“This is our 40th year,” Otter Lake Booster Club President Dan Liske said of the annual Charcoal Chicken Fundraiser the group puts on to help maintain and improve Otter Lake north of Stanley coming to fruition in the late 60s and early 70s as an outdoor recreation place in Colburn township. Liske was on hand Sunday along with other Otter Lake Booster, members of the Stanley Rod and Gun Club and general public for the daylong fundraiser at the Otter Lake Day Use Area. Along with a charcoal chicken dinner and the opportunity to socialize, the 40th annual Charcoal Chicken Dinner put on by the Otter Lake Boosters had a raffle and dancing, the Joanne Jacks providing music with horn and concertina.

Outside the pavilion where lunch was being served there was a poster showing all the good the Boosters had done for Otter Lake. Among the many ways the Booster have contributed to the park are as follows:

• Playground equipment at the Day Use Park

• Shelter and the rewiring of the shelter at the Day Use Park’

• Being Sponsor 2 on the lake aeration system

• Fish stocking

• Three ‘goose away’ events at the Day Use Park area (effectively helping keep the beach clean).

• A free kids fishing contest on the lake

• Garbage containers at the South Landing (again helping keep things clean)

• Free use of kid’s life vests at the South Boat Landing

• Public access to the lake for ice fishermen on the east and west sides of the lake, thereby helping with property owner-fishermen relations, as otherwise fishermen might cross private property

• Contributing to maintenance of an ice road on the lake when frozen

• Putting a fishing dock on the east side of the lake

• Sponsoring park benches throughout the Day Use Park

• Sponsoring the chicken dinner fundraiser

• County land deeded to township for public use, and

• Fishing line collectors to prevent entanglement from discarded fish line Back at the charcoal chicken dinner, meanwhile, Liske shared that it wasn’t done by the Boosters alone.

“The Rod and Gun Club helps us out,” he said, then adding, “we help them out.”

With an estimated 40 people needed to put something like Sunday’s Charcoal Chicken Dinner together, every hand counts. As to the raffle, 1 in 10 won, Liske made known.

“We’re giving away $4,000,” he said of the raffle ticket event on Sunday. With prizes of $1,000 and $500 together with a host of smaller ones, Liske said that from 400 tickets there were 40 winners.

The atmosphere was festive July 18 as the Otter Lake Boosters held the 40th annual charcoal chicken dinner as a way to raise funds for improvements to Otter Lake. The Joanne Jacks were on hand to

provide music, with the outdoor dance floor hopping. A raffle offered participants a 1 in 10 chance of

winning, with a total 40 prizes for 400 tickets – talk about good odds! Staff photo.