For the first time in 2 years, we made it through the weekend with no rain as we were blessed with almost perfect weather all weekend. With the great weather, we had a total of 28 aircraft over the duration of the weekend with most of the attendees arriving on Saturday. I am also proud to report that the 100% safety record for this event continues on. This is my 3rd year leading the event in the wake of Randy Strebig and I could not be more thankful for all the pilots who continue to come each year. While we may put the event on, it’s truly the pilots showing up and the slew of volunteers that enable this event to take place each year.
The weekend started with the poker run and spot landing contest on Saturday. A big thank you to Matt Perry, Rick Rumple, and Shawn and Alex Avra for coordinating and setting up the event. This was our 5th year doing the poker run, and it has become a favorite among many pilots as it is a great way to see the many lakes in our area and spread the joy of seaplanes with other lake residents. Pilots mentioned that there was a crowd of spectators at each stop. Scott Millard had the winning hand for the poker run. The spot landing contest on Lake Pleasant was won by Ryan Lee with Don Hassigan coming in second in the same J-3 Cub. Alex Avra came in 3rd in a Cessna 180.
Saturday evening, we were happy to keep the BBQ and bonfire tradition going on at the runway. Unlike years past, the bonfire was much enjoyed as temps were in the mid 60°s. Air Indiana Skydiving dropped 4 jumpers into the runway out of their Cessna 182 with Rick Rumple flying an American flag and wearing Randy’s skydiving suit.
Sunday morning brought chilly temperatures but clear skies and light winds. There were numerous notable/ unique aircraft this year. This list is made up of Rick Kaskel in his 1946 Sea Bee RC3 from Evansville, IN; Heath Ray in his recently purchased Sea Bee RC3 from Louisville, KY; and Brian VanWagnen from Jackson, MI in a Grumman Widgeon.
Jakob McKenney, who is a walking Wikipedia of all thing’s airplanes, joined us again as our announcer. A big shout out and thank you to Jakob and his mom, Tammy, for making the trip from out East to Lake James while having to deal with flight cancelations and delays. We always love seeing them and listening to Jakob’s stories about the history of various planes!
This year, we had 6 pilots offer to do rides and we were able to provide rides to around 30 raffle ticket winners. Huge shout out to the pilots giving rides, Shawn and Alex Avra, Mark Fisher, Nick Hall, Wally Hain, Kelly Carnigham and Tom Leahy. We really appreciate their generosity as giving rides is what makes this event a favorite among the local community.
A big shoutout to Ted Bohman, Hans Franke and the Pokagon State Park team for their help in preparing for this event and assisting with our weekend needs. Thank you to Emily Burris with the Potawatomi Inn for providing meal vouchers for the pilots. We appreciate the Pokagon State Park DNR team and the Potawatomi Inn for their continued support towards this event. This event truly would not take place if it was not for their support allowing this event to take place on their property. Additionally thankful for the continued support by the Indiana DNR in providing boat patrol both during the day on both Saturday and Sunday.
I also want to thank the Steuben Co. Tourism Bureau and the Lake James Association for their generous donations to this event. Their continued support goes a long way in covering expenses of the event, especially since this is a free event for both pilots and spectators.
This event could not have taken place without all the volunteers. From ramp set up, to ramp tear down, boat shuttles on Saturday, boat patrols on both Saturday and Sunday, the registration and T-shirt sales table, to waterfront and lawn aircraft parking crews. Special thanks to Tony Strebig for providing the sound system, Rapid Rental for the trailer used to transport the seaplane ramp, and Matt Love for the hay wagon used for the BBQ dinner. I will be forever thankful to the 40 plus volunteers that helped make this event happen.
Finally, this event would not be possible without the tireless hard work by my wife, Grace, my mom, Adriane and especially my dad, Joe, for sharing in the preparation, organization and coordination of the entire event. Among other things, my wife designed the artwork again for this year’s event shirts. Please mark your calendars for September 25th and 26th, 2027 for the 25th Annual Splash In. Keep an ear open for something special for the 25th anniversary. Room reservations at the Potawatomi Inn are recommended early as this event continues to grow in popularity and they sell out of rooms earlier each year.
Again – thanks to all the pilots, volunteers, sponsors and spectators. This event is a group effort and would not be possible without your help, support and participation. If you have any suggestions or ideas on how to continue to improve the event, please let me know!
