Regatta

While it’s true every year we find ourselves saying it, this year’s regatta really was one of the best ever. It would be nice to know how many people attended, because it seemed we were packed. If you go by how many hotdogs were consumed (a little more than 800), there could easily have been several hundred people there. We couldn’t be more thankful that the weather was just perfect and the day went without mishap.

Congratulations to Ted Mackay, who in his third year as regatta organizer. He pulled off a perfectly orchestrated event. This year we also enjoyed the help of our new volunteer coordinator, Kim Swinoga, who organized the many volunteers who performed their tasks exceptionally well: from the site prep team, to the race organizers, the volunteers at the fish pond, face painting, membership table, ticket sales, raffle, and book sales, and the food tent. A special shout out to Josh Mitchell, this year’s food tent coordinator. Our sincere thanks go out to Tom Braun and Andre Frehn, who helped move everything to and from the site, and our race announcers Don Craig and Len Dunkley. There were ample prizes due to the solicitations of Pat Mitchell and Lib Gibson who rounded up a fabulous array of raffle, prizes, with help from many who picked up the prizes. Cami Jocsak made a huge contribution by getting the food donated by local stores. A big thank you to every one of these volunteers.

There’s an African proverb that says it takes a village to raise a child. And it sure takes a community to put on a regatta, and to instill in our children a sense of love for community and nature. An important part of that community are the many local businesses and individuals who donated food and also prizes for our raffle. We will publish a complete list of all donators in our fall ECHOES. We couldn’t do this without their help.

50/50 Draw

We are thrilled to announce that Jamie Sanders is this year’s lucky winner of the 50/50 draw, taking home a prize of $230 of the $460 total pot.

Not only did Jamie win the draw, but he also generously spent his day volunteering at the regatta food tent. Again, thanks to Jamie and all the volunteers who worked so hard to make this year’s regatta a huge success.

A big thank you to everyone who supported this year’s 50/50 draw, as well as our silent auction. Your participation makes a big difference to our lake community.

We originally anticipated doing the draw at the AGM in October. However, with the cancellation of the golf tournament, the regatta became the last opportunity where tickets could be sold. We felt that drawing the winner at the end of regatta was the best timing.

Fireworks

Again, many commented that this year’s display was one of the best ever. For a change we had no worries about the fire rating in July. If anything, we were anxious that there would be rain that evening. Many thanks go to those who prepared the Fire Island site by spraying the poison ivy and filling sand bags. We also were thankful for a good turnout of volunteers who helped load the fireworks on Friday and unload the gear on Sunday. We are grateful for the professional services of Larry Linssen who safely barged the fireworks and gear to and from the island. Thank you to Pyro Mario who again performed a show that was worthy of his craft and Craig Cameron who is our fireworks coordinator. Finally, our heartfelt thanks to all who generously donated to make the show possible. All funds donated go specifically toward the fireworks show. Why not start early for next year and make your donation now at https://smlca.wildapricot.org .

The 8^th Annual SMLCA Artist Tour

This year was our biggest artist tour yet with 27 exhibitors. Sadly, once again the weekend was a bit stormy which kept some boaters off the lake but there were patches of sun and overall the event turned out to be a big success. Our thanks to Heather and Jon Rennie for coordinating this event. Particularly helpful this year was the creation of a comprehensive website with a map of locations and exhibitor information.  Also, colourful banners were produced that each artist displayed at their docks.

Our Regatta Sponsors

Our thanks go to our sponsors for helping us support our community through their generous support. Please take a moment to view their website and acknowledge them with your patronage.

Platinum Sponsors:

Gold Sponsor:

Silver Sponsor:

Food Sponsors:

Special thanks for hotdogs, buns and drinks goes to:

Also, thanks to:

Superstore Midland

Food Basics Midland

Paul’s No Frills Midland

Foodland Coldwater

Zehrs 11 Bryne Dr.,Barrie

When shopping at these stores please let the managers know that you appreciate their support for our community event.

It is indeed a wonderful thing when everyone comes together donating their time, money and goods to help create events that make our community such a wonderful place.

Membership Update

We’re delighted to announce that membership in SMLCA has crossed the 450 mark. We appreciate the support from our members. Membership dues fund many good things for the benefit of the entire lake community. We have set ourselves a goal of 500 members by the end of this membership year, so keep those memberships coming. https://smlca.wildapricot.org

Thank you everyone!