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Trick or Treating

We have a group of nearly 30 kids planning to Trick or Treat on Saturday, November 2nd. We plan to start at the turnaround on the South Side around 5:15pm. We’ve borrowed a wagon to transport the whole group around together. Check out the map below, and email Amber by noon on Saturday if you want to be added!

Unwavering Fall

Poem submitted by Phyllis Rasmussen (West Side), October 18, 2024

The cool crisp air in morning
the stillness on the lake
The leaves all changing colors,
from green to orange they stain.

This time of the season is different
From the busy boats that hum
The children have all gone back to school
I’ll miss my little green thumb.

I sit outside by the fire
To keep my nose from cold
I crack another cold one
Cheer, Cheer for blue and gold.

I heard the eagles cry
As he passes by the sun
Those little ducks and critters
I tell them they should run.

The mums and pumpkins dance
across the porch all smiling
The squirrels are working over time
The walnuts are always piling.

The dead of night so silent
The moon so massive in the sky
‘What’s for dinner tonight, Mom?’
She looks up from her book, ‘I was thinking chicken pot pie.’

Before we even know it
This fall will pass to snow
Don’t hurry it along,
Enjoy the color show.

Something to always remember
How lucky we are to live on Birch Lake
This seasons change is wondrous
Don’t forget to take the time and appreciate.

Crockpot Challenge Recap

Soups and Desserts and Appetizers oh my! The 2024 Bad Patty Crock Pot Challenge was a delicious success. Thank you so much to everyone who brought a crockpot full of yumminess and to those who brought an appetizer or sweet treat. 

We had 53 people sampling and making the difficult voting decision of their favorites. The winners for the savory category were 1st place to Commodore Julie Dickey for her Clam Chowder with Bacon; 2nd place to Ron Niezgodski for his Jambalaya; and 3rd place to Carla Chester for her magic chili. 

The winners of the sweet category were 1st place to Eric Miller for ‘his’ Pumpkin Cobbler (because he had the struggle of shopping for Pumpkin Puree); 2nd place to Karen Curtis-Miller for her Better Than Sex Cake; and 3rd place to Claudia Phillips for her Chocolate Lava Cake. 

All the winners received gorgeous wood spoons beautifully engraved by our own Birch Laker,  Amber Grundy. Thanks to Deb Hall and Phil Vitale for auctioning off the extra beer and wine left from summer activities… and thanks to the winning bidders, we have $221.00 to add to BLYC funds. 

Also a HUGE shout-out to our helpful lakers who pitched in at the end to put tables and chairs away…it made for a very quick clean up process and I’m grateful you all helped!  Happy Fall everyone — time to start looking for recipes for next Fall’s challenge!

Commodore’s Comments

Hello neighbors!

The fall colors encircle our Birch Lake neighborhood. The ever-changing trees and sky reflect on the lake and create a paradise that promotes a peaceful mood. There are so many spectacular photo opportunities!

We have been fortunate to have experienced great weather throughout October. It’s hard to say goodbye to our piers, boats, kayaks, and anything that floats! On the positive side, the beauty of the lake is on full display.

The annual Bad Patty Crockpot Challenge was a fun and tasty event! Thank you Karen Curtis Miller for doing an awesome job of planning this BLYC gathering. It was a big success! Karen will summarize all the highlights.

Thanks to Amber Grundy for organizing the kids Halloween trick-or-treat route around Birch Lake on November 2! This evening will surely be packed with lots of fun, treats, and many wonderful memories for all.

November is a time to prepare for the colder weather ahead. Every year, a team of kind individuals close down the BLYC for the winter. Their help and efforts are very much appreciated. The names of those individuals will be mentioned at a later date.

As we all spend more time inside, we will enjoy rooting for our favorite teams and getting ready for the holidays. I would like to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving!  

Stay updated in the Barker for any possible pre- and post-holiday parties hosted by our friends and neighbors. I hope to see you around the lake! We come from many different places, but we are all in the same boat, we love Birch Lake!

~Commodore Julie

Fleet Captain’s Corner

Final notes on the 2024 Birch Lake sailing season. First off, I want to thank everyone who makes sailing possible on Birch Lake. I don’t want to list everyone in case I leave someone out, but there are several individuals who have put in a lot of time helping this past season whom I do want to thank individually.

First thanks, to everyone who helped run the Committee Boat this past year: Captain Ron Niezgodski, Karen Brovold, Stacia Andriano, Bill Butler, and Steve Plaia. If there is anyone who is interested in helping on the Committee Boat in the future, don’t hesitate to reach out to me. It’s a fun experience and Karen and Stacia are known for bringing quite a spread.

Thanks to Rick Doolittle for managing the rescue boat, and to Tom Cassady and Vic Jones for setting and managing the marks. Tom is semi-retiring from setting the marks, so I want to thank him individually for his service over the past five years. I have talked to a few people about helping set the marks next year, but if there is anyone interested in helping, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me.

Tom has agreed to help train the new mark-setters and to assist on a limited basis if we need help. On a side note, it has also come to my attention that we need new marks, so we are in the process of obtaining those this winter.

I also want to thank our former Fleet Captain and new Vice Commodore Steve Frew and his lovely wife Jackie for everything they have done for the past three years to make sailing happen.

In addition to the regular weekend sailing, we had a few special events this year. I want to thank Bob and Leslie King for hosting the Don Harman Kids Regatta, and for introducing and encouraging our youth to sail. This is an invaluable event to the future of sailing on Birch Lake.

Finally, I wanted to give a special thanks to Barb Cassady for manning the helm in organizing the Earl Troeger, Jr. Memorial MC Interlake Regatta and everyone on her team. It went off without a hitch and it was quite exciting to see that many sailboats out on the lake. It was a special event that honored the history of sailing on our beloved Birch Lake.

~ F.C. Bob

Public Service Announcements

Election Day Reminder!

Early Voting is available at the Cass County Road Commission (340 N. O’Keefe St, Cassopolis) from 8am to 4pm on November 1st, 2nd, and 3rd).

Voters who live in North Porter Township (that includes all of Birch Lake) can also vote on November 5 at the Porter Township Hall (69373 Baldwin Prairie Rd, Union). Polls are open from 7am to 8pm.

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.

Turtle Signs

Please remember to put away your “Slow Down” signs so they don’t get destroyed over the winter!

BLYC Website Updates

Be sure to check out the updated BLYC website! We have recently added an Archives section with copies of Birch Barkers dating back to the very first edition in July of 1944. Eventually, I plan to add a section of historical information about Birch Lake.

There is also a new Photographs section on the site where we will post photos from lake events. There are currently photos from the Earl Troeger, Jr. Memorial Regatta, the Fall Dinner, and photos taken by Birch Lake residents of the Northern Lights in October.

If you need to contact any of the Birch Lake Yacht Club Directors, Officers, or Committee Chairs, click on the “About BLYC” link at the top of the page to find the list of members and contact information.

If you have any old Barkers that are not posted on the site, historical information, or photos you would like to share, please email birchbarker1@gmail.com so that I can add them.

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.

2025 Yacht Club Dues

It’s never too early to pay your BLYC dues for next summer! You can pay online here or mail a check payable to BLYC to:

Deb Spratt, Treasurer
18100 Farmington Hills Dr.
South Bend, IN 46637

Events

2025 BLYC Board Meetings

Board meetings take place at 9 a.m. on Saturday mornings at the Yacht Club, and are open to all lake residents. The 2025 schedule is TBA. We will meet in May, June, July, August, and September.

Upcoming Events

• May 17, 2025 – Spring Dinner
• June TBA – Trivia Night
• June TBA – Commodore / Vice Commodore Party + Stock the Bar
• June TBA – Spaghetti Dinner
• July 5, 2025 – Boat Parade
• July 5, 2025 – Fireworks
• July 6, 2025 – Pancake Breakfast
• July 18, 2025 – Ladies’ Golf Outing
• July 25, 2025 – Men’s Golf Outing
• July TBA – Family Picnic
• August 2, 2025 – Corn & Sausage Roast
• August TBA – Fall Dinner
• September TBA – Fall Frolic
• October TBA – Bad Patty Crockpot Challenge

Kids of the Month

Watch out! Avery Grundy (15) just got his learner’s permit and will be driving us all to and from school daily.

Jack and Adelyn Carey (cove) made a fall trip to the lake over the weekend of October 5 & 6 to help their father winterize Dunkampin and Bottom Dollar.

Remember this fox spotted around Birch Lake last winter? Foxes Journey Sanctuary shared a video with us. The sanctuary gave him the name Doc and he seems to be loving his new life. Check out Doc here (it’s on Facebook).

Birch Lake “kids” of the past, submitted by Buzz Rasmussen.

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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

Wanted to Buy: My large extended family has owned a cottage called “Chaos” (Cove) for 60 years. Our place will stay in the family… but our own individual needs have expanded and we are looking for more room so our grandkids can stay during the summer and make memories here, too. We are looking for a 3 or 4 bedroom place on the lake. If you are thinking about selling, please email Ann Nyberg at ann.nyberg@gmail.com.

Wanted to Buy: Bill and Sherry Holleman are looking to get back on to Birch Lake part-time or full-time. If you are thinking about selling, please email Sherry at dakotalynn01@aol.com.

Services: I do sewing and mending at fair prices – zippers, hemming, small alterations; call Kathy at 269-476-9317.