Mark your calendars, this year Family Day will be held Sunday, August 10, 2008.
Bruce Manning
Photos by Roe Hall.
The weather was perfect for the swimmers who participated in the annual Quadrathlon. The temperature was a warm 72 degrees, the sun was shining and the water was calm. Eleven teams were registered for the event. Swimmers swam from the swim lanes to Eckhart’s Sailing Center. As soon as the team’s swimmer touched the dock, the boater took off in the direction of Beach 3 and they had to go around the peninsula – not under the bridge. At beach 3, the bicyclist was tagged and began the journey towards Beach 4 and around the south end of the lake toward the Poppe house. There the runners were waiting to run to the clubhouse for the finish line. The winning time of 32.36 minutes almost 10 minutes faster than last year, was the team of Meghan Smith, Brittany Parak, Lauren Parak and Julia Loughren.
The triathlon was next. We had eleven teams registered. Swimmers swam from the lanes over to Beach 2 and then ran to the fence in the parking lot to tag the bicyclist. The bicyclist ran to the gate got the bicycle and rode down to Oroho’s house. There the runners were waiting to run back to the clubhouse to finish by the boat at the gate. The 1st place team consisting of Kevin Abrams, Connor Star, Matt Hall finished in 6:18. Last year’s 1st place team finished in 6:29 minutes. Both events were well attended by participants and fans! I hope I am not forgetting someone. If I am, thanks. Also, thanks to the parents and fans for helping transport our athletes.
Sand Castle building was underway on Beach 2. The creations that appeared on the beach were out of this world! Special thanks go to our judges who wish to remain anonymous for coordinating this event. Judging can be difficult for this event. Thanks!
The boys at the grill were beginning to get ready to flip 700 hamburgers and/or cheeseburgers, 500 hot dogs, and 12 pounds of cheese sauce for nachos throughout the afternoon. Chuck and Bob were the masters of the grill! Thank you! Special thanks to Jim the bun man. Thanks also for my toasted bun! Of course, there were some great servers helping them out. Lisa, Matt, John, Sue, Kathy, Steve, the Talbots (all the way from Florida) were some that helped but there were more.
The cotton candy and popcorn machines were under the porch and were manned by Teen Council members this year. Again, the cotton candy could not be made fast enough. It was a big hit. Sue Buruchian, Thank you for keeping the day running smoothly with the help of the microphone.
The water slide, which the club owns, was lots of fun for the children. We did find out that if the child was too light, the child could slide right over the rim of the base. After a few slides, we got the knack of it. Special thanks to the lifeguards and to Jim, Bob, Eric and Alex for setting up the hoses and generator. This was definitely a fun event until the grounds became too soggy!
There were lists available for a scavenger hunt. We held a lollypop hunt in the park for the small children with a few special lollipops hidden.
Our photographers were available for family pictures taken on the Beach 2 jetty. There were picture frames available to decorate. Thanks go to Sue Ross, our new Clubhouse Director, and our photographers.
As a change from the relay races we held some Wacky Relay Races at the swim lanes for all age groups. It looked like lots of fun!
The frog jumping contest is always a crowd pleaser. We had so many frogs; we divided the group into smaller than a fist and bigger than a fist. Each group raced and then we held a race for all of the frogs just for fun.
The Baby Parade this year was organized by Roe Hall. This is always the best part of the day. The judges had a tough time with all the great entries.
Our new event was the chicken fling. There were rubber chickens being flung into the air to try and land in a bucket. Face painting was also available.
Joanne Poppe, or Nurse Ratchet, is the one in charge of organizing the bubble gum blowing contest. We had more entries this year than in the past. There were three groups of bubble gum blowers. A piece of bubble gum is placed in the center of a plate and whipped cream is squirted on top of the gum. Hands are behind the back and on the word, “go”, everyone must put their face in the whipped cream, get the gum and chew it and blow a bubble. The biggest bubble determines the winner. Of course, everyone needs a swim after this event. I don’t know if the fish like whipped cream – they do like cotton candy. Next year I promise to buy the right bubble gum!
Sue Buruchian was back to the egg toss and water balloons this year. The egg toss, as usual, was a sight to see as was the water balloons. We did have some technical problems with our eggs. Quite a few of them broke when we went to distribute them, right Sue?. Special thanks to the clubhouse staff for quickly running to buy more.
Teen Council sponsored “Highland Lakes Has Talent”, the annual talent show. It was great and there is so much talent walking around our community. If you missed it this year, be sure to catch it next year. Teen Council, you did an excellent job organizing this event!
So, at this time, the grill closed. Pizzas were delivered for those who placed an order. The Market Place Deli made the pies. We took orders to give the Market Place enough time to accommodate the pies needed and he gave us a great price. Mark, our DJ, started getting everyone up dancing. The music was great!
Ice cream sundaes were the next activity. What a treat.
Family Day ended with an awesome display of fireworks put on by Garden State Fireworks. This is the same company we always use. The night was so clear, that the colors were just brilliant! There was a fleet of boaters on the lake enjoying the fireworks. I think the entire community was there to see the spectacular sight! Special thanks go to the Highland Lakes Fire Department for their help on the dam and on the lake to keep everything safe for our members.
The day was great! There were so many volunteers to help make the day run smoothly. I hope I didn’t miss anyone, but I may have. I am sorry if I did. I want to thank the lifeguards for staying later. Allison – you were a great help. You even picked up pizzas! Thanks go to Jack for getting the permits needed from the town, to Lisa, Pat and Marguerite for everything they did to help me prepare for this day. Anthony, thank you for your help to make the day a success. Thanks to my ticket sellers – Barbara, Bobbie, Rose, Elsie, Julie, Cathy, Sam and Grace. Thank you to the Clubhouse staff – Sue, Lauren, Kimberly, Amanda, Melissa, Kevin, Krystal and Katie. You guys were great and are always there to help out or run an event. I also want to thank my husband, Steve, and my girls, Maureen, Cheryl, Lisa and Frank for the last minute things I asked you to help with. They are the ones who fill in if there are not enough volunteers.
P.S. If anyone has pictures from the day, could I have copies or you could e-mail digitals to the club office. Thank you.
Clubhouse News 2007
Carol Hastie, Chairperson Clubhouse Committee
FAMILY DAY being held on Sunday, August 5th is fast approaching. We need volunteers. Please sign up at the Activities Center in the Clubhouse Volunteer area. We will need judges for our sand castle building competition, safety point volunteers for our quadrathlon, cooks, runners, a baby parade coordinator, and much much more. Please sign up. We need everyone's assistance to make the day a very special one for you and your family. Cheese pizza will be available to purchase. Orders need to be completed and returned to the Activity Center by 3:00PM. Check next weeks Newsette for prices and order forms. WEAR YOUR BADGES!
Tentative Family Day Schedule:
8:30 Quadrathlon Registration
9:00 Quadrathlon begins
10:00 Triathlon Registration
10:30 Triathlon begins
10:30-12 PM Sand Castle Building (Beach 2)
11AM Comets Race at Eckhart Sailing Ctr.
Family picture taking at the Beach 2 jetty
12:00 Food tickets on sale
Bicycle Decorating Contest
12:30 Grills Open
(Food items available at a small fee to cover costs)
Scavenger hunt
Water slide open
Lollipop hunt
Cotton candy
Popcorn
1:00 Pizza orders taken for dinner
Family picture taking closes
Big wheel
Picture frame decorating
Frog Jumping Contest (bring a frog)
Wacky Relay Races (Ages 10 and Under)
Chicken fling
1:30 Wacky Relay Races (Ages 11-17)
Chicken fling
2:00 Baby Parade Registration (under 5)
Face painting
2:30 Baby Parade
Senior Sunfish races at Eckhart Ctr.
3:00 Pizza order forms returned
Bubble Gum blowing contest
Family swim relay
4:00 Scavenger hunt closes
5:00 Egg toss
5:30 Water slide closes
Highland Lakes Has Talent
6:30 Grill closes
Water Balloon Toss
1st round of pizzas available
7:00 DJ fires up the tunes
7:15 Family Picture Pickup
9:00 Fireworks
*FAMILY DAY BULLETIN!!* This year we are trying out a new event:
*Family & Friends Relay Races*
Located at the lanes! Teams will consist of four family members and/or friends. Each of the four legs of the race will be the 50 meters across the lanes. They will consist of a noodle leg, kick board, inner tube and a "banana". So start practicing and building up your endurance. May the fastest team win!
Also, this year we're announcing that the decorating theme will be “Give Us Your Best Sport Spirit". All those interested in decorating your area should come up with a theme that is sports minded. Awards to be given out to the winners.----------------------
We are seeking an amateur photographer, who can give us a hand on Family Day.... If you are the one or know someone...Let us know....See Sue Ross at the Clubhouse for more details,
or call the office 973-764-4366
Family Day News:
Family Day will be August 5th. Help is needed in the following areas- cooks, runners, helpers for any activity. Please help and volunteer. There will be a meeting at the clubhouse on Monday July 23rd at 7:30 p.m. for all who can help. Please try to attend.