Open House and Upcoming Events

Open House and Upcoming Events

We are pleased to announce our annual Open House on Sunday, July 25th from 1-3 P.M. Thanks to membership secretary Sondra Casper who initiated online memberships, and folks wanting to get outdoors during the pandemic, we gained over 100 members. We want to invite new and existing members to come out for refreshments and meet our officers. We will be giving tours of the grounds and answering any questions you have. This is a great opportunity to familiarize yourself with your local chapter of the Izaak Walton League. Over 120 acres to explore!

We have two upcoming events for you to plan for. We are excited to start our dinner programs again! Our first program will be Wednesday, September 15th. It features member Dick Wilson, invasive animal species expert. Dick will present images from his extensive research. We are having our Fall Festival again! Mark your calendars for Saturday, November 20th. Once again, we will have silent auction items to bid on.

We rely on donations for the auction items, so start thinking now about what you can donate. This a fundraiser and funraiser!

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2021 Fishing Day at Izaak

2021 Fishing Day at Izaak

The 2021 Fishing Day Event is Saturday June 5, 2021 (9 am to 2 pm) and hosted by and at the St. Joseph County Chapter, Izaak Walton League of America (IWLA) in South Bend, Indiana. The purpose of the Fishing Day Event is to provide a fun opportunity for people, young and old, to experience the joy of fishing, especially for those that are new to the sport or that have never fished. The 2021 Fishing Day Event is scheduled to coincide with an Indiana “Free Fishing Day” [no fishing license required on that day].

The Fishing Day Event will be at the IWLA ponds, which are stocked with Bass, Bluegills and other species of fish. Some “loaner” poles with reels and bait will be available for those that do not have their own, and it is intended that some fishing tackle items will be given away to children participants (pending available supplies). IWLA volunteers will be available to help rig poles, crimp barbs down on hooks, bait hooks and provide guidance and assistance as needed. The use of barbless hooks is a rule at our ponds, and we encourage catch-and-release.

This will be a free event (no fee will be charged to participate). Membership is not required.

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Earth Day and Tree Giveaway

Earth Day and Tree Giveaway

We will continue planting starting this Thursday April 20th which is Earth day and continue through May 1st the day before the tree giveaway. Anyone who would like to help please contact Tim Kanczuzewski at 574-340-0842 as the help is much appreciated. We will plan on working for an hour or so every day after 5pm during the week and then a big push to plant on May 1st. This coming Saturday and next Saturday we will start at 10am at the main bridge.

On Sunday, May 2nd, from 2-4 P.M. we will be giving away seedlings to our members and the public near the bridge. Species include Redbud, Dogwood, and White Pine. On Saturday, May 24th, from 9-Noon, we will be participating in an Arbor Day, Earth Day event at Pinhook Park. We had over 200 hours of volunteer clearing and planting. Volunteers included Mike Connaughton, Sanders Elliot, Dennis Chapla, Jeff Fleenor, Judy Hawkins, Mike Hay, Kenson Kanczuzewski, Tim Kanczuzewski, John Loughran, Abbey Pruitt, Gail Reschley, Rodney Reschley, Marcus Rifley, Izaak Soprleder, Todd Sporleder, JC Sporleder, Josh Sporleder, Jason Thibaut, Rob Wishin, and Ursala Wishin.

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Latest IKES News

Latest IKES News

Things are getting back to semi normal at the club! Many new members this month, and we welcome you. We are hosting gatherings once again. (In compliance with IN COVID19 regulations). We had the Day Camp kids here earlier this summer for some safe outdoor fun. The Archery league had an 8 week outdoor league. We had quite a few big trees blow down from the recent wind storm, but nothing too bad. We added the Online Membership/Renewal option, which has been very popular, thank you! Great to see you enjoying the park.

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