Hello Clam Lake!
As we look at out at our snow piles we desperately want to think Spring and during this past week it did try to make an appearance here and there. Still, winter managed to fight it off with chilly morning temps and yet more snow. Thankfully, we did see several days of warm sunshine. It’ll get there…..
CRANE COUNT REMINDER: Sawyer County is looking for volunteers willing to assist in a crane count being held on April 15th between the hours of 5:30 am and 7:30 am. Currently, there are 8 sites available between Clam Lake and Hayward and one site near Loretta. Bonnie Booth, of Clam Lake, is coordinating the sites for Sawyer County. So, if interested please contact Bonnie at 317-708-3481 or bonniemarie214@yahoo.com You can also check the savingcranes.org for more info. This organiztion has made it their mission to save cranes and their habitats for the past 50 years. What a great opportunity to help these wonderful creatures.
CLAM LAKE’S ANNUAL SPRING FLING (A NOTE FROM PAM HUDSON): This year’s annual Clam Lake Spring Fling will be held on April 29th from noon to ? Due to the loss of the Community Club building, Richard and Makala Reukema have donated the use of Pinehurst for this event. It will be a Pot Luck and a BYOD. Time to “Think Spring” and come out and join friends and neighors to celebrate the advent of this much longed for season. I’m sure it promises to be a fun event. All are welcome!
COMMUNITY CLUB UPDATE: This past week saw the demolition of the original Clam Lake Community Club Clubhouse (1941-2023) which collapsed on Monday, March 20th. The bulk of the demolition took place on March 27th and 28th. Once the ground thaws the removal of the foundation and ramp will take place. The officers of the Clam Lake Community Club would like to thank Dave Hill, Randy Schuelke and Justin Wachowski from the Town of Gordon for their work in the razing of the old building. Thanks also go out to Richard Reukema for the temporary removal and storage of the fire trucks during demolition that were housed in the Firehall. These were moved, for their safety, to the County Groomer Shed. They have since been returned to the Firehall. Along with the Town of Gordon crew, others were on hand to help with the salvage of objects from within the Clubhouse. These were Bud Rubeck and his crew – Steve Carlson and Jake Guziak – along with Ace Griffaw and Doug Thorp. Thank you to Travis at Woodland Rolloff, too. We would also like to thank Ron Vecchie for offering space in his pole building for the housing of salvaged materials. Personally, as the village historian, I would like to thank the men for going in as quickly as they could upon roof removal to salvage and preserve the historical items I had on the walls and all the old records. Due to their bravery and quick actions much of our history was able to be saved. Thank you!
ALSO ON THE 27TH – President Bud Rubeck called a special meeting of the Clam Lake Community Club board of directors to discuss the way forward after the loss of the Clubhouse. All officers were in attendance. They are: President – Bud Rubeck, Vice President – Ace Griffaw, Secretary – Lynne Rice and Treasurer – Julie Rubeck. It was decided at this time to definitely rebuild. We will be holding informational meetings for community members at which time suggestions and community input are encouraged. No time has been set for this yet but, I will be posting updates regarding all Community Club activities in my weekly column which can be read online at www.clamlakewi.com or in the Glidden Enterprise. As in the days when we built the Clam Lake Firehouse, this is a time for community spirit in the true sense of the word. As Clam Lake’s only civic organization and a vital part of our community since the early 30’s, we wish to welcome all to be a part of our move forward. Thank you!
VIDEO OF COLLAPSE – the drone video taken by Chris Frasch of the collapse of the Clam Lake Community Club can be viewed at www.clamlakewi.com under News and Events. The accompanying article was featured in the Ashland Daily Press. With the loss, we have to remember that we got a lot of use out of an 82 year old re-purposed building. Upon demolition, it was discovered it was suffering from several structural problems, due to it’s age, that helped with its demise.
Until next week….
Pictured are some scenes from the demolition of the Clam Lake Community Clubhouse (1941 – 2023).
