Patrolling the Pond May 18, 2025
Mike Miller, VP Lake Lotawana Home Owners Association
The Memorial Day Weekend Edition! Remembering Holiday Rules and more.
Memorial Day is HERE! The first official weekend of summer is upon us! Hopefully, this year will buck the trend of the typical rainy Memorial Day weekends of the past couple of years. Either way, it’s Lake Time! Fortunately, because of the sacrifices many others made, we have many freedoms and choices about what we do with our time this weekend. You can also make the choice to REVIEW the HOLIDAY WEEKEND RULES. You can find them on page 46 of the 2026 Lake Lotawana Rules and Regulations. As a reminder, Holiday Weekend rules apply from 7pm Friday, May 22nd, through 12 midnight Monday, May 25th (the answer to the last Safer Seven Quiz). Even if you have lived here for a couple of centuries (ok, a bit of a joke), please review the Holiday Weekend Rules!. Did you know that on Holiday weekends like Memorial Day…
- PWC use is restricted on Sat-Monday 2:00-6pm?
- Skiing and tubing are restricted from sunrise to 10am and again from 12 noon to 2pm.
- That no more than one person should be pulled by any vessel on Holiday weekends?
- Wake surfing is not allowed at any time during the Holiday weekend hours.
- That no person shall operate a sailboat in an organized event or racing competition before 8am or after 12noon?
- The Water Patrol can, at their discretion, curtail skiing during heavy traffic times or lift restrictions if traffic is light.
Got Holiday Weekend Rules? Go check them out for yourself on page 46!
You will be pleased to know that the Water Patrol (WP) will be out in full force this weekend, enforcing the rules everyone should know by heart. You will recognize them by more than just the sleek and simple Whaler profile this year. All WP boats now have light blue burgees (flags) so you can easily identify them on the water. No more confusion with other whalers out there. No more thinking, “Why are they just sunbathing on the WP boat?” Typically, those are not WP boats. The burgees should provide another effective way to identify a WP boat.
As much as the WP will be present, there will always be a few members who don’t pay heed to any of the variety of avenues used to remind EVERYONE of the different rules in effect this weekend. They just won’t read or review the rules. It’s a fact. Please don’t be that guy! As this is the first official weekend of summer, there will be some new residents on the pond. If you see a violation and feel like saying something may be helpful, try to educate vs. complicate. Be neighborly. Be helpful! Be kind. We are all trying to enjoy the Lake and make some fun family and friend memories. And, of course, we all want to operate safely.
This is the beginning of the summer season, with a long way to go. Kindness on the water can flow from all of us. Who knows, you may meet some new friends! We can all do our part by FIRST following all of the Holiday Weekend rules…and no exceptions for those grandkids who are only going to be in town ONCE this summer.
Of course, for most, Memorial Day is a nice three-day weekend, a break before summer starts. Lest we forget, many of our heroes in uniform paid the ultimate price for our freedom. I typically plan to watch a few classic WWII movies to commemorate the weekend. Saving Private Ryan is a favorite. Band of Brothers is another classic. Unbroken is another one. I may even dig a little deeper into the archives and rewatch something like The Dirty Dozen or Patton. And of course, there are many more. My dad was a WWII Veteran of the Pacific Theatre. He never really talked in too much detail about his experiences. He had his reasons. And while he didn’t live long enough to see our house at Lake Lotawana, I know he would have loved the Lake. I know he would really enjoy seeing everyone make the most of their time making memories this weekend. He would also say thanks to those who made what we do possible. I hope you do too. Enjoy your weekend and SEE YOU ON THE POND this weekend and this summer!
SAFER SEVEN is Taking the Holiday Off but…
Would like to congratulate our TWO WINNERS from our last quiz. What time do Holiday Hours begin? The correct answer, of course, is 7:00pm Friday night for Memorial Day weekend. I will announce the two winners in the next edition of Patrolling the Pond. Each has won a $50 gift certificate to two of our local eateries. Congrats!