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I realize that many of you know me as my family has lived on Long Lake since 1929. To a few people who remember the 1950’s, I’m the little girl who rode along with the guys that delivered ice to the cabins along Pine Haven Beach. My grandparents ran a 4 cabin resort with a small store. We mainly sold eggs, milk, bread, pop, candy, worms, minnows and gas. Grandpa cut ice blocks from the lake in the winter, and stored the ice all summer in a sawdust covered “ice house”. Then my dad and a helper delivered it to the residents all summer. (The electric lines didn’t come down along Pine Haven Beach until about 1955.) I have a lot of fond memories of the store, fishing, swimming, water skiing, and the many families who have maintained their friendships and ties to Long Lake over the years.
My grandparents and my father all attended the original lake association that I believe started in the 1940s. That organization met twice a year; first for a picnic/potluck at the Pine Haven Church Camp and then a second winter meeting in Des Moines for an ice cream social. Their main focus was lake quality, especially related to fishing, and the amount of property taxes. When I retired from teaching in 2010, I could not wait to move home to lake. I started to help the LLAA by working on the website with my long time friend, Linda Kooyer Johnson. I eventually joined the board as a representative from Neighborhood 5. This year I am pleased to be taking my turn as President of LLAA and the Foundation.
Since 2010, I have been learning so much about:
- the identification and spread of AIS
- tracking the water quality and clarity
- ways for all of us to improve our shoreline
- and how many people it takes to protect our beautiful and unique Long Lake.
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