Photo Credit to Bob King
I’m not just sunbathing. I need this. You see me on that log every morning. Legs stretched out, neck extended, eyes half-closed. You think I’m relaxing. Read More –>
(From Guardians of Nature)
2026 Spring Dinner
Last call for Spring Dinner tickets! Tickets must be purchased by MAY 11th!
Don’t miss this year’s Spring Dinner! It’s the perfect chance to reconnect with your Birch Lake neighbors, share stories from the off-season, and celebrate the long-awaited return of lake days.
Hotel Elkhart Aria Ballroom
Saturday, May 16, 2026
5:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Plated Dinner Menu:
Gala Apple Salad
Chicken Marsala
Creme Brulee Cheesecake
Price: $43 per person, Cash bar
2026 BLYC Memberships
We are excited to introduce a new membership platform this year for BLYC memberships! This platform – called JoinIt – allows us to take online membership payments, collect donations, and take payments for events like the Spring Dinner. JoinIt also gives us an online directory that is only accessible to current BLYC members.
You can sign up for your 2026 BLYC membership today! Click here to go to JoinIt to sign up. When you get to the JoinIt page, make sure to click the blue “JOIN” button under the membership type you’re interested in. Don’t click log in at the top right of the page, because you won’t be in the system if you haven’t joined yet).
There is also a step-by-step tutorial found here. We highly recommend you check out the tutorial, which contains instructions on how to make donations or purchase Spring Dinner tickets without paying processing fees!
Commodore’s Comments
It’s almost time to celebrate Mother’s Day on Sunday, May 10, and to honor all of our wonderful mothers, grandmothers and great-grandmothers. God bless them all!
Soon after that, our 2026 BLYC season will open on Saturday, May 16 with a festive and delicious BLYC Spring Dinner at the Hotel Elkhart. The Hotel will soon need our final head count, so TICKET SALES FOR THE SPRING DINNER WILL CLOSE AT THE END OF THE DAY ON SUNDAY, MAY 11. Don’t miss out on the fun! Act right now and join the many who have already bought their tickets!
A big thank you to Vice Commodore Ron Niezgodski, Fleet Captain Bob Niezgodski, and their stalwart volunteer demolition team of Tim Cole, Bud Hall, Dave Hogoboom, Scott Troeger, Phil Vitale, and Brad Zesinger, who as of this writing have completed demolition of the portions of the clubhouse deck that need to be replaced. They expect repairs to be completed in the near future! Thank you also to Sue Davis, Deb Spratt and Sandy Vitale, who did spring cleaning in the clubhouse while the guys were demolishing the deck. Kudos to Deb Hall, who took these great photos. Great job, ladies and gentlemen!
And another big thank you to all of you who have stepped up with donations. Current totals for the year to date are: Fireworks $2,620, Water Quality $2,445, Yacht Club memberships 28 members, Homeowners Association 5 members, Building Fund $100 from 2 donors, Sailing $160, Safety $50, Barker $125, AED Fund $170, and General Fund $250. So we’ve made progress. Please keep ‘em coming!
Scam alert. Once again one or more scammers are impersonating BLYC officers or members, and making plausible requests for money. In the most recent case, they asked for gift cards that they claimed were urgently needed for BLYC business. Be alert, and be suspicious of anyone asking for help or money. Urgency is also a red flag. Scammers want to draw you into a conversation. Don’t fall for it. Reply only to email addresses, text message numbers or phone numbers that you have personally verified to be legitimate. Otherwise, report as spam and delete.
250 Years Ago in American History
On May 10, 1776, the Second Continental Congress passed a resolution calling on each Colony to adopt a new government “sufficient to the exigencies of their affairs.” This meant to replace royal charters with independent governments, accelerating the move toward full separation from Britain. John Adams, Massachusetts delegate and primary advocate, and Richard Henry Lee, Virginia delegate, jointly promoted the measure; and the Continental Congress delegates approved it.
Five days later, on May 15, 1776, the Second Continental Congress adopted a new preamble to its resolution, drafted by John Adams, advising colonies to completely suppress all royal authority, throw off oaths of allegiance to the Crown, and establish governments based solely on the authority of the people. And on that same day, the Fifth Virginia Convention, meeting in Williamsburg, unanimously passed resolutions directing Virginia’s delegates in Philadelphia to introduce a motion in Congress declaring the United Colonies “free and independent states,” absolved from allegiance to the British Crown, while also seeking foreign alliances and a confederation. A committee was appointed to draft a Virginia Declaration of Rights and a new state constitution. Virginia was the first colony to give its delegates binding, unconditional instructions to seek full independence, and directly paved the way for Richard Henry Lee’s formal resolution the following month.
These three events in May 1776 gave voice to popular opinion, and created Congressional momentum towards the formal Declaration of Independence in July.
~Commodore Steve Frew
Data Center Discussion
The next Penn Township meeting is May 11th, 6:30 at the township hall in Vandalia. Data Centers are not on the agenda, however the topic wasn’t listed at the last meeting and there was discussion about them. People who are concerned are asked to attend this township meeting as discussion about data centers may come up.
Several Birch Lake residents have also asked that we share this petition against Data Centers in Cass County.
Fleet Captain’s Corner
May is here, and the summer is just around the corner. There has been a lot of activity at the Yacht Club this month in prep for the upcoming summer season. As I believe Commodore Steve will note in his column, a group of volunteers helped rip the old deck off last weekend. My Dad, VC Ron Niezgodski, and I have set a new post and fixed a few spots this past week, and hope to get a group together this weekend to relay the new decking.
As for Sailing News, the start of the season is typically Memorial Day, which is early this year. Due to this, I am planning on organizing a group to raise MC masts on Saturday, May 9th, with Saturday, May 16th as the backup rain date. So, email me and let me know if you need help raising your MC Mast, and I will put you on the list.
In other news, Eagle Lake has invited us to an Open Regatta on Saturday, June 6th, 2026. Registration and Breakfast 7 to 9 AM with racing around 10:30 AM. If you’re interested in attending, let me know, and I can forward on additional information.
Finally, if you know any kids, or really anyone in general who has an interest in learning to sail, let me know! We would be happy to help out in any way we can. Could be finding a loner boat, a sunfish to sail, or finding a sailor to give lessons. The Kidz Regatta is tentatively June 27th, so that is always a good opportunity to meet the sailors and learn about sailing.
FC Bob Niezgodski
Return of the Spaghetti Dinner
The Birch Lake Yacht Club is gearing up for the 2026 Spaghetti Dinner on Saturday, June 13th, and we need your help to make it a success! This beloved community event brings friends and neighbors together for a great meal and even better company—but it takes a team of volunteers to make it all happen.
We’re looking for helping hands to assist with setup (6/12) serving, cleanup, and everything in between. Whether you can give a few hours or the whole evening, your time and energy will make a meaningful difference.
Volunteering is also a great way to connect with fellow members, meet new people, and support one of the club’s favorite traditions. No experience is necessary—just a willingness to pitch in and have fun.
If you’re interested in volunteering, please reach out to Deb Spratt at debspratt@comcast.net or 574-276-8783 or Peggy Geik at 574-274-4839. We truly appreciate your support and look forward to working together to make this year’s Spaghetti Dinner a wonderful event!
Nelson’s Port-A-Pit Fundraiser
Join us for a delicious Nelson’s Port-A-Pit fundraiser and treat yourself to some amazing BBQ while supporting a great cause! Preorders are now open for mouthwatering options including 1/2 Chicken for $10.00, Pork Chops for $10.00, Ribs for $11.00, and Potatoes for $4.00.
All orders will be available for convenient pickup at the Waxman’s house (East Side) on Friday, July 3, 2026, between 11:00 AM and 2:00 PM. Please note that this is a preorder-only event, so be sure to secure your meal in advance!
Events
Spring Dinner May 16
Get your tickets now! Deadline is May 11
Potential Poker Run Event
We are trying to gauge interest in a Poker Run event to benefit the Fireworks Fund. Please fill out this survey to let us know what you think of this idea!
More Free Trees
Hello, and happy spring!
Many of you had trees planted on your properties through our Planting Trees for Clean Water project last fall. I hope your trees fared well over the winter and will start budding out soon! We will be doing another round of planting this spring, and you are welcome to sign up for more trees if you have space.
Like last fall, you are eligible to participate if you have property on Round, Gravel, and Eagle Lakes in Van Buren County or Harwood, Birch, and Baldwin Lakes in Cass County. Please pass this message along to any neighbors who might be interested.
If you would like to participate this spring, please fill out the interest form at https://tinyurl.com/lakestrees2026 as soon as possible.
The Michigan Lakes and Streams Association recently hosted a webinar where they shared information about the importance of planting trees near waterways and specifics about this project. The webinar is available for viewing at your convenience at this link: Planting Trees for Clean Water – Spring Webinar.
For more information, contact watershed@VanBurenCD.org or AgConservation@vanburencd.org.
This project is funded by a Great Lakes Restoration Initiative grant through the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which are equal opportunity providers. For more information on Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Projects, visit glri.us.
2026 BLYC Calendar
Click here to add the BLYC calendar of events to your Google Calendar. The calendar will be updated if events change.
- May 16, 2026 – Spring Dinner at Hotel Elkhart, 5pm
- May 23 – BLYC Board Meeting
- May 23-25 – Memorial Day Regatta
- May 30 – Commodore / Vice Commodore Party + Stock the Bar
- June 6 – Trivia Night
- June 10 – Card / Game Night
- June 13 – Spaghetti Dinner
- June 20 – BLYC Board Meeting
- June 27 – Kidz Regatta
- July 3 – Port-a-Pit Fundraiser
- July 4 – Boat Parade
- July 4 – Fireworks
- July 4-6 – Fourth of July Regatta
- July 5 – Pancake Breakfast
- July 15 – Card / Game Night
- July 18 – BLYC Board Meeting
- July 18 – Big Outdoor Daytime Screen
- July 24 – Ladies’ Golf Outing
- July 25 – Poker Run
- July 31 – Men’s Golf Outing
- August 1 – Corn & Sausage Roast
- August 15 – BLYC Board Meeting
- August 15 – Homeowner’s Association Annual Meeting
- August 19 – Card / Game Night
- August 22 – Fall Dinner
- August 26 – Women’s Style Show
- September 5-6 – Labor Day Regatta
- September 9 – Card / Game Night
- September 12 – Sailing Awards
- September 19 – BLYC Board Meeting
- September 26 – Bad Patty Crockpot Challenge
Board meetings take place at 9 a.m. on Saturday mornings at the Yacht Club, and are open to all lake residents.
Public Service Announcements
Turtle Signs
Time to put out your “Slow Down” signs! If you need one contact Blair Garceau at (269-476-9862)
Birch Is Back
Despite understandable angst over low water last fall, our puddle fixed itself with snow, ice cake, and now copious rainfall. Which leads us to a request. We have high water while all the boats are back. Please give thought to your wake (especially inshore) until the rain ends. Err, until evaporation sets in? Thank you for this. ~ Chrys A. Lis
Update Your Email Preferences
You can choose which emails you want to receive from the Birch Barker! Please click here to update your email preferences.
BLYC Directory
Corrections and updates to the new directory? Send any updates to birchbarker1@gmail.com and we’ll publish them here for folks to update their directories.
Kids of the Month
Click on the images to enlarge
Rick and Cathy Doolittle, Gus and Ronni Eshleman, Tom Kuhn and Jan Temple, Jeff and Deb Runser, Craig Fredlake and Di Wozny and Tim Burchell.
Over Spring Break, Elyse Grundy traveled to Florida and had the opportunity to march with the Edwardsburg Marching Band in the Main Street Parade at Disney World!
🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍
Please share your own kids (or pets or whatever!) to be featured in an upcoming issue. You can email them to birchbarker1@gmail.com.
Classifieds
Services: I do sewing and mending at fair prices – zippers, hemming, small alterations; call Kathy at 269-476-9317.
For Rent: Cottage on west side of Birch Lake for rent. Out of town guests or friends who want to experience Birch lake, there are some dates still available. Call Sue Davis at 574-993-6031 or Patrick Davis at 574-707-5701.
Looking for a Cleaning Service? We can recommend one! Contact Sandy Baucus (574-535-4944) or Blair Garceau (269-476-9862).
Barker Funnies
click on each image to enlarge
