The third annual Northern Indiana Lakes Festival was June 25 at Center Lake in Warsaw. This one-day event made a splash in local awareness and appreciation for area lakes through education, experience, fun and celebration. Organized by local water quality organization Kosciusko Lakes and Streams, this year’s event drew its largest crowd ever with more than 1,300 attendees. “We were very encouraged by the record number of attendees this year, but even more encouraged by the number of participants in the educational activities offered at the festival,” said KLAS Director Nathan Bosch. Bosch said the goal is to inspire, educate and equip citizens to be good stewards of lakes, and participation in educational booths helps do that. Other highlights from the Lakes Festival included the inaugural Water Waddle. The one-mile fun run was organized with the help of the Kosciusko Community YMCA. More than 70 kids from toddlers to 14 years old participated in the race. Winners in the boys category were: Hunter Metzger, first place; Stephen Possell , second; and Noah Bohnenkamper, third. Winners in the girls category were: Hannah Dawson, first; Brigit Nemitz, second; and Mikaela Grout, third. “Festival goers really enjoyed the Lake City Skiers as always and seemed really excited about the addition of the fun run and the stand up paddle boarding,” said Anna Burke, KLAS program manager.Several local sponsors, including Biomet, Indiana-American Water, K21 Health Foundation, Lake City Radio and Zimmer as top-level sponsors, made the event possible. To get involved in next year’s Lakes Festival, contact Burke at burkead@grace.edu or 574-372-5100, Ext. 6446.
