September | 2008 |

Battling Swimmer’s Itch…and Winning

Posted on September 24, 2008 by glenlake

Common Mergansers

Summer traditions returned this past season on Glen Lake and some were more popular than others. Cottage owners, year-round residents and visitors to the Glens maximized their enjoyment of the 2008 season with typical outdoor activities. There were plenty of cook-outs, water-skiing, sailing, fishing forays and resulting fables, beach parties and … swimmer’s itch.

As long as most can remember, this pesky nuisance has been associated with some susceptible swimmers, and not just on Glen Lake, but throughout the north’s inland waterways and the northern tier of states. Locally, the situation has improved thanks to the efforts of the Glen Lake Association and experts they are working with.
(more…)

Filed under: Swimmers Itch | Leave a Comment »

Sixty Years of Glen Lake Memories

Posted on September 23, 2008 by glenlake

If anyone is ever looking for the definition of a “true local,” they need not look any further than John DePuy.

The former Glen Arbor Fire Chief and past Glen Lake Association board member has called Glen Arbor his home for almost 60 years. He began visiting Glen Lake as a child with his family in 1948. Shortly after, his parents built their house on Little Glen in 1954, he then attended The Leelanau School and has lived on Little Glen with his wife, Pam, since 1971.

With such an extensive history in the area, DePuy finds it hard to pinpoint one specific memory as his favorite.

“This place is too special to list just one memory,” he says. “Meeting Pam at the Narrows Marina, driving dune cars, ice fishing on Little Glen, snowmobiling through Alligator Hill before it was the National Park, square dancing and sailing at the Yacht Club, playing capture the flag at the Dunes, watching our children go through Glen Lake Schools, and now seeing our three grandchildren playing on the beach. are all special to us.”

DePuy reminisces about taking a picnic up to Alligator Hill with his mother, saying, “It was her favorite thing to do. It wasn’t the National Park then, and we just drove right in. While a lot has changed since then, the view hasn’t changed much.”

Good to know some things always stay the same.

Photograph by Frederick Dickinson

Filed under: Glen Lake Families, Memories | Leave a Comment »

Historic Cottages of Glen Lake

Posted on September 17, 2008 by glenlake

The mode of transportation was boat or train. There was no television, women couldn’t vote, and the average income was around $1200. Times were different in the early 1900’s, but even then, cottages on Glen Lake were the destination for many every summer.

Local Glen Arbor resident and former GLA Vice President Barbara Siepker has published Historical Cottages of Glen Lake (Leelanau Press, 2008), an up-close look at 50 historic cottages and their history on Big and Little Glen, all built before 1950.