(Spirit Lake)– The Spirit Lake Protective Association holds its annual pancake breakfast this Thursday, July 3rd, from 8:00 am until 12 Noon at Mini Wakan State Park on the north shore of Big Spirit Lake. Cost is $8.00 per person with children 5 and under eating free. While the event serves as a fundraiser for the group each year, association President John Smelzer says it’s turned into something much more…
“It actually has become more of a community event where families come together and bring their kids and grandpa and grandma come as well. It is fun watching folks come in by boat, by bicycle, on foot, in their pickup truck, their side-by-sides, and I wouldn’t doubt that if they could they’d come in by hang glider.”
The Spirit Lake Protective Association has been a key player in a number of projects in recent years, including restoration of the historic arch at Templar Park. Smelzer says they’re looking at expanding upon that…
“There’s discussions going on with the trails system and the county and the highway department and Iowa DNR to talk about moving the actual access road to that Templar Park area off to the side a bit so we can allow the residents there to be able to get bigger equipment in to do maintenance on their homes and we would set the archway off almost like a destination spot with a little bit of trail head and maybe some rest areas and a kiosk with some historic information, so we’re working on that.”
Smelzer says they’re also in talks with the DNR about installing a new public dock just south of the boat ramp at the Marble Beach State Recreation Area along with some fishing access points on the north shore of Big Spirit Lake and are looking into the possible construction of winterized restroom facilities in the areas of Mini Wakan State Park and Marble Beach, as well as possibly Templar Park. Smelzer says they’re also working on a project north of the border…
“We’ve been involved heavily with discussions on the Minnesota side of the border, interestingly enough, through the efforts of a group known as the ISG Corp. that’s actually involved in putting together a bunch of the work that’s being one on the oxbow on Loon Lake and a restoration of that that’s a water quality project.”
You can find more information about the Spirit Lake Protective Association by visiting their Facebook page.
