By Patricia Measer
The first annual Lake Fest will be held Sunday, August 6, 11am- 5pm, at Long Point State Park. This fundraiser supports organizations that help maintain the lake, including the Chautauqua Lake Association (CLA), the Chautauqua Lake Partnership (CLP), and the Chautauqua Watershed Conservancy. This will be a fun-filled afternoon with food, games, raffles, and prizes. The event takes place at the old Minturn Mansion site/ Party Cove at Long Point State Park.
“We are excited to share this event with the community!” says Kourtney Shuman, organizer of the Lake Fest and a resident of Bemus Point. “You can come by car, motorcycle, bicycle or by boat, just come on out and enjoy the lake with us!” Joanie’s Shuttle Service will be available to take people from the parking area down to the cove, for those coming by land.
Various food trucks will be on hand, such as Melch’s Smokin’ BBQ and Another Guy’s Fries. There will also be a food truck on the water selling hot dogs, “Wieners on the Water.” Another food option is a walking taco bar. This involves adding taco meat and toppings to a bag of fritos or doritos for an on-the-go meal. Kourtney noted that the business that owns the concession at Long Point, Ready About Sailing, was generous enough to expand their food permit to make this feasible. “This is a great example of how anything can happen when we all work together,” says Kourtney.
Entertainment will be provided by DJ Mikes Pro Sound, who is well known for performing at the annual H2O Platform Party on the lake. Attendees can compete in a corn hole tournament and a water frisbee tournament. Registration for these tournaments starts at 10:30am, for just $25 per team. The winner of each tournament receives half of the pot! There will also be 50/50 raffles.
When asked what prompted her to organize this event, Kourtney said, “I wanted to bring awareness to all the great organizations working together to keep our lake clean and available to all users.” She said she had been thinking of arranging something like this for years, and finally decided to just do it. She added that the event came together in a relatively short time frame, with approval to use the park coming in just three weeks ago.
“This event wouldn’t have been possible without family and friends stepping up to volunteer with setup, cleanup, working the tournaments, etc.,” Kourtney explained. “And it definitely wouldn’t have come together so quickly without the support and guidance from several key people.” Kourtney says that Marla Conley, who runs the state park, was integral in helping her through the process of setting up an event like this. “She taught me to trust my vision. She is awesome!”
Heather Nolan from CLA, Mike LaTone from CLP, and Tyler West, project manager for the Chautauqua Lake & Management Alliance, provided support and guidance, also. “I love this lake, but I love the people around this lake, too!”
With more time to prepare for next year, Kourtney plans to expand the event and possibly get some sponsors. “We are looking for positive, open-minded people to join the planning committee for next year. Think of how big the state park property is, and how big the Lake Fest could be!” If you are interested in helping, you can send a message to Kourtney via the event on Facebook.
Note: The CLP is holding a “Lake Rally” seminar on August 5th at the Bemus Point Village Casino (upstairs), from 9:30am-11am. The CLP will bring you up to date on what actions have been taken to address the proliferation of weeds, and there will be speakers with experience and expertise in lake conditions and lake management to discuss future beneficial actions necessary.
Coffee, Donuts and Danish will be available!
For more information about the great organizations being supported, visit:
Chautauqua Lake Association, www.chautauqualakeassociation.org
Chautauqua Lake Partnership, www.chqlake.org
Chautauqua Watershed Conservancy, www.chautauquawatershed.org
Chautauqua Lake & Management Alliance, www.chautauquaalliance.org