We realize having a vacation home entails a lot of work.  We created ‘At The Lake Concierge’ to meet the needs of Lake House owners in Northeastern Indiana.  We take the worry and hassle out of owning a Lake House by giving you and your home the best service and care available.  Let us do the work so you can enjoy yourself when you are at the lake, and have peace of mind when you are not.

‘At The Lake Concierge’ focuses on 4 major areas that take away from enjoying your time at the lake:

• Pre-Arrival: Setting up; doing all those tasks that need to be done when you arrive at the Lake House.  Cleaning and “opening up” should not be the first things you have to do on your vacation. Services included are: interior cleaning, getting the bedrooms ready, turning on the water, setting up patio furniture, etc.
• Post-Departure: Closing down the house when you leave.  It can take several hours to clean and do the laundry at the end of your stay, time you should be spending with each other.  We take care of everything that goes into closing down your Lake House.  Included: linen services, trash/recycling services, doors and windows checks, final cleaning, etc.
• Stock the fridge: You have to feed your family and guests while you’re there, but it is a hassle to head to the store right before you travel to the lake; then you have to pack them in the car, worry about perishables, and put them all away once you arrive.  Or you have to head to the store once you get to the lake and waste your time there.  We’ve got you covered.   Your groceries will be purchased and put away by the time you get there.
• House Checks: All those weeks and months you are away.  Your Lake House requires maintenance and upkeep throughout the year, and other times you just want to check on the house to make sure everything is safe and secure.  There’s no reason to make a long round trip drive to meet these needs; let us do it for you.  Full interior and exterior inspections provided, plus Severe Weather checks.

Have additional Lake House needs: just ask us. We will work to fulfil any request you have to make your vacation home more enjoyable and relaxing!

For an extended list of services, check out our website: www.atthelakeconcierge.com

To schedule services, call us at (260) 553-LAKE Or send us an email: atthelakeconcierge@gmail.com

Sediment Removal Update

On Tuesday January 27, 2015 a meeting was held with the D.N.R., Pretty Lake Conservation board and our sediment removal contractor (All Things Water).  We began by reviewing the work that had been done in 2014.  The purpose of the meeting was to establish a working plan for 2015 that we all would agree was attainable.  The contractor informed us about equipment he would be using this year and that he would be installing a gravel road on the Miller farm to prevent problems of getting the dump trucks stuck.  He also told us a company in Fort Wayne (E.R.S.) will be doing the trucking of sediment.  All these things will be at his expense.  The contractor will also restore the land area where they have been working.  This will be done to the land owner’s satisfaction.  Based on Indiana state conservation laws, sediment removal cannot be done between January and June 30. This is due to reproduction of aquatic life.  Therefore our removal process will start in the first week of July 2015.  The projected completion date is the end of August.  This time period has multiple weeks added for possible weather delays.  Those residents that have piers in the sediment removal area can install them in the spring and the contractor will remove and reinstall them as they move from one place to another.  If they need a place to dock their boats for two or three days we suggest they ask a neighbor or friend on the lake.  If you cannot find a place contact your zone director for help.  We have asked the contractor to finish the public access last.  We also want to thank you for your patience in getting this project completed.  This sediment removal will improve the quality of our lake for all of us that enjoy one of the best lakes in Indiana. Thank You…

There is a negotiated contract rate with National Serv-All/Republic Services of Ft. Wayne, IN for trash collection services available for all PLCC members. 

Our contract number is 7000078 (members must reference this contract number when calling).  If you do not, you will be charged the higher rate for the Wolcottville pricing zone.

National Serv-All’s Customer Service Department is:  800-876-9001.   

Current base rate per quarter is $45.90 (does not include an accounting administrative fee ($3.25) or Fuel Environmental Recovery Fee currently at $14.20 . This charge fluctuates monthly based on the average diesel fuel cost per gallon)

If you are being charged less than this base rate it is likely because National Serv-All has grandfathered your rate.  If you are paying more than this, you could save money by calling their Customer Service department

Standard service includes up to 2 each 96 gallon containers (the largest rolling container they offer).  If you have one container you can request another at no additional fee.

If residents currently have a smaller container it is because they originally requested that particular size according to National Serv-All.

If a larger container (s) are desired contact their Customer Service Department for an exchange.

Happy fall to you all!!! Yes, fall is beautiful and fall is full of harvest festivals and great comfort food and nice warm evening fires. Yes, fall can be a wonderful time of the year. However…this past weekend was the dreaded “take the pontoon out of the lake” weekend for us. Of course this makes us all sad, since it’s one of the first signs that the summer lake season is coming to an end.  And now we’re land-locked, and we’ll be envious as we watch those of you who can still enjoy a sunset boat ride drift past us… Wave to us as you go by will ya? 

Anyhow…I wanted to share a quick story about this past weekend with those of you who still have watercraft in the lake. It’s my effort to help save you the frustration, anger, and cost associated with one of fall’s little annoyances.  And keep in mind that this is the second time this has happened to us…Ugh. 

Last Saturday, at the allotted time of 3:00pm, we were to meet Rick, our friendly boat guy, at the public access to have him pull the pontoon out of the lake for winter storage. On the ride across the lake we noticed the the trim controls to raise and lower the motor were not working properly. Before pulling the boat out we had to manually raise the motor. As Rick slowly pulled the boat from the channel, we heard a loud “splat” on the concrete ramp. A very stunned muskrat fell out the back from under the boat. Once he caught his breath he was able to waddle down the ramp and back into the lake.  Then, it occurred to us that the very large and stinky nest he had made under the pontoon was probably the reason for the trim control malfunction, and as you can see from the attached photos, we were right.  He had chewed right through the main wire harness!! Needless to say, we’ll have to have the pontoon re-wired and repaired before we can enjoy a spring boat ride.  

Moral of this story??  Keep your eyes peeled for nesting muskrats!!   No “muskrat love” here… That’s a dumb song…

 Happy Fall!!

Leesa Kern

Muskrat Damage

Muskrat Damage

The Pretty Lake Conservation/Education Fair was held Saturday morning, July 13, 2013. This year’s event was an awesome presentation for the lake residents and surrounding community. Two excellent speakers provided insight into the lake environment with illustrations and pictures. One presented “Rare & Endangered Animals in and Around the Lakes” and the second speaker addressed “Glacial History of Natural LaGrange County Lakes.”

Many of the participants shared a wealth of information about the community we live in and the resources available. The fair included Soarin’ Hawk with birds of prey. Seeing the owls and other birds up close was a fascinating experience. Other participants included the Library Bookmobile, Parkview LaGrange Hospital, the LWOT (dive team), Stroh fire department & EMS, Council on Aging, Lake Council, DNR, Northeastern Center, Black Pines, the Red Cross, Board members from our PLCC and several fun projects for the kids.

The morning was filled with interesting, educational and fun activities. Thank you to all who attended and enjoyed the fun. (See the slideshow for photos).

A big shout-out and THANK YOU to all the volunteers and participants in this year’s Pretty Lake 4^th of July festivities!!! What a wonderful weekend we all enjoyed… From the Flotilla, flares & fireworks to the kid’s Fish-a-Rama and bingo & root beer floats night, it was all simply a “Blast”!!! And to all who participated in the Nelson’s chicken fundraiser, Thank You!

 *Here are the results of the Kid’s Fish-a-Rama:

(See the slideshow under the Photo Gallery tab for Fish-a-Rama photos) 

Group 6 yrs & Under-  1^st Place: Elle Kardatzke, 2^nd Place: Drake & Beckham Russell, & 3^rd Place: Clayton Goodman.  Congratulations!!! 

7-10 yrs –  1^st Place: Lauren Goodman, 2^nd Place: Katie Jones, & 3^rd Place: Julia Bricker. Congratulations!! 

11-15 yrs –  1^st Place: Ethan McBride, 2^nd Place: Lilah Bricker, & 3^rd Place: Avery Connelley. Congratulations!!

*Here are the results of the Flotilla:

(See all of the 4^th of July photos under the Photo Gallery tab) 

1st Place went to Joe and Nancy Wetli:     Life is Better at the Lake

2nd Place went to Steve & Barb Tadych:   Fun in the Sun

3rd Place went to Paul & Rebecca Patan:  Blackhawk 

Congratulations!! And thanks to all who participated in the flotilla, providing us all with some exciting summer entertainment. And if you are wondering, like a lot of us are, how the winners of the flotilla are chosen, here’s how it works. The board member in charge of the flotilla selects various people from around the lake to vote. Nobody knows who is chosen (unless they tell) and those chosen are different people each year. After the flotilla, the chairperson contacts the judges, tallies their choices for 1st – 3rd place, and then the awards are presented to the winners at 4:00pm at the public access.  Mystery solved!

THE TWO THAT GOT AWAY (Well…ACTUALLY ONLY ONE!)

The goose population on PRETTY LAKE 2013 consisted of two families, 4 adult geese and a total of 6 baby geese.   On Saturday morning, June 15th, before 8 am the geese were spotted on the east side of the lake.  A call was made to one of the guys who was participating in the round-up to alert him of their location.  Then the process of scooting them out to open water began. They swam a little north, then they went south, then over by Oakwood Terrace.   Eventually the boats & kayak maneuvered in behind the geese and proceeded to move them to the west shore where the fencing and trailer awaited them.  As they were being herded into the fenced in area 2 young ones decided to escape.  One went under the fence and another out a small separation in the fence.  So the chase began for the one going south.  You cannot believe how fast this little guy could run on the water.  Or put his head down in the water and swim like crazy.  (They cannot fly since they are molting)   Numerous attempts were made to surround him and gently guide him into the trailer but he was a “Houdini” and managed to escape and run on top of the water in a southern direction.   Exhausted he finally he ended up in the channel, went into hiding in the grass and one of the guys just walked in the water,  picked him up and they carried him/ her back to the trailer.  Captured at last,  he/she probably had a great story to tell the others in the trailer.  The other one “GOT AWAY” and has not been seen by anyone, especially the team of people who were working this project.

Moral of the story for our geese? If you escape, lay low and you might not ever get caught, but run away and we will catch you eventually.   A special THANK YOU to all who helped in this year’s goose round-up. Enjoy the photos!!!

The 2013 Pretty Lake T-shirts are available!!  T-shirts will be for sale at all official Pretty Lake functions held at the clubhouse, but you can purchase one anytime by contacting your zone director. Or you can contact Cathy Kantorak directly at 260-351-2348 to place your order. 

Please help support our community…put your shirt on!!! 

The first bingo night of the season was on Sunday May 26^th  and it was an excellent turn out!   The clubhouse was filled to the brim and the picnic tables outside were almost full. Ten games were played with the new guidelines, and some lucky winners went home with extra money in their pockets. As always it is a fun night for the many who attended.  Thank you!! 

We would also like to thank all those who attended the Memorial Day sausage & pancake breakfast. (photos below) We had a wonderful turn out despite the weather.  Our thanks and appreciation also goes to all the volunteers who make this annual event such a success. We are proud to see our little community come together in commemoration and support of our Military. Have a great summer everyone… And God Bless the U.S.A.!

 (L to R)  –   Jo Bergstedt , Vicki Stanski &  Barbara Carcione

     (L to R)   Carol Levy  &  Cynthia Rockwell 

 Front Row (L to R)    Steve Johnson, Denny Conrad & Jerry Cochran

                   Back Row (L to R)    Steve Yahn, Steve Schnorr & Tom Syndram          

              (L to R) Ken & Diana Hensch and Dave Kern

A great turn out!!  Thanks Everyone!! Happy Memorial Day!!