2022 White Lake Peacock Triathlon

The day after the WLPOA annual meeting comes Ken's annual White Lake Peacock Tri.  This is a very friendly triathlon with a 250 yard swim, 9 mile bike ride and a 2 mile run.  Competitors can either complete all of the events themselves or can form teams if certain team members want to do the different events.

The 2022 Peacock Tri had 24 participants and many spectators across the street.

The safety boat arrives with a competitor on board.

Swimmers getting ready.

Some are more ready than others.

On your marks, get set...

Go!

The Grace, Jon, Mark team shows off their guns and their 7s.

The 2022 Peacock Tri is in the books.

2022 Annual WLPOA Meeting and Picnic

Well, the 47th annual White Lake Property Owners Association is in the books!  It went well, the weather was great, the meeting was informative and the brats were delicious.

Our new board member, Jackie, took lots of pictures so here are a few she sent me to document the day.

We couldn't have the picnic without Leo.  He gets the beer and the ice and has giant coolers and tables in his garage that he lets us use every year.  And garbage cans.  And his dualie pickup truck that we throw everything into to take it to the picnic grounds.  Thanks Leo!

Eliot and Bonnie attend to the greeting table to get everyone checked in with nametags and collect dues checks if they want to pay that way.  New Treasurer, Hannah, has set us up with Venmo and another online payment option if people want.

Grillmaster Rick getting things rolling as the meeting is ready to start.

I enjoy being part of an organization that encourages folks to top off their beer if they like before the meeting begins.  This has been going on since the mid-70s.  Then take a seat and learn about the news of the lake.

Our hosts, Jane and Jackie, who got all the food and supplies bought and organized and set out for people to pick up in line.  A very efficient operation.

The crowd is getting organized.  It's important to top off your beer before the meeting is called to order!

Another new WLPOA board member, Dave, saw that the grillmaster did not have enough help for the day, so he jumped in and spent the meeting finishing the brats so we could eat right after the meeting.  We appreciated the new board members who are jumping right in and getting stuff done.

President Mark got the meeting rolling pretty much on time and kept it fun and lively.  Mr. Microphone there provided by my brother, Jon.

DNR Warden Sarah and the Montello Fire Chief talked about fire safety and things we can do with our driveways to help the fire trucks get in quickly if they are ever needed.

The audience was all ears and ready with good questions.

The Fire Chief lets the Warden have the floor.

Tom does all the data collection, water samples and secchi disk readings.  He records it all, sends the stuff to the DNR and gives us a report at our annual meeting and at the White Lake Management District meetings.  Clarity was poor at the start of the season, but has improved by July.

Attentive Attendees

Karen from the White Lake Management District gives us an update on their projects.

Everyone is paying attention, but it's almost time for brats!

And some fabulous stars and stripes cookies.  It is the 4th of July after all!

Always a fun time to catch up with your Lake Neighbors and find out what is going on with our lake.  This White Lake Property Owners Association meeting and picnic is always on the Saturday closest to the 4th of July.  This year the White Lake Management District's meeting is August 6, 2022.  That's an important one to attend as well for lake property owners.

1937 Photo of White Lake

 It was great to see everyone at the picnic on Saturday.  I mentioned this photo to a few people.  

Several years ago, Jane Terry gave me a photo that Karen Weiss had found.  An aerial shot of White Lake in 1937.  She had mentioned the website it came from was the State Cartographer's Office.  I ran across that photo again and poked around the Internet to find a higher resolution image of it.  It is indeed noted to be from 11/09/1937, and you can see that there are very few cottages on the lake.  It looks like Scharenberg's Resort has begun operations on the East End, but I don't see evidence of Buck's resort yet.  Click on the photo to get a bigger image and see what you think.

 

Lifeguard Chair, Diving Boards and Fishing Pier at Scharenbergs

One of our members asked if we have any pictures from the 60s/70s of the diving boards, lifeguard chair and the big square fishing pier that used to grace the beach of the resort.  All were made of 2x4s and 4x4s and painted white.  Probably made by a Scharenberg or someone who worked for them in the off-season.

As I recall, the lifeguard chair looked something like this with a square back and the ladder to the side.  There may have been armrests.

There were two diving boards, the low dive (which was actually 3 or 4 feet to the water, not that low) and the high dive, which seemed huge, but was maybe 6-8 feet above the water.  They would place them right at the drop-off, so it was only 4' of water at the ladder, but plenty deep for a good dive off the front.

The fishing pier came right out from the snack shack (which also used to be a gas shack!)  It was a big square - 10' or 12' square I bet - and had benches on the sides.

You can see the pier and a diving board out of the water in this vintage postcard.  They don't look like they were painted white at this time.

All of these structures lasted into the 80s.  At least one diving board was re-created, but by that time insurance companies did not like such things (at least I think that's why it was removed.)  Last I saw the diving board, it was behind the pond on the 9th hole of the golf course.

If you have any pictures of the resort beach from that time period (or others), I would love to see them and post them here.  Send them to whitelakepoa@gmail.com.  Thanks!

Peacock Tri T-Shirts - July 2021 Order

Message from Ken Pientka:

Greetings everyone!  We had a very successful triathlon on Sunday.  Thanks to everyone who participated and helped with logistics. Since the race, we have had more requests for the Peacock Tri T-shirts.  

If you would like to order T-shirts, please use the link below or let me know by Sunday the 11th.  I will need to know your size and if you want a white, grey or black T-shirt.  The cost will be about $20 to $25 depending on how many orders we get.  Attached is a picture of what will be printed on to the shirt.

Peacock Tri T-Shirt Order Form

 Ken Pientka

2021 Annual Meeting and Picnic & Ken's Triathlon

WLPOA Annual Meeting & Picnic

Last weekend we sent out a reminder that the White Lake Property Owners Association is resuming our annual meeting and picnic on July 3, 2021 at 10:30AM.  This is always a great opportunity to meet and visit with your lake neighbors and talk about issues facing White Lake and what we can do to keep it healthy.

We are not going to serve food this year since we weren't sure what things were going to be like this summer, but we will be having beer/soda/water.  It is at the regular location on the west side of the lake.  Bring your own chair and umbrella if you need shade.

Boat Parade

I have not heard details about this year's boat parade, but we typically have a boat parade sometime this weekend.  We'll finalize it at the picnic, but I think it's typically been at 4PM on the Saturday of the weekend.  Put a flag or streamer on your boat or just come out for a slow cruise around the lake to celebrate independence day.

Peacock Triathlon

The 4th of July weekend at White Lake would not be complete for some of us without Ken's annual Peacock Triathlon.  Here are the details from the man himself:

When:  Sunday July 4th at 9 AM.  Please come a bit early to get set up.

Where:  My house - W 1904 White Lake Court

What: 250 yard swim, 9.35 mile bike, 2.0 run

How:  You can either do all three legs yourself or organize relay teams to complete the various legs, or participate in a one or two legs

Who:  All are welcome - friends and family 

Why: Fun

RSVP:  Please let me know how many from your group will be participating.

Weather Forecast - Perfect

New----Peacock Tri Shirts!

Thanks to my son-in-law, Chris and Jon Elf we now have Peacock Tri shirts available for sale. The attached picture is digitally printed onto high quality Gildan t-shirts.  The cost is $20 to $25 each depending on how many are ordered.  Please let me know the number of shirts you want, your size(s) and your preference for gray, black or white t-shirts.

WLPOA Spring 2021 Newsletter Update

It was a long 2020, but the White Lake Property Owners Association carries on!  See below for some updates and plans for 2021.

Lake conditions - Tom Kielich has continued his excellent work of gathering important lake data to share with the state and help us track the health of our lake. Last year, the recorded high lake level was 97.87! Through the fantastic efforts of the WLMD, the lake is at 95.8. See the WLMD reports for more details on lake levels and boating regulations. Secchi disk readings (Lake Clarity) last year were excellent with a high of 36ft and a low of 12ft. Readings this year so far have been 17ft and 11ft.

Membership news - Sadly, we lost three long time property owners who died in 2020:  Mike Coursey, the WLPOA's longtime grillmeister, Fred Blackbourn, the lake's biggest Notre Dame fan, and Adam Pientka, who served on the WLPOA and WLMD Boards for many years. They will be missed. 

As you all know, due to the COVID pandemic, we had to cancel our 2020 annual meeting in July. It would have been our 46th meeting of record.  We plan to meet this year Saturday July 3rd at our normal time of 10:30 am (same location WLMD property as previous years.)  However, due to the continued risks related to COVID, we will not be serving food or beverages.  For those who are comfortable, feel free to bring your own snacks and beverage of choice. 

We did not collect dues last year, but plan to reinstate this year. With your $50 dues, we will continue to support the goals of the White Lake Property Owners Association. Over the years we have supported many lake improvements such as fish cribs, minnow habitat, equipment for lake monitoring and clean-up, as well as fish stocking.    

Thanks to Lesa Vich, a woman who gets things done!  She coordinated with the White Lake Management District (which funds the muskrat trapping) and our favorite Muskrat trapper, and we have fewer pests already.  

Fall Clean-up - We hope to be able to resume this activity in the fall and will update you accordingly. 

Board updates-After many years of service to the WLPOA, Fred Forest has resigned his position from the board. Fred has contributed in many ways and we will miss his leadership on the board. He has assured us; he will continue to “educate” any boaters who do not follow our lake regulations. He has helped make the lake safer for everyone. This leaves the board with 2 open positions and in need of someone who can take over the important job of cooking the brats next year we plan to resume our full picnic activities. If anyone is interested in learning more and helping out, please contact us at whitelakepoa@gmail.com.