Hello Clam Lake!
Well, we got our cooler weather with most being thankful for it. Am sure we haven’t seen the last of the warmer stuff as August rolls along but it’s nice to have a reprieve. Mice are already beginning to try and make their way in and I say…..too early! There’s still plenty to eat outside and it’s not THAT cold. Man up mice!
ST. GEORGE CHAPEL – Every Saturday at 6:00 pm Mass is celebrated at St. George, our historic “Chapel in the Pines”. Only a few more weeks left before it will close its doors for the summer season becoming home, once again, to the forest creatures that take time to worship there. Little deer mice find the former confessional a good place to spend time as they mull over their sins. Deer, bear and elk are known for the occasional peek in the windows or have been observed snacking on the grassy lawn. After Labor Day it will be theirs once again. Blessings to them.
COMMUNITY CLUB MEETING – The Clam Lake Community Club will be holding its monthly meeting on Thursday August 15th beginning at 5:00 pm. After the short meeting there will be a Pot luck followed by some Clam Lake Style Bingo led by Master Bingo Caller Ace Griffaw. Time to come out and enjoy time with neighbors and friends, learn about what’s going on in the village, enjoy some great food and hopefully win some prizes into the bargain. Hope to see you there!
BOOK CLUB – As this goes to print, the Clam Lake Book Club will have held their August meeting on the 12th. It’s been great to see the turn out and interest people have shown. Our thanks go out to Lisa Peifer and Bonnie Booth for taking the time to start this group. September’s meeting will be held at Ransoms Place where the book being discussed will be “Between Earth and Sky” by Amanda Skenandore. Meetings run from 4:30 to 5:30.
HISTORY MOMENT – Camp Fire Island is a small island which sits in Upper Clam Lake. Beginning around 1912, it featured Clam Lake’s first resort called “Camp Fire Island Camp” which was run by Clam Lake’s founder and his wife, Howard and Hazel Scotford. This camp was known primarily as a fishing camp at that time with people taking trains into Grandview or Glidden to spend time at this fishing hot spot. The RPPC (real photo post card) image I am sharing in this column was taken on Camp Fire Island in 1912 – 112 years ago. On the back is written, “5 bass weighing 19 pounds caught May 27th at Clam Lake in 1912.” In 1907 Kodak introduced a service called “real photo postcards” which enabled customers to make a postcard from any picture they took. This allowed people to collect larger, sturdier images of important moments in their life such as a fishing trip to the wilds of northern Wisconsin on a remote island resort. Real photo post cards became expressions of pride in home and community and were often sold as souvenirs in local stores. Many real photo postcards were unique prints captured by amateur photographers (such as this one) although many were also taken by professional photographers. People often collected them and put them into albums chronicling places and events they had visited along with cards sent to them by others. (As a side note – Camp Fire Island Camp set Clam Lake on its trajectory to become a tourist destination for hunting, fishing and enjoying out great forest.)
ANNIVERSARY PARTY – Rick and Alice Filter celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary at the Clam Lake Community Center this past week. The party was well attended by relatives and friends with a good time being had by all! Congrats go out to them!
Until next week…..
Pictured is Camp Fire Island Camp in 1912. Also pictured are Alice and Rick Filter at their 50th Wedding Anniversary Party.
