality. Since day one, we’ve been passionate with providing the best care to the Mount Pleasant community. That’s why we’re proud to be the only 5-star CMS-rated hospital in the area and to have the best possible safety rating from Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade with our ninth Grade A in a row.

Chris Zimmerman is a small business owner, a Canadian Lakes resident and the author of six Michigan-based novels.

Passenger pigeon display inside the headquarters at Pt Pelee.

15-Years of

“APPLAUSE/ APPLAUSE/ APPLAUSE”

BY LIZ DEAN

As was once conceived in 2008 as a ‘one-time-only event’, the Canadian Lakes Players are now embarking on the “15th Annual Canadian Lakes Player’s Youth Theatre Camp”

(Due to the pandemic in 2020, the Camp was suspended)

Once again, the Castle in Canadian Lakes will be filled with sounds of young laughter and applause. The Canadian Lakes Players will begin its annual Youth Theatre Camp on Wednesday, June 28th that runs through Saturday, July 1st from 8:00am – Noon each day. The camp provides the “ins and outs” of getting a production together and performing it on stage, along with learning not only the ‘on-stage’ but also the ‘behind-thescenes’ ropes. It is open to children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, relatives, and guests (ages 8-16) of all CLPOC property owners in good standing.

From the first day of Theatre Camp, the young Campers are in a whirlwind of activities. For many of them, this is their first opportunity to get to experience the ins and outs of the “Theatre”! Early on the first day, finds them checking in at the registration desk and being assigned to their groups. Then they meet their director and the other Campers for a brief “Welcome Orientation.”

NOW the fun begins! Drama, Comedy and Musical auditions begin. Finding the ‘right’ Camper for the ‘right’ part is vital to the success of the production that will be presented on Saturday. Musical and Dramatic/Comedic parts are assigned, and scripts are handed out (to be studied by the Campers at home).

On the second day, group photos are taken on stage and the total group rehearses the opening and closing numbers of the production. The three different groups then take turns rehearsing THEIR scene on stage (while the other

two groups rehearse elsewhere inside or outside of the Castle). Each group gets their time on stage. Everything is run like a ‘well-oiled machine’ – which only guarantees a great outcome.

The third day is much like the second, with the addition of trying on costumes and making sure each camper with a microphone is comfortable with its use. Today is a day of “Rehearsal/Rehearsal/ Rehearsal” and is meant to ‘fine tune’ everyone’s part.

The previous three days all lead to the day they all worked so hard for. Today is when it is “CURTAIN UP – LIGHT THE LIGHTS” for all their friends, neighbors,

and relatives to get a look at our young future thespians!

But as with any other successful endeavor, none of this could all come together without the involvement of our many, many Canadian Lakes Volunteers. Not only the Canadian Lakes Players, but when the call goes out, so many nonplayers volunteer to give their time and energy to help! Once again, proving what a GREAT community, we have here.

P.S. So if you find yourself on the 1st of July with a free hour between 11:00am and noon, why not drop over to the Castle and see what these young folks have accomplished.

Photography by Candy Parnell

Thinking of Buying or Selling?

Kelley Reitzel, Broker 231-250-4417

Laura Veersma, REALTOR® 231-598-1519

Sue Bean, REALTOR® 231-580-9546

Kayla Kesting, REALTOR® 231-527-5371

Randy LaPreze, REALTOR® 231-349-1395

Kathy Fleming, REALTOR® 231-388-2454

Steven Malloy, REALTOR® 231-218-4605

Mark Wentland, Associate Broker 231-598-4871

Carol Betts, REALTOR® 231-250-5285

Jamie Samuels, REALTOR® 231-349-7462

TECHNO-TRAUMA-TRIFECTA

BY JOYCE B. WILCOX

This past spring was filled with many remarkably memorable moments for me, including some which have been known to send shivers down a senior’s spine. But where should I begin my story of the techno-trauma-trifecta? And by techno, I mean technology, not electronic dance music.

I’m talking gadgets. Devices. Apparatuses. In other words, these are the wired-thingamabobs-of-the-worst-kind for many seniors. Of course, not all seniors are adversely affected by the changes in technology. It really depends upon when you were born, where you were born, and what you did in life after you were born; the first two over which you have no control.

In my particular case the distress was caused by the recent purchases of an updated Fitbit, an audio recorder, and the dreaded big daddy of them all,

a new cell phone. These gizmos dragged me out of my comfort zone and into unchartered air waves.

I feel that I should set the stage with a trip down memory lane with some of my childhood memories in order to explain my distrust of devices of a technological nature. Bear in mind that I was born right in the middle of the baby boomer generation. That means I started out in life in the mid-1900s with the following items viewed as state of the art at that time:

• manual typewriters

• wringer washers and clothes lines

• wind-up alarm clocks and wrist watches

• stationary house phones with rotary dials

• small black and white televisions without remotes

As an example of the fabulous

technology available in my elementary school, we viewed reel to reel movies projected onto a screen in the audio-visual room. What is an audio-visual room, you may ask? It’s a designated small classroom with shaded windows where classes went to view educational filmstrips and 16mm movies. Seating consisted of hard, wooden chairs left over from the library and placed in rows, just enough for one class at a time.

When John Glenn made his historic orbit of the earth in 1962, over two hundred students were seated on the floor of my elementary school library to watch the event on the only television in the building. Just as a reminder, this device was a black and white 16” television situated on a portable stand and able to receive a whopping six stations, one of which was located in Windsor. I presently catch dibs and dabs of current events on cable television as I click away on a remote. I also receive regular updates on my laptop or cell phone. Believe me, NASA and I have come a long way.

Back in the 50s and 60s exercise wasn’t really monitored like today, so joggers were only seen on high school tracks and the only people out walking were pushing baby strollers. Fast forward to 2014 and with the help of my daughter, there’s suddenly a Fitbit on my wrist. Miraculously to me, it was tracking my four miles of daily walking, along with my heart rate, number of steps, calories burned, and hours of sleep. Since slapping it onto my wrist, I have always viewed the Fitbit just as I had always viewed my toaster; as long as it did what it was supposed to do, I didn’t need to know how it did it.

This spring I recently had the interesting experience of having to buy a new Fitbit. And while that purchasing task was easy enough, the one and a half hours at home spent trying to install and synchronize data was a bit taxing. I am

sure others could have accomplished this feat in the blink of an eye, but I was determined to do it myself. It’s now a Fitbit fait accompli and you’ll be happy to note that presently there’s an added bounce to my steps due to my solo techno installation achievement.

By the time high school rolled around, my school district had truly progressed, or so I thought. We were actually using Bic pens in English and history classes instead of those splotchy cartridge fountain pens which tended to leak onto the paper easily. Slide-rules and hand-sharpened pencils ruled the day in math classes. Manual typewriters were utilized in the mandatory tenth grade typing class, but other than that classroom and the principal’s secretary’s desk, typewriters were not available.

The only computer in the entire high school was located in the math department chairperson’s classroom and one student at a time was granted usage. Since I never took a class beyond trigonometry, I wasn’t given access to the high school world of computers. Little did I know that this computer lapse would come back to haunt me years later. When I started college, I finally made the keystroke adjustment to speedier electric typewriters in journalism classes, but still no computers.

During my years in advertising in the 70s and early 80s there weren’t desktop computers available, so anything I wrote was given to the typing pool to be typed or re-typed and copies were later made. White-out became my best friend. Media buys required a large amount of data which couldn’t be accessed on a calculator, so adding machines with running receipt tapes were used. My assistant thought he died and went to heaven when a computer lab was later installed for billing purposes, and he no longer was required to check media invoices manually.

It wasn’t until the 1990s that computers sprouted on office desks. Of course, by then I’d gone back to college, switched careers, and was entering the world of teaching.

It suddenly became a sink or swim situation with my subsequent plunge into the computer world if I were to survive in the employment pool. The expectation was that I would create power point presentations for funding, generate Excel spreadsheets for reports, as well as write scripts for plays. These tasks were all achieved through some

additional computer classes I sought on my own and the purchase of a laptop. My skills and comfort levels improved. I had learned to dive into computers and tread water, but I would save swimming laps for the next generation.

When I recently purchased a small audio recorder for my Canadian Laker feature article interviews, I had flashbacks of my initial exposure to technology in college. My Wayne State University journalism, television, and radio classes included writing, production, and directing courses. We utilized electric typewriters, heavy film-fed cameras, and bulky reel-toreel tape recorders which were considered state of the art. Somehow, we managed.

My brand-new audio recorder is approximately 1 by 4 inches, has eight buttons, a small display window, and the capacity of forty-six hours of memory storage. I was thrilled that it would be such an inconspicuous addition to my interviews and only came with a tiny three-page quick start guide manual. Further instructions can be found on their website. The packaging indicated that the recorder was designed for maximum comfort, efficiency, safety, and ease of use. The comprehensive manual that I downloaded told me otherwise. It was thirty-six pages long with detailed diagrams and instructions. How could

something so tiny need so many pages to explain how it worked?

Activating the audio recorder took much longer than my Fitbit to install, but less time than reading a book for my book reviews. I was almost overwhelmed but refused to give up. I’ve printed the manual for easy reference as needed. But I still think these sorts of gadgets should operate like my toaster and just do what they’re supposed to do when I turn one knob and push down a lever. I guess I’ll be satisfied as long as the audio recorder doesn’t end up burning my toast.

All of this brings me to my latest techno-trauma acquisition: the purchase of a new cell phone.

Back in the day you shared one telephone in the house with your parents and siblings. There were no messages left, other than those scribbled on notepads adjacent to the stationary phone in the hallway located in a cutout nook in the wall. And there was no such thing as texting.

I almost forgot something. You also had to check the phone line before calling someone just to make sure it wasn’t in use. This was to guarantee that the randomly selected stranger located somewhere in your county who shared your same phone line, wasn’t using the phone at that time. Don’t ask me why or how; you just learned to wait your turn. Patience paid off

because although my parents lived in that home for thirty years, they never had to replace that phone.

While my Fitbit and audio recorder could be purchased without any customer assistance, a new cell phone was a different matter. I would be entering a strange new world where folks spoke a different language. Those advanced English classes and four years of high school French went right out the window, or “Est passe par la fenetre.”

With my new cell phone fear displayed on my brow as I walked in the door of the store, I was greeted warmly by a smile from a young salesclerk. Dest-ne Porter immediately put me at ease. Dest-ne, pronounced destiny, was true to her name and it was truly my good fortune to stumble upon her that day for assistance. Twentyfour years old, yet she was lightyears beyond me in the world of phones. All those years of teaching phonics, but I had never been taught to speak phone.

When I showed her my current phone and explained that I was in need of a new one, she sweetly smiled and carefully withdrew it from my hands. While I had been concerned about the

crack in my screen, Dest-ne had noticed the bulging battery of which I wasn’t aware could apparently explode at any moment. “Don’t worry. This happens all the time,” she cautioned.

She agreed immediately that I was in need of a new cell phone and inquired as to if I knew what I wanted. Besides owning a phone that worked, I had absolutely no idea. “That’s what I’m here for,” Dest-ne replied. “to find the best fit for you. And don’t worry. I’ll make sure that you’re comfortable with your new phone.”

Dest-ne began showing and demonstrating various phones and allowed me to feel, access, and operate any that caught my eye. She definitely knew her product and understood her clientele. The very latest apps in technology, which could probably do things that I’d never utilize, were not suggested because they weren’t needed in my life.

Whenever I needed any of the technical terms explained, she obliged me with simple explanations. Whenever a new customer walked in the door, she’d cheerfully acknowledge them and direct them to a display or individual who could assist them as she continued working

with me. I never felt rushed or pressured and even after I made my selection, she managed to calm my nerves with more helpful hints and polite conversation. I was grateful for her patience.

As she explained that transferring my contacts, pictures, and other data would take another seventeen minutes, she left me to sit or browse at my convenience as she attended to other clients. It was then that I noticed that I had actually not been the recipient of any special treatment. Destne greeted and assisted each customer with the same warmth and wealth of telephone technology. I left the store like most of her customers: with a new phone, a smile on my face, and a sigh of relief.

The way I see it, if I was able to conquer this techno-trauma-trifecta this spring, I can’t image what’s in store for this summer. But I think I just might be ready. And if I’m not ready, I will just sit back and enjoy my toasted English muffin.

Joyce's Choices

BOOKING AT THE BEACH

BY JOYCE B. WILCOX

What’s the definition of a good beach read? If you research this term, you find it has various meanings and expectations from different readers because everyone has favorite genres and authors that they enjoy reading in the summer. So, a good beach read need not be exclusively a romance novel that takes place while on holiday. It basically needs to be a book that you’re willing to take to the beach to read. To me, eir common threads weave the way through three key factors:

*Stories that take place in vacation destinations, glamorous settings, or involve exciting trips

*Action packed, page turning chapters to

keep the reader from napping on the beach

*Memorable characters with relatable troubles that drown out other activities on the beach

So, pack your beach bag with at least one of these novels and book your trip!

The Rumor by Elin Hilderbrand

If you’re looking for the queen of hearts, sometimes you have to look no further than the hand you’re dealt at bridge club or the euchre table. If you’re looking for the Queen of the Beach Read, however, it’s the library shelf containing novels by Elin Hilderbrand that

you’ll be checking out. The beaches of Nantucket, the lives of the rich and famous, as well as the lives of the-not-so-richand-famous, are intricately, deliciously, and spicily revealed in Hilderbrand’s The Rumor. Secrets that sizzle; tales that entangle; and friendships that flounder; the only things missing from this enjoyable chick-lit read are your beach chair and a glass of wine.

Best friends Madeline and Grace appear to live ideal lives on Nantucket with their husbands, children, friends, and extended families; but such is not always the case. House parties, days at the beach, and Saturday night double dates with their husbands aren’t enough to keep these two out of trouble. While Madeline is the mother of a busy high school senior son, she’s also a budding novelist with writer’s block, and the wife of a pilot frequently away from home. When she surreptitiously seeks her storyline inspirations from neighbors and friends, her troubles mount. Grace is busy running the household and raising twin adolescent daughters, but apparently, she’s not busy enough. While her husband works long hours as a real estate developer attempting to find his big break, Grace turns to gardening to occupy her days. She also turns to the handsome landscape architect she’s hired. Adults will be adults; children will be children; and neighbors will be neighbors. Gossip will result; rumors will escalate; and you dear reader, will be hooked.

The High Season by Judy Blundell

What better book to take to the beach this summer than a novel which takes place from Memorial Day through Labor Day in a quaint vacation setting? The High Season is rich with homegrown charm, steeped in picturesque scenery, and populated with fascinating renters and locals. All that’s missing is the “Welcome to Canadian Lakes” sign because that’s been replaced by

“Welcome to Long Island’s peaceful North Fork” sign. This novel is a treasuretrove of drama from vacationers of all ages, interests, and walks of life. It’s a riveting read about living on both sides of the tracks and the lengths folks will go to cross the social bridges.

Judy Blundell has a way of bringing characters to life while introducing their mesmerizing and complicated lives. We quickly learn that Ruthie Beamish shares ownership of a lovely home by the sea with her ex-husband and she lives there with their teenage daughter from September through May. They are forced to rent the home out during the peak vacation months of summer in order to make ends meet. A wealthy socialite rents Ruthie’s home for the entire summer one year and things are never the same. Jobs are threatened, secrets are revealed, hearts are broken, and relationships become complicated. Of course, friends are lost and made, precious possessions are stolen, and teenage drama also dominates their lives. The pacing and commotion are hypnotic and make for an unforgettable summer for characters and readers alike. But I have to admit that while I thoroughly enjoyed this summer read, I was glad that all this drama was happening on Long Island and not in Canadian Lakes. At least, I don’t think it’s happening in Canadian Lakes.

Desert Star by Michael Connelly

When a very successful master of crime and suspense novels creates a story which unites his protagonists (Renee Ballard and Harry Bosch) from two of his best-selling series, you know you’re in for an engaging and incredibly thrilling read. And since Michael Connelly is known for his page-turning plots as well as his commanding characters, this formidable friendship is a present in print to us all. In Desert Star Connelly proves once again that he knows his way around a crime

scene, within the confines of city hall, and inside the heads of dangerous criminals.

Having quit the LAPD over a year ago for a multitude reasons, Renee Ballard is wooed back into the force with the offer of rebuilding and heading the cold case unit at the Robbery-Homicide Division. Tasked with finding answers to an unending catalogue of unsolved cases, Ballard reaches out to a former colleague, retired detective Harry Bosch, asking him to assist her. Bosch agrees to help as long as he can also pursue an unsolved horrific murder case from his pre-retirement days. It doesn’t take long for dueling investigations, departmental complications, and political pressure to somehow link multiple clues to multiple cases. As they bend rules while connecting the dots it keeps the tension mounting on the streets and within the department. If Connelly’s Desert Star has piqued your interest, then I’ll rest my case, even if Ballard and Bosch won’t rest until they solve theirs.

The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave

When I stumbled upon this mystery by Laura Dave, I cracked open the book and I didn’t have a clue as to who this author was or how much I would thoroughly enjoy her writing. Halfway through page two, however, I was hooked. The next thing I knew was less than fortyeight hours later and I had attended a potluck luncheon at Sunset Shores, spent the following afternoon playing euchre, gotten my hair cut, and appeased my Fitbit with some walking. Oh yes, I had also finished The Last Thing He Told Me. Apparently, I only put the book down over those two days

when I absolutely had to do so. This novel is not only a must-read; it’s one you’ll finish quickly.

The reader instantly knows that newlywed Hannah Hall’s husband, Owen Michaels, has mysteriously disappeared. FBI agents have arrested his boss while a U.S. marshal and federal agents have shown up to question her. Hannah also receives a puzzling note from Owen that she is to protect her teenage stepdaughter, Bailey. Hannah hasn’t a clue as to what any of these developments are about, including who her husband really is, where he is, and what he’s done. She and Bailey are

also unsure of whom to trust as they attempt to solve this mystery together even though they haven’t yet had an opportunity to bond as a family. Putting together the pieces to this puzzle becomes difficult, dangerous, and dramatic. There are lies, plot twists, and mistakes made that keep Hannah, Bailey, and readers guessing. The last thing I’ll tell you about this book is that you’ll want to read The Last Thing He Told Me.

The Rejected Writers’ Book Club

by Suzanne Kelman

This book came recommended by a dear friend when she heard me say that I was

looking for something lighter to read after having recently completed several suspense/thriller/crime novels. Yes, I too need an escape read from time to time. The Rejected Writers’ Book Club provided me with just such a getaway. It is a comedy of errors with the equivalent of a cast of characters consisting of Lucille Ball as she moves into Petticoat Junction and meets Carol Burnett and her band of misfits. If you actually have to Google any of that, let me save you some time: this would be television comediennes at their best in the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s.

In other words, this book is quirkycute at its silliest.

Empty nesters

Janet and Martin Johnson relocate to the charming village of Southlea Bay, Washington in order to begin the next chapter of their lives only to discover that they’re in for the adventure of a lifetime. This village is filled with more than its fair share of bizarre characters, ridiculous situations, and unending slapstick. Janet is invited by Doris, the leader and host of The Rejected Writers’ Book Club, to Janet’s first meeting of that club because they desperately need her assistance.

The premise of the club is that they gather to celebrate their publication rejection letters. The problem is that about the time of their five hundredth rejection, one of their members has received word that her manuscript has been accepted for publication. Apparently, these ladies would rather gather to drink tea, eat cake, and celebrate than be published. This acceptance could destroy one member’s reputation and disband the group. They decide that Janet will take them on a road trip to the publisher in San Francisco in order to storm the castle and retrieve the manuscript and destroy the acceptance letter. On the surface this task sounds easy. Remember, however, that this is The Rejected Writers’ Book Club, and you never can tell what these folks will do. But I guarantee you’ll laugh yourself silly reading about them.

Happy booking at the beach and don’t forget the sunscreen!

Canadian Lakes Commemorative Garden (Buy-A-Brick Program)

In 2012, the Canadian Lakes Association (CLA) took on the project of having a Commemorative Garden, complete with Flagpole, erected in front of the Castle. It is a place where people can have personalized engraved bricks laid, commemorating special people or dates in their lives. The original garden and flagpole were funded by the CLA, with the sale of engraved commemorative bricks used for expansion.

The engraved bricks give Canadian Lakes Property Owners an opportunity to share their love and respect for this great community, a loved one “gone but not forgotten” or just a chance to place a personalized message for all to see. It is a chance to put your

own mark on Canadian Lakes by having your name and a special date such as an anniversary, birthday or just the date you made Canadian Lakes a part of your life. A brick also makes a wonderful gift for that “hard-to-buy-for” friend or family member. Upon ordering a brick, you can request that a gift certificate be mailed to you for gift presentation.

Although many bricks have been placed in the garden since 2012, there still is plenty of room to have YOUR brick placed for posterity. If you would like to purchase a brick with your “special message” on it, you can pick up an order form at the CLPOC office, email me or phone me (e-mail address/phone number below) and I will send you an order form.

Time Capsule

BY ELAYNE MCCOLLUM

Iwas on the Canadian Lakes Association Board and joined the planning committee to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of Canadian Lakes. The celebration was to take place in July 2013. I suggested to the committee that a time capsule would be a great way to give future generations a snapshot of what life here was like.

Our community was busy that year with a flurry of events and activities for all to enjoy such as the airplane fly in, 4th of July picnic, and golf events, to name a few.

I continued to pursue obtaining content for the time capsule and contacted Gary Berg who was a woodworker and asked him if he would be interested in creating the time capsule box. He made it with wood from our Amish neighbors. It also has a Maple leaf hanging on the outside of the box.

I amassed a list of what should be in the box and collected items and interviewed various members of our community to capture life in Canadian Lakes. I spoke with Jim Small, Ray Herbert and Billy Hoeft (all former Detroit Tigers) who graciously autographed a baseball that resides in the time capsule.

As best as I can recall there was also: a banner that hung from our streetlights; a commemorative shirt; brochures from the various real estate offices, the IGA grocery store (later Hixson’s) and a newspaper from July 2013. I also wrote up a short bio of myself and why I love living in Canadian Lakes.

I do recall a photo of Greg Babbitt closing and locking the time capsule, but it is nowhere to be found. I have been asked several times to open the capsule and include some more current information and items, but I have explained that it is not appropriate because once it was closed and locked, it would not be re-opened until July 2063 during the 100th celebration of Canadian Lakes.

The time capsule resides in the CLPOC Office and on your next visit I hope you will check it out!

Elayne McCollum

Safety

FUN IN THE SUN!

Summer days are warm and bright with the scent of BBQ and bonfires wafting through the air, and the laughter of children rolling across the lake. With the fourth of July just around the corner let’s take a minute to talk about the Fireworks laws here in Michigan and guests to our wonderful community.

MICHIGAN FIREWORK SAFETY ACT

In 2012 Governer Snyder signed into effect the Michigan Fireworks Safety Act, this act made the sale, use, and possession of “consumer fireworks” legal. While some Michigan counties, cities,

villages, or townships chose to enact their own fireworks ordinance, we here in Mecosta County have adopted the State laws. What does this mean for us here in Canadian Lakes?

It means that it is legal to use fireworks on your private property (on authorized days), it is not legal to use fireworks on any common property including roadways, greenbelts and beaches with out written permission from the General Manager. Fireworks can not be used before 11am or after 11:45pm except on December 31 (1:00am).

Fireworks are allowed on the following days:

• December 31st until 1:00am on January 1st

• The Saturday and Sunday before Memorial day

• June 29th to July 4th

• July 5th only if it falls on a Friday or Saturday

• The Saturday and Sunday right before Labor day.

GUESTS TO CANADIAN LAKES

Just a quick reminder that “The CLPOC Member is responsible for the conduct of a family member and/or invited guest(s). This includes , but is not limited to a tenant, renter, lessee and any other short-term or long-term user of private property included within the membership of the CLPOC. The CLPOC member is, at times, liable to the CLPOC for any and all damage to CLPOC property caused by these individuals.” Make sure to stop in the

office and pick up guest passes for all your guests and educate them as to the rules of our wonderful community. We all wish you a Safe and Happy Summer season!

Summer Storms

The warm weather here in Michigan, often times brings with it severe storms. Immediately following the storms we ask that members and their guests refrain from unnessecary travel throught the community as we evaluate the status of the roads, downed trees, and power outages. Status updates on road and building closures will be sent out via email and Facebook. If you loose power please contact your respective power company to report the outage and check for restoral updates. If you come across trees down across Canadian Lakes roadways please make note of the location giving the closest cross street or address and contact safety, you may leave a voice mail if we are unable to answer. We will work as quickly and as safely as possible to clear the roads, this often means piling the debris on the side and coming back for it later. If you come across a tree down with yellow caution tape on it, we have it on our list! Please do not cross or touch any downed power lines as you will not be able to tell if they are live.

As always, we on the safety team want to thank the wonderful volunteers of mobile watch, without your dedication our job would be much more difficult. Your safety in the community is our top priority!

Kristin Wilcox Safety Director kwilcox@clpoc.org

Photography by Lindsay Halcomb

231-288-0148

spankky@charter.net

Your Canadian Lakes Mobile Watch wrapped up the 2022/2023 Winter Watch (formerly referred to as the Red Lights) coverage effective April 1, 2023. It was a busy year with hundreds of homes on the list at one time or another. When you see Mobile Watch patrollers, please give them a hearty thanks for their excellent work this past winter. I know that some of our residents are very thankful for the vigilance and timely red-light reporting which helped alleviate potential problems due to malfunctioning furnaces.

HOUSE NUMBER SIGNS

For those of you who have already installed reflective house numbers in the front yard, the Mobile Watch and Safety Department thank you. These reflective green and white address numbers are a significant help. They easily identify the house

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and make it more visible both day and night. These signs also assist the Fire Department and Emergency Medical Services in locating your home in case assistance is needed.

During winter, it is not unusual for house number signs and posts to get knocked down or bent. If that is the case at your residence, please correct this problem as soon as possible. It has been proven that clearly visible reflective house numbers are lifesavers.

When checking on the condition of your reflective house number sign, please be sure that your sign is posted at least four feet off the ground. If your investigation reveals that the sign does not meet that specification, consider reinstalling the sign so that it does. Signs posted lower to the ground than four feet may get partially or totally obscured by plowed snow during the winter months.

If you need assistance in reinstalling your existing sign or installing a new one, contact Roger Stobert, Mobile Watch Coordinator (contact information is at the bottom). Roger will dispatch someone to help you.

These signs are available at ACE Hardware. In addition, applications to purchase professionally made signs through Morton Township are available at the CLPOC Office or the Morton Township Office in Mecosta. The form can also be downloaded from the Morton Township Website: mortontownship.org/wp-content/ uploads/2019/02/911_SIGN.pdf.

Roger Stobert Mobile Watch Coordinator

DISPLAY THE CANADIAN LAKES STICKERS & VISITOR PASSES

You should have installed your 2023 Canadian Lakes registration stickers by now, but if not, please do so soon. Timely application minimizes delays when accessing amenities like the Canadian Lakes Yard Waste and the boat ramps and can prevent a warning sticker from Canadian Lakes Safety when parked at any of our beaches or other common areas.

The proper display of current year stickers also helps Safety and Mobile Watch identify vehicles that belong here and those that do not.

Please remember to provide your guests with personal guest passes and vehicle guest tags to hang on the vehicles rear view mirror.

Guest tags and IDs can be obtained at the CLPOC Office.

PEDESTRIAN SAFETY TIPS

The number of residents and guests walking, jogging, and running on our roads increases dramatically with warmer weather. For your personal safety, please walk, run, and jog on the LEFT side of the road, against traffic. Wear bright or reflective clothing and carry a flashlight at night to make it easier for drivers to see you. Be mindful of loose gravel, potholes, and debris on and next to your walking pathway.

VEHICULAR SAFETY TIPS

Please remember the speed limit throughout Canadian Lakes is 25 mph. With the number of pedestrians, bicyclists, ATVs, and golf carts, not to mention the deer and other wildlife sharing our roads, we must remain alert. Distracted driving is one of the major contributors to accidents. For your safety and that of your loved ones, please keep your attention on the road whether driving a car, truck, ATV, or golf cart! AND PLEASE WATCH YOUR SPEED!

YOUR ASSISTANCE IS NEEDED

One of the goals of the Mobile Watch is to have at least two patrols every day in each of the nine Mobile Watch patrol

areas. With the return of our snowbird members, we have been able to increase our patrol efforts. However, we now have members who are leaving due to seasonal employment opportunities. While we have been successful in attracting some new Mobile Watch members, we need to continue to ask for volunteers to fill vacancies. Even if you cannot serve on a full-time basis, we welcome your assistance as a backup or part-time member. Remember,

that we are all Canadian Lakers, and our strong suit has always been helping one another. If you can devote about an hour a week to help keep your Canadian Lakes a safe place to live, please contact Roger Stobert at 231-288-0148 or at spankky@charter.net.

231-288-0148

spankky@charter.net

WHY

As open burning of yard waste is not allowed in Canadian Lakes and to preclude the dumping of these wastes on neighboring lots and common areas, Canadian Lakes Yard Waste was established to provide CLPOC members in good standing with a place to dispose of their residential yard waste.

WHERE

Canadian Lakes Yard Waste is located on the south side of Pierce Road between 110th Avenue and Tullymore Drive.

WHEN

Canadian Lakes Yard Waste is OPEN every Wednesday and Sunday, 10 a.m.– 4 p.m. April through November except Easter Sunday. Access is not permitted at any other time.

HOW/WHO

To gain access you will need a current CLPOC ID, vehicle sticker, or guest pass. A resident who hires a contractor to

perform landscape maintenance services is required to inform the provider that to gain access to Canadian Lakes Yard Waste, the company owner or supervisor must present to the Yard Waste Attendant with his/her client’s CLPOC ID card or guest pass. In lieu of the CLPOC ID or guest pass, the contractor must be prepared to provide the company or provider’s name, CLPOC member’s name, street address and/or lot number.

WHAT

Items allowed at Canadian Lakes Yard Waste include tree and shrub branches and limbs less than 4 inches in diameter and plant-based materials normally associated with residential yard maintenance such as grass clippings, leaves, and discarded mulch. Household trash, garbage, including food scraps such as rinds, peels, cores, etc., campfire ashes, construction debris, and yard waste containers of any kind are NOT allowed to be left at the site.

QUESTIONS

Your friendly on-duty Yard Waste Attendant will answer any question you may have, or you may contact Roger Stobert, Yard Waste Coordinator at 231288-0148 or spankky@charter.net.

If you forget any of the above, this information is also on the Canadian Lakes website, members.canadianlakes. org. Proceed to your member login, under the Administration drop down you will be able to locate the Canadian Lakes Yard Waste information.

Roger Stobert Volunteer Yard Waste Coordinator

CLPOC Board Minutes

Canadian Lakes Property Owners Corporation

Board of Directors Meeting March 25, 2023 @ 9:00 a.m.

Attendee’s Role Present Absent Zoom (Z) In Person (IP)

Paul Szymkowicz President P

John Colley Vice President Z

James French Treasurer X

Steve Wilcox Secretary Z

Dan Altier Director IP

Steve Brandt Director IP

Shannon Hannon Director Z

Jerry Juncker Director IP

Linda Ricketts Director IP

Others in attendance – Greg Babbitt - General Manager, Kim Dowell – Controller, Kristin Wilcox – Safety Director/IT

AGENDA TOPIC’S AND DISCUSSION ITEMS

1. Call to Order and Pledge of Allegiance – Meeting called to order by President Szymkowicz @ 9:00 AM and Pledge conducted.

2. Agenda Approval – Motion by Director Altier Support by Director Brandt, unanimous approval

3. Austin and Morton Township Reports – None

4. Presidents Report – President Szymkowicz gave a brief out; line of current and upcoming activities

5. Financial Report – Kim Dowell gave a brief overview of current status

COMMITTEE REPORTS

6. ACC Committee – Vice President Colley advised on current building and remodeling projects

7. CLA – Director Ricketts gave an update of CLA activities.

8. Executive Committee – President Szymkowicz gave an update on committee discussions

9. Finance Committee – Director Brandt for Treasurer French provided current Finance discussions

10. Strategic Planning Committee – Secretary Wilcox updated on committee activities

GENERAL MANAGERS REPORT

a. Amenity Usage Report – None

b. Departmental Report – In packet

c. Reserve & Capital Project Update

– Updates provide by General Manager Babbitt regarding NorthStar, Physical financial reports, Golf, Member website, and Campground. Director Brandt gave a more detailed report on NorthStar.

1. Consent Calendar – Motion by Secretary Wilcox Support By Director Altier to approve of the Notes of the February 8, 2023 Workshop Meeting & Minutes of the February 25, 2023 Board Meeting and to Receive & File the February

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2023 Check Disbursements. Unanimous approval.

2. Member Comments on action or discussion items – None

3. Items for Board Action

a. MOTION TO APPROVE THE MISSION, VISION, and OVERARCHING GOALS – Motion by Secretary Wilcox Support by Director Brandt, unanimous approval.

b. MOTION TO ADOPT THE OPERATING LINE-ITEM BUDGET FOR FISCAL YEAR 2024 BEGINNING APRIL 1, 2023 THRU MARCH 31, 2024, IN THE AMOUNT OF $6,025,224.00. INCLUDING, CONTRIBUTIONS IN THE AMOUNT OF $622,OO.OO TO THE REPLACEMENT RESERVE FUND AND IN THE AMOUINT OF $50,000 TO THE CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT FUND. AND

TO ALSO APPROVE REPLACEMENT RESERVE EXPENDITURES TOTALING $754,657.00. Motion by Director Brandt Support by Director Altier, unanimous approval.

4. Items for board discussion –

a. MOTION TO SUSPEND THE MEETING RULES IN ORDER TO TAKE ACTION ON THIS ITEM – Motion by Vice President Colley Support by Director Altier, unanimous approval. MOTION TO APPROVE THE MICHIGAN LIQUOR CONTROL COMMISSION LIQUOR LICENSE RESOLUTIONS FOR THE APPLICATION DATES STATED FOR A SPECIAL LICENSE TO PROVIDE ALCOHOL. Motion by Vice President Colley Support by Director Brandt, unanimous approval.

b. Rule Amendments – Presentation

for discussion by General Manager Babbitt. No discussion at this time.

5. Member Comments – None

6. Director Comments – Comments by Vice President Colly, Director Hannon, Secretary Wilcox, and Director Altier

7. Member communications – Membership Fees due date, Rule Amendments hearing date, ember decorum when picking up membership materials.

8. Moved to executive session – None

9. Motion to Adjourn – Motion by Director Altier Support by Director Brandt, unanimous approval

Respectively submitted by Steve Wilcox, Board Secretary. (Minutes are printed as submitted.)

Canadian Lakes Property Owners Corporation

Board

Meeting April 22, 2023 @ 9:00 a.m.

AGENDA TOPIC’S AND DISCUSSION ITEMS

1. Call to Order and Pledge of Allegiance – Meeting called to order by President Szymkowicz @ 9:00 AM

2. Pledge of Allegiance – Pledge conducted by President Szymkowicz.

3. Agenda Approval – Motion by Director Hannon Support bu-y Director Ricketts, Approve unanimously

4. Austin and Morton Township Reports – None

5. Presidents Report – President

Szymkowicz spoke on a variety of topics

6. Financial Report – Presented by Controller Dowell

COMMITTEE REPORTS

1. ACC Committee – Vice President Colley updated on a variety of projects and new builds approved.

2. CLA – Director Rickets updated on current on planned activities by the CLA

3. Executive Committee – President Szymkowicz updated on the various general and legal discussions

4. Finance Committee – Treasurer

French updated on the current status of CL finances

5. Strategic Planning Committee – Secretary Wilcox updated on the approved portions of the Strategic Plan and the next steps in securing a full Strategic Plan

GENERAL MANAGERS REPORT

a. Amenity Usage – No report

b. Departmental Report – Refer to full report in the packet. Dennis Wolfe provided an in-person report on golf.

c. Reserve & Capital Project Update –General Manager Babbitt discussed status of NorthStar and the indoor pool repairs

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d. General Manager Committees – Restaurant Committee met, all the committees will resume in May

e. Miscellaneous Items – General Manager Babbitt provide and update on Facilities, Spring Cleanup, Vehicles must be stickered, Garage Sale, and Fireworks on July 9

6. Consent Calendar –

7. Approval of the Notes of the March 8, 2023 Workshop & Minutes of the March 25, 2023 Board Meeting. Receive &File the March 2023 Check Disbursements Motion by Secretary Wilcox Support Director Hannon, Approved unanimously

8. Member Comments on action or discussion items – None

9. Items for Board Action –a. Public Hearing for Rule Amendments – Opened at 9:25, Comments by Pete Ricketts HW191 and Dale Doepker CL 905 Closed 9:30

10. Items for board discussion –a. Rule Amendments – Motion to Suspend the Rules for the Purpose of approval made by Director Hannon Support by Director Ricketts, approved unanimously. Motion to approve the rules as presented by Director Hannon Support by Treasurer French approved unanimously.

11. Member Comments – Dingelday CL 138

12. Director Comments – Treasurer French, Vice President Colley, Secretary Wilcox, Director Hannon, and President Szymkowicz

13. Member communications – Advise members of Rule Amendments approval and the effective dates.

14. Moved to executive session –

15. Adjournment - Director Hannon Support Director Ricketts, approved unanimously at 10:22

Respectively submitted by Steve Wilcox, Board Secretary. (Minutes are printed as submitted.)

SOCIAL CANADIAN LAKES LET’S GET

Looking for something to do? Check out the social opportunities happening in Canadian Lakes below, based on the day of the week!

Monday

MELODY MAKERS (LADIES)

10:30 am • April-July/September-December

Highland Haus

Millie Gillies: 231-796-2460 Cell: 231-598-0872 milliegillies91@gmail.com

DOTTED CUBES (BUNKO)

1 pm • 2nd Monday

Alpine Haus 586-549-7705

CANADIAN LAKES MEN’S CHORUS

3:30-5 pm • April-December

Highland Haus 231-359-1114

EUCHRE CLUB

6:30 pm

Alpine Haus

231-972-7920

CAMERA CLUB

6:30 pm • Every other Monday

Highland Haus 916-258-5619

MEN'S 18-HOLE GOLF LEAGUE

8 am • May-September

The Royal Golf Course 989-513-9561

SILVER SPOKES

9 a.m. • April - October

David Skaja: 847-367-0534 davidskaja@gmail.com

MEN'S/WOMEN'S TO AQUACISE

9 am to 10 am

Monday, Wednesdays & Fridays

Alice Slezak: 231-404-1045 jaslezak50@gmail.com

Tuesday

POOL CUE LEAGUE

1 pm • October-December/January-March

Member homes

231-972-7327

EXERCISE/DANCE CLASS

2-3 pm

Alpine Haus 231-972-0029

DROP-IN MIXED TENNIS

9-11 am • Seasonal

Alpine Haus Courts 231-408-8801

MEN’S TUESDAY 9-HOLE LEAGUE

8 am • May-September

The Highlands or The Pines 248-231-2990 or timhannon@comcast.net

WOMEN'S 18-HOLE GOLF LEAGUE

8:30 am

The Royal Golf Course 231-250-1257

Wednesday

QUILT CLUB

10 am-4 pm • 3rd Wednesday

Highland Haus 616-581-6734

MAH JONGG

11:30 am • April-October

Alpine Haus 231-972-3054

MIXED BOWLING

12:30 pm • September-May

Remus Lanes 231-972-0700

CANADIAN LAKES PLAYERS

4:30 pm • 1st Wednesday

Highland Haus Elaine Cox: 231-972-4257 mizzelaine@msn.com

CANADIAN LAKES FISHING CLUB

7 pm • 2nd Wednesday • April-October

Alpine Haus 231-972-8663

TREASURE SEEKERS

Variable • 4th Wednesday

Destinations Vary 616-443-9207

FISHING FUN NIGHT

Variable • 4th Wednesday • May-September

Main Beach TBA

GREAT IDEAS

2 pm • 2nd & 4th Wednesday

Highland Haus 810-919-1765 or ppwig@aol.com

MEN'S/WOMEN'S TO AQUACISE

9 am to 10 am

Monday, Wednesdays & Fridays

Alice Slezak: 231-404-1045 jaslezak50@gmail.com

Thursday

MEN’S CHRISTIAN BOOK STUDY

7:30 am • June-August

Royal Grille 231-972-5132

EXERCISE/DANCE CLASS

10-11 am

Alpine Haus 231-972-0029

LADIES 9-HOLE GOLF LEAGUE

JoEllen Tunacik: 219-309-5059 jtunacik@comcast.net

NEEDLE & NEWS

1 pm • 1st & 3rd Thursday

Alpine Haus

Hazel Scheiderer: 231-598-2203 dendwi@charter.net

SILVER SPOKES

9 a.m. • April - October David Skaja: 847-367-0534 davidskaja@gmail.com

MARSP

11 a.m. • 3rd Thursday of May - July - September

Alpine Haus

Chris Wernette: 231-972-7336 chrisandsandy@yahoo.com

CANADIAN LAKES YACHT CLUB

1-3 pm • April - October

Lake Laura Barb Szymkowicz: 989-330-6804 barbathome1@juno.com

Friday

DROP-IN MIXED TENNIS

9-11 am

Royal Courts 231-408-8801

MAH JONGG

11:30 am • Apr-October

Alpine Haus 231-972-3054

WRITERS QUEST

3:00 pm • 1st Friday

Alpine Haus 734-223-7841

MEN'S/WOMEN'S TO AQUACISE

9 am to 10 am

Monday, Wednesdays & Fridays

Alice Slezak: 231-404-1045

jaslezak50@gmail.com

Saturday

MONTHLY EUCHRE SOCIAL CLUB

1:00 pm • 2nd Saturday • October-April

Highland Haus 231-972-3054

CANADIAN LAKES YACHT CLUB

1-3 pm • April - October

Lake Laura

Barb Szymkowicz: 989-330-6804 barbathome1@juno.com

Get your social gathering listed here! You must be a CLA Sanctioned Club and you must meet regularly. Simply send an email to thecanadianlaker@gmail.com for more details. If your group info is incorrect, please update us by also sending an email to thecanadianlaker@gmail.com.

of AREA EVENTS CALENDAR

6

June

JUNE 1-2

Taylor Tomlinson — The Have it All Tour 5

JUNE 2

Chris Stapleton 2

JUNE 8-11

Golden Girls — The Laughs Continue 5

JUNE 10

Quinn XCII 2

JUNE 14

Ferris Community Band 7

JUNE 15

Brooks & Dunn with special guest Scotty McCreery 6

JUNE 16

Quinn XCII 2

JUNE 21

John Mellencamp: Live and in Person 5

JUNE 23

An Evening: James Taylor & His All-Star Band

JUNE 24

CLA Summer Art/Craft Show 7

JUNE 24

Annual Bass Tournament 7

JUNE 29

Dude Perfect 2

July

JULY 1

20th Young Anglers Fishing Contest 7

JULY 1

Firecracker Open 7

JULY 1

CLA Summer Picnic 7

JULY 1

Monster Truck Madness 6

JULY 9

Pitbull 6

JULY 11-23

Broadway GR Presents Frozen 5

JULY 12

3ICE 2

JULY 18

NF – Hope Tour 2

JULY 21

Big Time Rush 2

JULY 22

Melody Makers/Men’s Chorus Concert 7

JULY 22

August

AUGUST 2

Incubus Summer Tour 2

AUGUST 5

Bullhead Tournament 7

AUGUST 7

Zach Bryan 2

AUGUST 8-10

Bluey’s Big Play 5

AUGUST 9

CLA Ice Cream Social 7

AUGUST 17

The Chicks World Tour 2

AUGUST 24

Carrie Underwood 6

INFORMATION IS FROM THE FOLLOWING WEBSITES:

INFORMATION IS FROM THE FOLLOWING WEBSITES:

1. Ferris State University — www.ferris.edu/arts

1. Ferris State University — www.ferris.edu/arts

Beer, Brats & Burgers 6

JULY 26

2. Van Andel Arena, Grand Rapids — vanandelarena.com; 616-742-6600

2. Van Andel Arena, Grand Rapids — vanandelarena.com; 616-742-6600

3. Central Michigan University — cmich.edu/Calendar

GR Symphony Presents The Goonies in Concert 5

3. Central Michigan University — cmich.edu/Calendar

4. Big Rapids area — cityofbr.org, Community Calendar; 231-796-7640

4. Big Rapids area — cityofbr.org, Community Calendar; 231-796-7640

JULY 27-28

GR Symphony Presents Rick Steves’ Europe 5

5. DeVos Per formance Hall, Grand Rapids devosper formancehall.com; 616-742-6500

5. DeVos Per formance Hall, Grand Rapids devosper formancehall.com; 616-742-6500

JULY 29

Thomas Rhett The Home Team Tour 2

6. Soaring Eagle Casino, Mt. Pleasant soaringeaglecasino.com; 888-732-4537

6. Soaring Eagle Casino, Mt. Pleasant soaringeaglecasino.com; 888-732-4537

7. Canadian Lakes Association canadianlakesassociation.org

7. Canadian Lakes Association canadianlakesassociation.org

INFORMATION IS FROM THE FOLLOWING WEBSITES

1. Ferris State University: www.ferris.edu/arts

2. Van Andel Arena, Grand Rapids: vanandelarena.com

3. Central Michigan University: cmich.edu/Calendar

4. Big Rapids area: cityofbr.org, Community Calendar; 231-796+7640

5. DeVos Performance Hall, Grand Rapids: devosperformancehall.com; 616-742-6500

8. Art Works, Big Rapids-www.artworksinbigrapids.org

8. Art Works, Big Rapids-www.artworksinbigrapids.org

6. Soaring Eagle Casino, Mt. Pleasant: soaringeaglecasino.com; 888-732-4537

7. Canadian Lakes Association: canadianlakesassociation.org

8. Art Works, Big Rapids: www.artworksinbigrapids.org