Summer Wrap-up, The 2026 Events season held both old favorites and new additions that made this one of PST's best yet.
The Easter Social, despite its cooler forecast, had its biggest attendence. Hosted by The Burchart Family, where guests mingled under the tent, while enjoying D&W's Food Truck and a Bloody Mary & Mimosa Bar compliments of Shore Do Party Store poured by Blondes Bottle Service. Kids of all ages had a visit from the Easter Bunny while they hunted for over 1500 eggs (across 3 properties), thanks to donations from our lake residents and beyond.
The Summer Kickoff Party was hosted by The Spezia and Eastman families, and brought guests from all sides of the lakes and beyond. Live music was performed by BWG, food was available for purchase by D&W Food Truck (who also donated the event setup), with libations poured by Blondes Bottle Service. Entertainment Included the Track Time Sim racing Truck which guests of all ages enjoyed while kids wore themselves out on the bounce house obstacle course, compliments of JCR Party Rentals. Hundreds of ice cream sundaes were donated by local favorite, Uncle Rays Dairyland.
The Poker Run, an annual favorite hosted by Jason Warda, was themed America and had guests decorating their boats In all forms of American pride, in honor of Americas 250* birthday.
Ladies Day at the Sandbar was hosted by Joann Allen with entertainment by DJ Jeremy Fenech. With 24 boats in attendance, ladies decorated their boats in themes of their choice, all competing for best theme, drink, appetizer and interactive activity. |
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The second annual Superman event, inviting guests with physical and intellectual disabilities to enjoy a day on the lake, was hosted by Howard and Kim Schrock, and organized by Lauren Burchart, Rachel Sharpe and Jennifer Pailing. Guests of all ages and abilities were invited from the community and beyond to enjoy a barrier free day on the lake. Adaptive boat rides were available for all thanks to the Wheels In Motion Organization. Guests enjoyed burgers and hot dogs by D&W Street Eats, and ice cream sundaes donated by Uncle Rays Dairyland. The event tent and setup was sponsored by D&W Events.
Ponetian Weekend, PST's biggest celebration of the year, kicked off with an unforgettable fireworks show organized by Brad Eastman and performed by AMS Fireworks Displays. This show wouldn't be possible without the generous donations from local businesses and families from all over our community. The Noodle Float the following day, organized by Tony Spezia, packed 457 attendees in Tupper Lake with boats and residents enjoying entertainment by DJ Jeremy Fenech.
These events are made possible entirely by volunteers, and we cannot thank everyone enough for helping to make them bigger and better each year. As we start to plan for next years 2027 summer events season, we would love suggestions and Ideas from members of what events we could add onto our calendar, or ideas to make existing events even better. If you would like to volunteer, or have an idea or suggestion, please reach out to the PST Lake Association via messenger on facebook or Instagram, or by contating us via email at pstlakeevents@gmail.com.
Lauren Burchart PST Events Director |
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Water Quality:Hello from your PST Water Quality Committee!
It’s been a big year for this fledging group (and you are still welcome to take part in what we do if you have an interest!) Here’s what we’ve put together in the past 8 months:
Water Clarity Testing: New to the Lakes this year, we designed a monitoring program taking Secchi disc readings periodically throughout the summer to be reported annually to the Michigan Clean Water Corps (MiCorps) program. MiCorps aggregates this lake data from all over the state in an effort to keep Michigan waters healthy. From the testing done so far, our results have been good - and consistently so.
Control of Invasive Exotic Weeds and Native Plants: Aquatic plants play an essential role in keeping our lakes healthy and balanced; however, when growth becomes excessive, it can interfere with boating access and overall enjoyment of the water. To better understand and manage these conditions, plant surveys have been conducted throughout the spring and summer by our local Field Scientist, Nik Krantz, under the supervision of Jared Laughlin, our Lake Biologist. Both are part of Progressive Companies in Grand Rapids, Michigan, which serves as our professional lake monitoring service.
Together they coordinate our two local service contractors: Aqua-Weed Control Inc. which has provided weed herbicide application and started a muck removal trial in the channel between Squaw and Ponemah; and PLM Lake and Land Management Corp. which has successfully performed mechanical weed harvesting and removal of overgrown native species near shorelines where the State doesn’t allow herbicide treatment.
Friendly reminder, please continue to use the red “Report a PST Lake Hazard OR Ask Questions” button to communicate directly with the Water Quality Board. |
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What's Next:The Dam Update: Ongoing conversations with the Genesee County Drain Commission regarding the operation of the Linden Dam remain an important responsibility. The dam and its operation are critical components of our watershed.
The Drain Commission is currently preparing a request for proposals (RFP) to select a third party to conduct a complete analysis of the condition of the main dam gate, which has been in place for nearly 60 years. The goal is to release the RFP this fall and select a firm a few months later. The selected firm will assess the condition and structural integrity of the gate’s steel to determine whether it can be rehabilitated or needs to be replaced. Work could begin as early as summer 2027, although that is currently only an estimate. Over the past several years, the Drain Commission has already replaced much of the electrical and supporting infrastructure at the dam.
Plans and Possibilities: PST’s current leadership and dedicated volunteers continually strive to enhance our lakeside community. Our primary mission is straightforward: protect our watershed and build a stronger, more connected community. Everything we do supports these two core principles.
What might the future hold? We are currently exploring:
• A sustainable funding model for the fireworks, including potential partnerships and fundraising events
• Professional lake signs welcoming residents and visitors to all four of our lakes, including Hidden Lake
• New events, including winter activities, if we have enough volunteers to organize and staff them
• Additional communication options, such as group text messaging, to support our current use of Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, the PST website, email, phone calls and, of course, face-to-face conversations With volunteers and funding, anything is possible. As decisions are made and new events are planned, we will continue to keep the community updated.
Request: If you are a current member, please consider volunteering. If you are not yet a member, we invite you to join your neighbors and friends. If you have ideas for the future of our lakes and community, please share them with us.
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