This, That & The Other

The skinny on carp containment, a decision on lakeside dining looms and the passing of an icon.

By Ken DeLaat
Fish Fotos By Mary Spicer

The Carp Wars
N3 World Headquarters & Monarch Hatchery is located on Hess Lake.
A Lake currently engaged in one of those epic battles between man and beast.
And while overwhelmed in numbers the human element seems to be gaining a bit of ground when it comes to attrition.
Carp cages were introduced via the Lake Association and those who have set up these ingenious contraptions along their lakeshore have seen the surrender of scores of the Cyprinidae family members.
Hess Lake Improvement Association President Terry Roelofs pushed the cage initiative after seeing the results during the annual  carp collection last year. Residents could collect a $2 ‘bounty’ per carp and one person turned in around 30. 
“I asked him how he did it and he told me about the cage he had made. I brought it up at one of our meetings and it was decided to go ahead with building ten cages that have been placed at various waterfronts on the lake.”
Permits were granted and the cages went lakeside.
And thus far over 200 have exited the waters of Hess via the cages.
“If it had stayed warm we would probably have 400 by now,” said Roelofs, who added that he has received a lot of help from Jerry Reynolds in building the traps and managing them for cottage owners who are limited to weekend residency.
From what we understand the skirmish isn’t personal. It’s just that the big lunkers tend to not be the best of neighbors, rooting out some of the good plant life while muddying the waters with their bottom feeding frenzies.
Our hopes for an unconditional surrender aside, any reduction of these titans of turbidity would be most assuredly welcome among the residents so a shout out to Terry R. and the Lake Board for thinking outside the box...
And inside a cage.

Dockside Dining Decision?
And speaking of Hess Lake we are intrigued by this recent public notice.
“At a meeting to be held on June 27, 2022, the Brooks Township Planning Commission will hold a public hearing regarding: A request for Special Land Use Permit and Site Plan review and approval for the re-construction/rebuilding of the former Smugglers Cove restaurant, docks and related items located at 864 E 88th Street, Parcel #62-19-32-101-006. The applicant is Team Thompson LLC. The meeting and hearing will be held at 7:00 p.m. at the Brooks Township Hall located at 490 Quarterline Road, Newaygo, Michigan 49337.
In a previous TT&O we featured a photo of the ‘Coming Soon’ variety of signage now gracing the property where the proposed rebirth of lakeside dining is hoping to happen.
By all accounts this meeting looks to be the next step in helping that process along.
N3 will be there to cover the meeting and from what we are hearing…
We are unlikely to be alone in the public seating area.

Ann Turner Cook
Quite possibly no face that has resonated across the world more than that of Ann Turner Cook a.k.a. The Gerber Baby. She graced the jars, packages, bottles, boxes and everything Gerber for nearly a century.
And on Friday Ms. Turner Cook left us at age 96.
Her passing reminded me of  several years back when  she came to Fremont as the guest of honor for the Baby Food Festival. I was walking around at the staging area of the parade and came upon her sitting alone in a convertible getting ready to take her parade ride.
I came up and said “I understand you were the Gerber Baby Food baby?”
“Yes, that was me,” she said with a rather radiant smile.
Feeling a bit prankish I said ‘Well, what a coincidence because I was the Northern Tissue Baby.’
“Really?” she said with a bit of a head tilt.
‘No. Just kidding.’
She had a pleasant laugh that she shared with me at my small fabrication and we chatted briefly before the parade got called into action.
While it was just one of those short encounters one has from time to time her laugh and smile remain in my memory to this day.
R.I.P. Ms. Turner Cook. You may have passed from this earth but your image remains a symbol that endures.
While also holding a rich part of the history of this area.