Hello Cottagers

Here is an update on what’s happening at the lake:

The SMLRA Fishing Derby is back for the 2026 season!

The derby is on throughout the summer until August 9^th for all open-season fish species on Six Mile Lake. This event promotes catch and release fishing while strengthening the sense of community Six Mile Lake prides itself on. Go here to register and check out the prizes.

SML Pride Parade and Drag Show this Saturday July 18^th at 1:00 pm (Drag Show at 3 pm)

The SMLCA enjoys endorsing this annual inclusive event. The flotilla will start at the Six Mile Lake Provincial Park and wind its way throughout the lake. It is always wonderful to see many cottager families standing out on their docks, waving to show their support as the boats pass by. Note the correction that in the previous e-blast we wrote Sunday rather than Saturday.

Friday Disco Night at Wawautosa July 24^th 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.

Come enjoy the first disco night at Wawautosa. Ticket entry $20. Order Tickets before June 30^th but may still be available, (no refunds). Contact jalyons@rogers.com to pay by e-transfer.

Save the Date! McDonald Dam clean-up: Saturday July 25th at 9:00am

We are scheduling our annual McDonald Dam clean-up for Saturday July 25th at 9:00am sharp. We will meet on the south side of the dam entrance at the north end of the lake. Garbage bags, gloves, and volunteer shirts will be provided. If you know any kids that need to top-up their volunteer hours, please feel free to bring them along and we will assign hours for their participation.

Lastly, if you know anyone that would like to be added to this list, please contact cleanupcrew@sixmilelake.net and we’ll make sure the invite is passed along.

Looking forward to seeing you there!

75^th annual SMLCA Regatta on Saturday August 1st 

This is an important investment in the treasured cottage memories of our children and a great chance to meet your lake neighbours. The regatta takes place at Regatta Bay, in the southeast end of the lake. It starts at 10 am and features (in order), races for Pre-Tadpoles, Tadpoles (7-8), Juniors (9-10), Youth (11-12), Juveniles (13-14), Intermediates (15-16), Seniors (17-30) and Over 30’s. Races include swimming, canoes, and the infamous Hurry Scurry race.

In addition to races, there are hot dogs and drinks, face tattoos, the vaunted snake and reptile exhibition, the ever-popular fishing pond, book/DVD sale, and a raffle for great prizes. Pull your boats up along the shore and walk to the regatta for a great day of fun! Come and renew your membership, donate to next year’s fireworks, meet the directors, and pick up your 2026 directory.

VOLUNTEERS & CANOES NEEDED for the Regatta!
The Regatta is a summer highlight for many Six Milers, and Saturday, August 1st will be here before we know it.
We are using the SignUP website again to manage and communicate with our wonderful volunteers —  and to keep track of the canoes for loan!
Click here to connect to the Sign UP page!

You will find:

• Descriptions for all of the individual volunteer roles
• It’s a great way for high school students to earn volunteer hours
• Have an old canoes and paddles to lend? … sign those up too!

20^th Annual Fireworks Display on August 1st 

Later that same day after the regatta, we will all gather in our boats around Fire Island in the south end of the lake at sunset to view our 20^th Fireworks Show. Remember to stay at a safe distance and do not enter the no-boat zone (we will publish the restriction zone on our website.) As usual, we are looking for volunteers to help Pyro Mario move his equipment and fireworks to the Island on Friday, and help pack up and clean the site on Sunday morning. If you can pitch in, please contact us at volunteer@sixmilelake.net . Volunteers meet at 10 am at the Crooked Bay public dock, on Friday July 31st.

Fireworks Donations

The fireworks are supported separately from the SMLCA budget; donations for the show can be made at our membership portal by clicking here. Due to the fact that we weren’t able to have our fireworks show last summer, we have plenty of funds in our kitty. This year rather than not donating, please consider making a donation to our regatta site improvement fund. There are many projects that need our attention such as building a storage shed and refurbishing some of our docks. Every little bit helps.

At this stage with the extreme fire rating we do not know if we will be able to run the show on the 1^st. Please follow us on our Facebook page for updates closer to the date.

9^th annual Artists Tour on Saturday August 6^th and Sunday August 9^th 10:00 am to 3:00 pm

Come see the marvelous work of many Six Mile Lake artisans in locations throughout the lake. Follow the posts on Facebook for a location map or go here.

Softball and Volleyball tournament August 22^nd

Gibson Lake will also be hosting a Softball and Volleyball tournament on August 22nd at the Public Landing Ball diamond at Gibson/Six Mile on August 15th. Details and registration can be done here.

Virtual AGM on Wednesday October 28^th

This is an excellent opportunity for you to get involved, express your voice, and find out what’s been going on at our association during the past year. Perhaps you would really like to get involved and consider joining our board. There is nothing more rewarding than contributing to our lake community to continue to make our Six Mile Lake experience an awesome one. Check out the summer Echoes for more information.

Membership Renewal

As always, your annual Membership dues support some of these great events, as well as many others. The membership year starts on June 1, and May marked the beginning of our membership drive. At this time, we are still short by at least 100 members. Please take the time now to renew your membership. If you have friends that have not yet become members, please encourage them to join.

Most of you should have received an email message prompting you to renew via Wild Apricot, our membership portal at https://smlca.wildapricot.org. Once you sign in, bookmark that site and save your password for easy access in the future. One of the features of Wild Apricot is that you can auto renew your membership.

If you still wish to have a paper invoice sent to you, contact Sarah McKinney at membership@sixmilelake.net. Remember, dues and other donations can be paid through our membership portal listed above or in person to Sarah and at the regatta.

Register to Vote

Please take note that you will need to register to vote in the upcoming municipal election, this October. To do this go here.

Georgian Bay Times Newsletter

For information on everything going on in the township go here to obtain a copy of the July Georgian Bay Times Newsletter.

We’ll see you out on the lake! Please be courteous and safe.