Paula Reno Cedar Lake Indiana Realtor, Astro Realty

Friday's event during fireworks to help museum raise new roof

BY MELANIE CSEPIGA
Times Correspondent | Thursday, July 02, 2009

CEDAR LAKE | Lake of the Red Cedars Museum enthusiasts hope to put a new roof on the building with a fundraiser Friday at the Lighthouse Restaurant on Constitution Avenue.

"Top-drawer appetizers" and drinks of choice from an open bar are featured from 7 to 10 p.m., organizers said. Patrons will have a birds-eye view of the town's popular Summerfest fireworks show on the lake from the restaurant's upper level.

The cost is $50 per person with $15 going to the museum project. A $10 parking fee will be charged but waived for restaurant patrons and fireworks party guests.

"The idea is to let people view the fireworks from the upper level in an air-conditioned, bug-free environment," said Robert Carnahan, Cedar Lake Historical Association president.

The association operates the museum, which is leased from the town for $1 annually.

For reservations and additional information, call museum director Anne Zimmerman at (219) 374-7562, Diane Jostes at 374-6157 or Carnahan at 313-5890.

Day camp has youngsters learning while having fun

By Times Staff | Thursday, July 02, 2009 |

PHOTO PROVIDED BY CEDAR LAKE PARKS AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT Six-year-old Logan Torres is ready for anything as he arrives at the Cedar Lake Park and Recreation Department's day camp on Water Day, held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. every Thursday. Youngsters are invited to wear a bathing suit and water shoes and bring a towel for a day of wet activities weekly at the Park of the Red Cedars. NWI Photo Store

CEDAR LAKE | If you know how to pull it off, you can teach children while they have fun, and that's a talent Mary Joan Dickson has been blessed with all her life.

Cedar Lake's park superintendent has a knack for making every activity she plans plenty of fun, and children are drawn to her like a magnet. Yet, after they have eaten a meal they've cooked, watched a rocket they built blast off, hunted for bugs in the park or performed an original song on stage, they realize they've learned something new while having the time of their life.

This summer, Cedar Lake youngsters are enjoying a day camp that has a different theme every week through July, focusing on exploration.

Exploring The Past was the theme the first week, with Dinosaur Day, Pirate Day, Indian Day and a day full of games popular before the campers were born. "We are also able to start teaching a little archery this year," said Dickson, who devotes Tuesday mornings to that activity, weather permitting.

Dickson knows how to keep the kids coming back, so every week of camp also features Water Day - the most popular activity of all - from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday.

Last week featured Eco-Action Adventures, including a visit by the Lake County Solid Waste Management District's Enviromobile and a hike to Lemon Lake County Park. A Lego Building Contest honored Emily Allen with the Most Creative and Award of Excellence, while Hayley Tang received Most Realistic honors and Alex Horon and Eli Vukmirovich got the nod for Best Teamwork as well as Tallest Tower and Fastest Car, respectively.

Guest camper Christian Schabaker, 10, of Peotone, Ill. won the Cardboard Checkers Tournament, while campers made edible "dirt cups" filled with Oreo cookie crumbs, chocolate pudding and gummy worms, created bird feeders and planted a garden at Kiwanis Park. On an inclement weather day, they played board games and watched a movie indoors.

This week featured the popular Science Camp at the Monastery Clubhouse, 9800 W. 129th Ave., which returns from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Aug. 4 and 5 for ages 5 to 7 and Aug. 6 to 8 for ages 8 and older. Cost for supplies is $20 for the younger group and $30 for the older campers.

Next week's camp theme is Exploring our Borders and features Chinese, Canadian, Australian and Mexican days, said Dickson.

Preschoolers 4 and 5 have their own camp from 10 to 11:30 a.m. Tuesdays at the Park of the Red Cedars, 7408 Constitution Ave., at a cost of $3 per session. "We read a story and then do crafts, an experiment and movement activities related to the day's story," said Dickson.

For more information about Cedar Lake day camp programs, call (219) 374-4444.

Summerfest set to kick off

BY MELANIE CSEPIGA
Times Correspondent | Monday, June 29, 2009 |

CEDAR LAKE | It's time for Summerfest, the annual five-day party to greet the season.

Now in its 28th year, the festival kicks off Thursday with the Indoor Track & Foolish Field Events for those 50 and older. It will step off at 9 a.m. at Hanover Central High School before carnival games begin.

The Summerfest Sport Cups Stacking Tournament begins at 5 p.m. Shuddup & Drive will perform at 6 and 8 p.m. Midnight Special will perform 8:30 and 11:30 p.m. sets to round out the opening day with fireworks.

The Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus tribute and country hits group Clarissa & Auburn Sky Band will hit the lakeside stage at 3 and 5 p.m., while X-Rock DJ Tom Lounges and Shannon Raye & the Diamondback Band keep up the country theme. The annual Fireworks Extravaganza will light up the night at 9:30 p.m. on the lake.

Saturday's fun opens with the land parade from the high school to the Summerfest site on the municipal grounds. The fun will run until midnight with highlights, including the 12:30 p.m. Great Cedar Lake Cardboard Boat Race, the 3:30 p.m. Bathing Beauty Contest for 5- to 10-year-olds, and the Cascade of Stars 50s and 60s tribute show. The Extravagant Laser Light Show at the stage is set for 9:30 p.m. The classic rock band Fax will close out the day from 9 p.m. to midnight.

Another Extravagant Laser Light Show will be held at 9:30 p.m. Sunday. Other activities include the 23rd annual car show, the horseshoe tournament on the hill, community Bible worship service at 10 a.m. on the lake, the Stars & Stripes Ride for Vets poker run, a 1 p.m. talent show. An ice cream social is set for 1 p.m. on the veranda of the Lake of the Red Cedars Museum.

For more information, visit online at cedarlakesummerfest.com.

'Paper champ' is positive for cardboard craftsman

June 7, 2009
By Jeff Manes, Post-Tribune correspondent

"They took all the trees, and put 'em in a tree museum

And they charged the people a dollar-and-a-half just to see 'em

At a glance

For more information about the Great Cedar Lake Cardboard Boat Race, call 374-6157, 374-4444 or visit the Web site www.cedarlake summerfest.com .

Don't it always seem to go

That you don't know what you got 'til it's gone

They paved paradise, and put up a parking lot"

-- Joni Mitchell

In April, Boston has its Marathon. In May, Kentucky hosts the Derby, and Indianapolis the 500.

But there is another race that takes place on the Fourth of July right in our back yard you might not recognize -- The Great Cedar Lake Cardboard Boat Race.

It is an honor to feature one of the sport's all-time greats for this column -- three-time winner Ken Rasmussen. Eat your heart out, Bill Rodgers, Secretariat and Helio Castroneves.

Rasmussen, 38, grew up in Harvey, Ill., and attended Thornton Township High School. He and his wife, Mary, have three children ranging from 3 to 20 years of age. They've lived in Cedar Lake since 1990.

* * *

I realize a good portion of Cedar Lake's population has Chicago roots. Why did you choose to live near the Lake of the Red Cedars?

"When we came here 20 years ago, it was dirt cheap," Rasmussen began. "It was the best place for a young, struggling family just starting out. For quite a few years, we rented this house with an option to buy. I have three 25-foot-wide lots in front here, plus another one in back."

You're not the first person I've interviewed who lives atop one of these precipitous slopes overlooking the lake. What a view through the white oaks and black walnuts. I love it that you've left your property in its natural state. Beats mowing grass; it's beautiful.

"Yeah, I might plant a few wildflowers."

What do you do for a living?

"I'm a union carpenter out of the cabinetmakers' local in Chicago. I started out as a cabinetmaker, but the pay scale is almost one-third lower than an outside carpenter.

"I work for a general contractor, James McHugh Construction Co. My son also is in the trade, but it's slow downtown (Chicago) and he's out of work. We're praying for the (2016 Summer) Olympics. We build the high-rises; I've got my swing-stage card."

Explain.

"I can go out on suspended scaffolding."

What's the highest job you've been on?

"About 600 feet."

That's getting up there, brother.

"Hey, anything over 60 feet is death. There's definitely a rush to it when the wind picks up."

You mentioned your son; does your father also wield a claw hammer and wear a nail pouch above the Windy City?

"No, for the past 35 years or more, my dad has worked in the press room for the Chicago Sun-Times."

Ken, enough small talk. Can you win the cardboard regatta again?

"I hope so; there are cash prizes this year."

Tell me, Champ, how'd you get into the sport?

"The first year they had the cardboard boat race, about eight years ago, I just happened to stumble upon it as a spectator. I thought it was the greatest thing; I was hooked. I build at least two boats and as many as four every year; my son and oldest daughter have always participated."

As you know, it's about 250 feet between those buoys; contestants have to circle them twice. In 2006, you were clocked at 3:10, while furiously paddling "These Colors Don't Run" to victory. In '07, you and "Red White and Blue" flew at 2:52. And last year, in the kayak-like "Stars and Stripes," you crossed the finish line in an incredible 2:48.

"I also have the record for the Most People in a Boat category -- 18."

Which pontoon was that?

"Either the pirate ship or the 'Yellow Submarine;' I'm not sure. I can make one of my canoe-type racing boats in a day. The big pontoons are a little more involved. I've got a big pop-up tent I keep them in now. One year, it rained on July 3 and ruined my boats because I hadn't waterproofed them."

Explain the strict rules in cardboard boat racing.

"You can use some wood for blocking, but not for floatation. Absolutely no Styrofoam, foam rubber or plastic pipe. They don't want you to use paint below the waterline, but you can use candle or surfboard wax for waterproofing -- nothing commercially bought, like Thompson's. I've found Crisco shortening works well, and it's pretty much biodegradable."

What about a 50-horse Merc?

"No gas or electric motors, but you can make a paddle wheel or use a sail. But you gotta remember, you have to able to turn. It's not just a straight run.

"One year, the police department made like a 14-foot rowing skiff; it had the outriggers with the big 8-foot-long oars. Looked great, but they couldn't turn.

"Remember Cleo? She also looked great in that sexy gold outfit and shades. But they DQ'd her because all she did was munch clumps of grapes and sip wine while her two slaves waded in the water, pulling her along."

Any mishaps for you through the years?

"The time the wind caught us when we were in one of our big pontoons and took us out too deep, the poles wouldn't touch the bottom of the lake. We just kept heading out to sea."

Ken, you love living in Cedar Lake, don't you?

"I'll live right here forever, unless Dean White wants to give me a bunch of money for my property. This was always such a nice place for poor people to live. It always amazed me that I was able to raise my family here by the lake."

* * *

Each year, I look forward to standing on the pier while covering the Great Cedar Lake Cardboard Boat Race on the Fourth of July.

To the west of me, speedboats, sailboats and cabin cruisers bob in place as their riders clap for the cardboard crafts.

To the east of me, a melange of spectators clad in tank tops and flip-flops form a line along the shore, with Lake of the Red Cedars Museum as their backdrop.

And it all looks like a panoramic postcard from another era as good people like the Rasmussens partake in the great race.

Contact Jeff Manes at jeffmanes@sbcglobal.net.

Sailing, rowing, steam-powered vessels part of Cedar Lake's history

By Scott Bocock
Board member and volunteer with the Cedar Lake Historical Association | Sunday, June 07, 2009 | (No comments posted.)

Photo courtesy Cedar Lake Historical Association From rails to waves: About 1930, passengers regularly boarded boats at the pier after arriving at the Monon Railroad depot on Cedar Lake's midwestern shore. For a small fee, they were carried to various places along the lake. NWI Photo Store

During Northwest Indiana's warmer months, a variety of watercraft can be seen at Cedar Lake. Sailboats, rowboats and jet-skis are joined by pontoon boats that move leisurely on the lake. Even in the earliest days, boating was important at Cedar Lake.

The Potawatomi Indians skimmed the lake's surface in their canoes, while hunting and fishing. They might have also used the lake for recreational purposes. In 1837, the Hervey Ball family arrived at Cedar Lake. Timothy Ball would later write about an Indian canoe found and taken by his family in this same year, in his book, "The Lake of the Red Cedars." Although it is only a brief mention of this canoe, it demonstrates the significance the lake and canoes to the Indians.

Sailboats are still common types of vessels at the lake. Probably the earliest sailboat launching on Cedar Lake, occurred in 1838 or 1844. H. H. Horton of New York, rigged a large rowboat with a sail and a rudder. He and his nephew Timothy Ball sailed the lake. By the 1850s, sailboats were prevalent at the lake. One of the largest was a double-masted schooner with a cabin and an upper deck that served up to 100 passengers. Shipbuilder Obadiah Taylor of Cedar Lake was hired by Adelbert Palmer of Creston to construct this vessel in 1859. It was launched that same year, but after a few seasons, it was no longer seaworthy, and it was stranded at Cedar Point. In 1881, a Captain Harper would launch his boat the "Night Hawk."

By about 1900, Norwegian and French boat clubs formed along Cedar Lake's southeastern shore.

One club was organized by some Pennsylvania Railroad officials who were in charge of the depot in Crown Point.

The advancement in technology would bring other watercraft to Cedar Lake. By the 1860s, steam-powered boats became a common sight. In 1882, the Monon Railroad hired a Dr. Robert Hunter to maintain a steamer that could accommodate up to 40 passengers at once. Eventually, electric-powered boats like Mark Reed's "Dispatch," populated the lake. Soon, gasoline engines would power boats.

In the early 1900s, the Lassen Family came to Cedar Lake, as did boat enthusiasts from Chicago. The Lassen's "Dewey Line" met visitors at the Monon Railroad depot at the lake's midwestern shore. For a small fee, visitors were transported to various places on the lake.

At Cedar Lake now, a similar pattern still exists. The Cedar Lake Yacht Club continues to organize regattas. Many people launch their boats at the Indiana Department of Natural Resources boat launch. Others rent watercraft from Pine Crest and North Point. There is no doubt, boating remains important to Cedar Lake.

IF YOU GO:
WHAT: Lake of the Red Cedars Museum
WHERE: 7308 W. 138th Pl. also known as Constitution Ave.
WHEN: Tour 1 to 4 p.m. Thursday to Sunday through September or by appointment.
FMI: Call (219) 374-6157.