Campers from England descend on lake
By TOOTSIE SNELLING
Marion County Park & Lake Reporter
We had a few campers that came for Chingawassa Days and some for family reunions. We had a couple of guys from England who camped here. They were touring the U.S. and came through here just for Chingawassa Days. They told us they came over here to see the Ozarks but they didn't know about Branson?? They wanted to go back to see it.
Gosh, what a dreary week we had! Not that the rain isn't appreciated, since it makes everything green and grow, but it is nice to see the sun again. Those couple of mornings of 48 or 49 degrees were pretty cool. I'm ready for a few sunny, warm days. I just hope it doesn't turn off hot and dry too quick. I know the farmers need hot dry weather for the wheat. Have you noticed how it's turning gold already? Harvest is just around the corner.
The weekend started out a little slow, due to the weather but, by Sunday, out came the fishermen and the boaters.
Fishing was good — the drum were biting really good and so were the channel. The wipers, walleye, and saugeye continue to bite, too, but many of them are too small to keep. They seem to all run about 15 to 17 inches, and they have to be 18 to keep.
With the warmer water temperatures, the bluegill and perch are starting to bite in the coves around the rocks and brush piles. Still no run on crappie, but a few are being caught on the heated dock and around the lake. And I said just a few!
We had several groups in the hall. The Ducommons, Motters, and Chat and Dine Club used the hall on Saturday and the Hamm reunion was on Sunday.
Have you seen our jackrabbits? We used to see some on Airport Road now and then, but now we have some running around the campground. They are young ones, so watch out for our jackrabbits when driving through. Also, we have another oddity, a white-headed blackbird in our yard. We tried to get a picture of him, but he is too fast for us. He hangs around here quite a bit. Maybe I'll get lucky and get a picture of him yet.
The wildflowers continue to bloom and are so pretty. Some to see around are beardtongue, cat-claw, Missouri evening primrose, purple coneflower, blue sage, blue wild indigo, plains lockspur, and wild alfalfa for just a few. If it turns hot, they will dry up pretty fast, so be sure to drive around to see them.
We had several calls about the water situation, due mostly to radio reports — all wanting to know if it was all right to swim, eat the fish, or drink the water. The problem was at Marion Reservoir, not here. We were assured that everything was OK, as far as drinking our water which comes from there. The problem was due to runoff water from recent rains.
We have a new addition to our community — a new baby girl at the Slifer house. Congratulations to Lindley and Trudy.
