news

It has been a busy week at Lakair Lodge in preparation for opening weekend. New signs are up at the Lodge, work continues on the laundry house renovation, and a general clean up of the grounds is underway. Lake levels just keep on rising. Water is over the sill at the boathouse and flooding the floor. Many of the neighbours have had to move boats out of their boat houses to prevent them from being crushed against the ceilings. If you still have a dock it’s floating and while there are very few boats on the lake those that are need to minimize wake. At these water levels strong wakes can do a tremendous amount of damage to property, docks and nesting waterfowl. A large wake can easily push a floating dock off its’ cribbing so please slow down. Boaters should remember as well there is a lot of debris floating on the lake so keep an eye out as you travel the waterways. Let’s hope we get some relief in the week ahead.
While business at the Lodge has been slow there have been a lot of neighbours dropping by to check out the new restaurant “The Barbless Hook”. The restaurant is not open yet. We are still waiting for approval for our liquor licence and final touches are being applied to the interior. We are anxious to get the restaurant operational so stay tuned to our social media sites and we’ll let you know the opening date. It won’t be long!
However, the ice cream Schack is open and despite the cool wet weather we have had steady sales. Lots of positive comments on the old lodge sink. It looks great.
You can now hear the peeping of frogs in the evening along with the haunting and lonely call of the loon. Daffodils are up, pussy willows out and the cool weather has kept the bugs at bay. It’s a great time to get out and enjoy the outdoors. Hope everyone has a safe holiday weekend 
 Tight lines,  Dennis 

Well winter just doesn’t want to let go! We have had a couple of morning where ice has formed on the lake since my last report but it is usually melted by mid day. 

Like the rest of the province, our water levels continue to rise and are expected to peak this weekend. Let’s hope so it’s now above our cribbed docks and up to the first step to the boathouse. If it stays like this for any length of time it will be a challenge getting our docks in place by opening on May 17th. We did have plans to raise the boathouse this spring but that’s been put off until the fall when we have lower water levels. We have switched our focus to expanding the laundry room. We need more space to keep the housekeeping staff happy. It’s been a little crowed the last couple of years. 

We have switched our booking policy to 3 night stays in the off season (May 17th to June 28th) and 7 night stays in the high season (June 29th to August 31st). While under renovation we had an open booking policy but find with shorter stays on weekends we have had to turn guests away that were looking to stay the week. We have intended from the start to implement week long stays in the high season once renovations were complete. Keep in mind that if you book directly through the Lodge you get a 10% discount, and this combined with our already discounted weekly rate (7 nights for the cost of 5) you are actually only paying for 4.6 nights to stay the week. It is a competitive rate so think about extending your stay and enjoying the great outdoors at Lakair. 

The ice cream building is getting a few small changes as well all in an effort to serve our customers better. We will now be carrying refreshing drinks, snacks and and with the addition of a new “old” sink that used to be in the main lodge kitchen we may be able to sell hot dogs as well. We will also be selling ice and if you need it in bulk for a weekend get together talk to us. Our pricing is very competitive. 

When you arrive at our docks this year you will notice we have some new faces to greet you. Our summer staff are excited to see the season start and look forward to greeting the guests on the dock in the Lakair way. 

All staff have been pitching in to start the spring clean up. It is always a big job after a long winter and this one seems to be setting a record. Many branches and a few small trees are down from the weight of the snow which fell in abundance this year and is no doubt the reason the water levels are so high. 

Sure signs of spring this week. The crocuses are in bloom and a couple of our resident friends have appeared. Timmy the chipmunk who the kids love to feed is back looking for his handout of peanuts and our dock side mink is back , you usually see him down in the morning. 

The moose have started to appear from their winter feeding grounds so be careful driving the highways if your up this way. 

The sun is coming over the horizon so it’s time to go, see you next week with some exciting news from our restaurant. 

Tight lines

As I write this it is only 17 days to opening and while spring has sprung it still feels like winter in the early mornings. The good news is the ice went out this week. The Lake is now for the most part free of ice, water is rising quickly, and we are watching to see if it will go above the level of the dock. It was a record year for snow and rain has been plentiful so like many areas of the country we won’t be surprised if we have very high water levels for the start of the season.

Progress continues to be made at the Lodge. The main restaurant is looking great and important to note for all our customers it is completely wheel chair accessible.  The big news this week our patio furniture arrived. It will look good on the deck. I’ve included a couple of pictures from the deck so you can get a sense of what it will be like to watch the sunset. A nice place to enjoy a glass of wine and watch the sun go down on the West Arm. 

Right now our plans are to do a soft launch of the restaurant on the long weekend in May followed by an official launch in June. Stay tuned to our website, facebook or instagram accounts for updates on special events including the date of the official opening. We’ll also be advertising special menu features at Wally’s or “The Barbless Hook” on our website and social media platforms.

We are looking for old photos of the Lodge. If you have any please send them along and if we  use them in the Lodge we will offer you a free appetizer next time you’re here. 

Wildlife is beginning to make it’s way back as well. Yes the robins are here and even a loan small garter snake ventured out to bask in the sun. Every day more and more wildlife is beginning to appear. The birds are migrating back to their northern home and we hope you will too. Come join us at Lakair for a relaxing time on the Lake. “The Adventure Starts here”.

The winter months this year brought never ending snow. Just keeping the roads open for crews to continue renovations was a battle. Great progress has been made on the Lodge. It is nearly complete. You’ll see photos in the Gallery under “Lodge”. It hosts floor to ceiling windows with views down the West Arm, a stone fireplace, beautiful bar and seating for 75 including the deck. The large deck over looks the lake. It’s a great place to enjoy the summer afternoons watching the world go by.

Efforts are underway to revamp our website, Facebook and Instagram accounts. You’ll see changes in the weeks ahead.

Weather and time allowing we will try and lift the boathouse and strengthen the underlying supports. Our plans are to retain the building as is. It is definitely a piece of history that needs to be preserved.

The melt is on and ice is beginning to disappear. We’ve seen herons, geese and a bald eagle either in or near the water by the bridge. Everyone including us is anxious to see those warm days of spring.

Tight Lines

Dennis

The Ice Cream Shack continues to be a big draw for our guests and neighbors. Farquhars ice cream is definitely a big hit. We are installing the old Lodge sink in the ice cream shack this year. It has been completely refurbished and looks great! This will allow us to serve hot dogs and other snacks as well as our ice cream treats.