Celebrating 125 years of lake preservation

The Lake Beulah Protective and Improvement Association is celebrating its 125th anniversary with a party Oct. 12 at the Lake Beulah Yacht Club. The public is encouraged to attend the Oktoberfest celebration and learn about the association’s history and plans for the future.

Lake association plans birthday bash for Oct. 12

By Tracy Ouellette

SLN Staff

Lake Beulah Protective and Improvement Association is invited the public to its 125th anniversary celebration on Saturday, Oct. 12, at the Lake Beulah Yacht Club, N9220 East Shore Road, East Troy.

“We’re calling it an Oktoberfest and everyone is invited to celebrate with us,” said Carol Stein, of the association. “This is a way we can give back to the community for all its support over the years.”

The free event will run from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Advance registration, at www.protectlakebeulah.org, for lunch and tours is highly encouraged, but onsite registration will be available.

The event will feature lunch, music, guest speakers, education sessions and activities for the kids.

Stein said activities for the children include fire trucks, antique cars, a patrol boat demonstration by the Town of East Troy Police Department and more.

“We’re also doing pontoon boat tours of the lake with a focus on the history, lakeshore plantings, shorelines and sensitive areas of the lake,” Stein said.

The tours will be at 10 a.m., 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. Tour space is limited so organizers recommend signing up early.

Stein said the association will have a historical display about the lake and the association so people can learn more.

“We’ve got a great lake right here at our fingertips and we’re inviting all the friends of the lake because we want people to know there are groups watching out for the lake and dedicated to keeping these lands beautiful and open for everyone,” Stein said.

Informational booths about activities and organizations near and around the lake will be part of the event, along with representative from the camps on Lake Beulah and others.

 

A little history

According to a 1994 article in the association’s Lake Views publication, the Lake Beulah Protective and Improvement Association was formed on Aug. 25, 1894, when 32 Lake Beulah residents gathered and adopted a constitution and by-laws for formal organization. The goal of the new association was the “general improvement and protection of Lake Beulah and the streams and waters adjacent thereto.”

Early work of the association included strengthening the Younman-Johnson Dam in Mill Lake and the removal of the dam under the bridge leading to Beulah Island. The bridge was also elevated. In 1898, the association approved the work needed on the channel between the upper and lower lakes. Over the years, multiple projects improved the navigation of the lake.

Today, the association continues to make improvements and work toward preserving the lake and connected waterways, Stein said.

More information on the association’s history will be available at the 125th anniversary celebration, and people are invited to join the association.

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