Hello Clam Lake!
This past week saw summer “back in the house” in our forest. Temps were mainly in the 80’s with sunny skies and bugs enjoying a second life. Even though we see leaves changing, reminding us that this will not last, it seems people have been taking advantage of the nice days to enjoy our forest and all that it has to offer.
BOOK CLUB – The next meeting of the Clam Lake Book Club will be held on Monday October 7th at the Elkhorn Lodge running from 4:30 to 5:30. This month will be “Reader’s Choice” where members are asked to bring a favorite book or a current read to share with the group. This promises to open the door for possible future book club selections and some welcome sharing of good reads. The Book Club has definitely proven to be a welcome addition to our community activities and we say thank you to all that have been participating. Remember food and drink are available for purchase before, during and after the meetings.
ST. GEORGE – OLD BELL, NEW BELFRY – More needed renovations have been going on at our St. George Chapel. This time the roof, under which the bell and its belfry resided, have been replaced due to leakage. This gave me an opportunity to view the old bell when it was taken down for work to be done on the roof. The bell originally resided at the Zillig farm in Bristol Wisconsin and is dated 1886. It would have been moved here after the Zilligs donated the land to build the chapel to honor their son George, whom was killed at the tender age of 19, in a traffic accident on Highway 77 in 1945. Despite it’s venerable age, the old bell still rings with efficiency when called upon to do so. Was great to finally meet it “face to face”.
ELK FEST 2024 – Although Mother Nature decided to send a few showers our way for our 4th annual Elk Fest, it was still a well turned out event complete with a variety of vendors and entertainment. Josh Spiegel began the day with his popular Elk Education talk which provided information on our ever enlarging elk herd along with the history of elk in Wisconsin. This was well attended with some interesting questions being asked after his talk. As always, we thank Josh for coming over to the village to make sure we all stay informed on all things elk. As expected, the Elk Country ATV Club did a great job on the food and we thank them for that. We extend a huge thank-you to Rob Sparhawk whom organized much of the event. He also made sure the kids had a great time by providing an antler hunt designed just for them. Lots of smiles on little faces as they proudly showed off their “sheds”. Clam Lake was definitely “jumpin” with cars, trucks, ATVs, vendors and people all over everywhere. Thanks to all that participated and even though the stars of the show (our Clam Lake elk) decided to watch from afar we know they would have given it a two hooves up! Great day to be in Clam Lake!
Until next week…..
Pictured are scenes from the 2024 Elk Fest. (Photo of kids courtesy of Rob Sparhawk.)