May 10, 2008

Dear Crooked-Pickerel Lake Area Neighbor, 

You may have noticed a lot of activity around the Club last summer.  Thanks to the generosity of the members, last year we made many improvements to the Clubhouse including a new roof, new electrical system, new awning, new dock, new seawall and rip rap, new rear porch and we have some landscaping and other improvements yet to finish. 

But more than the improvements, the Club is expanding its present programs and trying new ones, and is focusing on family friendly events for children and grandchildren alike. Simply put, the Club has reinvented itself several times since it was formed in 1948, and is in the process of another change to serve a new generation of members with:

• Inexpensive dining including the popular Friday Night Grills
• Saturday night dinners with different entrees including fish, prime rib & steaks
• Twice a week sailing races and boating clinics
• Programs focusing on our lakes, history and interesting people
• Weekly Bridge, Bingo and other events
•  Kayak and Sunfish storage
•  And we hope to provide boating and sailing classes and other youth programs in the future

Our “yachts” are mostly Sunfish, our events are casual and often “bring a dish,” our members are seasonal and year-round and of all ages, as with all such clubs, we rely on volunteers, and our goal is to encourage sailing and other water activities on Crooked and Pickerel Lakes, act as good stewards for our beautiful Lakes, and be a focal point and resource for social and civic events in our community.   

The dues are modest at $75 for a  family and $50 for a single person – as is the first year initiation fee of $25 (which is expected to be raised in the near future), and as a member of the Yachting Club of America, CLYC members enjoy reciprocal privileges with many of the finest boating clubs in the nation.

We would be delighted if you would join us this year; many new members joined last year and we expect 30% or more of our members will have joined in 2007 and 2008.     

An Application Form is enclosed for your consideration.  Don’t hesitate to call Past Commodore Roger Winslow at 231-347-6547 or Commodore Dan Rupp at 1-614-596-6644, or any of the other Club’s officers or members for more information, or to attend a Club event as a guest, and also visit our web page at www.crookedlakeyc.org.

 S/ Dan Rupp 

PS:  We thought about having T-shirts made saying “The Crooked Lake Yacht Club is 100% larger than the Walloon Lake Yacht Club...” or indeed the Burt Lake Yacht Club -- and indeed given the value of waterfront property, we are very fortunate people on our Lake had the foresight to organized the Club in 1948 and build the Clubhouse in 1955!