Over the course of five hours, there will be a lot of fun and educational things to do for kids and adults of all ages at the 2011 Northern Indiana Lakes Festival Saturday.
The event is brought to the community by Kosciusko Lakes and Streams.
Taking place at Center Lake Park, the event is free to all.
There will be door prizes, water and lake education, swimming, face painting, free water bottles, food vendors, a business expo and more.
Foster Brown will take the stage twice Saturday to perform. He will perform his original nature songs for kids at 11 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.
For more information on Foster Brown, visit his website at www.fosterbrown.net
The Lake City Skiers will put on a show starting at 1 p.m.
Those interested can go canoeing, kayaking or stand-up paddle boarding from 2 to 4 p.m.
An electrofishing demonstration from the Indiana Department of Natural Resources will start at 3 p.m.
To describe this electrofishing, Jed Pearson, a fisheries biologist with the IDNR, said, “The boat is equipped with a generator that provides currents which are directed through wires to electrical probes dangled into the water at the front of the boat. Fish present within a 10-foot radius at the front of the boat are temporarily stunned by the electrical current and are then dipped from the water and placed in a holding tub on board. Stunned fish recover as soon as they are removed from the electrical field. We normally operate the boat at night in shallow water when the fish are less wary and use lights mounted on the front to see stunned fish.”
This fish sampling method is effective for estimating local fish populations in the lakes, and it is harmless to the fish. IDNR tracks fish populations in many local lakes to evaluate stocking programs and fishing regulations in order to ensure a sustainable fishing industry and healthy lake ecosystems.
A one-mile fun run for kids known as the Water Waddle will start at 2 p.m.
“The lakes of Northern Indiana are vital to our recreational activities, tourism interests, family memories, natural beauty, and local economies. They are home to many interesting plants and animals and deserve to be celebrated. That is what the Northern Indiana Lakes Festival is all about – celebrating the wonderful lakes and other water resources that our region has been blessed with,” said Nate Bosch, director of Kosciusko Lakes And Streams.
While the festival is taking place in Warsaw, those from all around Kosciusko County and beyond are encouraged to come and enjoy some family fun while also learning a little bit about the lakes.
“The lakes festival is a wonderful opportunity to learn about the lakes while having lots of family fun. We have worked hard to plan activities and events in the festival that will interest everyone. We hope people will come from all over the region to have a great time of fun and education and entertainment,” said KLAS Program Manager Anna Burke.
The 2011 Lakes Festival is from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. The following is a schedule of events: 11 to 11:30 a.m. Foster Brown - Children's Nature Music 11 to 12:30 p.m. Kayaking and Stand Up Paddle Boarding 11 to 1 p.m. Willie 103.5 live remote broadcast. 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Police Dive Team Demonstration 12:30 to 1 p.m. Foster Brown - Children's Nature Music 1 to 1:45 p.m. Lake City Skiers 1 to 3 p.m. WIOE 98.3 Live Remote Broadcast 2 to 3 p.m. Water Waddle fun run 2 to 4 p.m. Canoeing, Kayaking and Stand Up Paddle Boarding 2 to 4 p.m. Ecotours of Center Lake 2:30 to 3 p.m. Foster Brown - Children's Nature Music 3 to 3:45 p.m. Indiana Department of Natural Resources Electrofishing Demonstration The following are a list of door prizes and who is providing them: Ace Hardware Warsaw – Hammers Anytime Fitness – Month Pass Better World Books – Gift Certificate Eagle Creek Farms Market – Gift Certificates Grace College – T-Shirts Hacienda – Gift Certificates and Sombreros Himalayan Salt Creations – Salt Lamp Holiday Inn Express – Free Night’s Stay in the King Spa Room Kosciusko Lakes and Streams – T-Shirts Martin’s – Gift Cards Mudlove Pottery – Mudlove Bands North Pointe Cinemas – Movie Passes Ritter’s Frozen Custard – Free Custard SACS & Co. – Gift Basket The Cranberry Cottage – Decorative Boat The Lake House – T-Shirts Village Barber – Free Haircuts Winona Woods – Discount Coupon Lakes Festival Visionary Sponsors ($3,000+) are: Biomet, Indiana American Water, K21 Health Foundation, Lake City Radio, Zimmer Lakes Festival Guardian Sponsors ($1,500+) are: IU Health Goshen, Kosciusko County Convention, Recreation, and Visitor Commission, Times-Union Lakes Festival Friend Sponsors ($250+): ABC Industries, Aquatic Control, CenturyLink, City of Warsaw, DePuy, Hand Family Foundation, Indiana Lakes Management Society, Kosciusko Community Hospital, Kosciusko County Community Foundation, Kosciusko REMC Operation RoundUp Fund, Lake City Animal Clinic, Louis Dreyfus, Medtronic, MutualBank, Northern Indiana Lakes Magazine, OrthoPediatrics, Silveus Insurance, Tippecanoe Watershed Foundation, Tower Bank, Warsaw/Kosciusko County Chamber of Commerce, Wildman, Winona Lake Preservation Association Additional Lakes Festival Sponsors: Lake City Bank
