What’s Happening in Shell Lake!!

Happy June! Longer, warmer days ahead! Fresh flowers planted, birds at the feeders, and all of the trees have leafed out. Looks like we are ready for the summer months ahead.

I had a super fun experience a couple of weeks ago with being a guest “Lunch Lady” at the Shell Lake school. It was so fun to interact with the school children and watch their smiles as they took their favorite items and heard the laughter of the children sharing stories with their friend next to them. Thanks to Tiffany Schroeder for asking me to join them. It certainly was my pleasure!! Next year, they will be in need of people willing to help out in the food line to help cover sick calls, vacations, etc. If this is something that might interest you, please call the school and let them know, they will put you on a call list, and will want to know your name, and a number that they can reach you at. It is only about a 45-minute commitment on the day that you help, plus it is really fun to do. So, give them a call and let them know, they would truly appreciate it!

You may have heard the news that we are at the moment without lifeguards for our beach. Our team has gone to great lengths to recruit and fill these roles, but we face a critical staffing shortage. There is still some hope that this may happen, and if it does, we may have guards for the weekend of Father’s Day. The woman who does the 3-day training for the certification of lifeguards, has agreed to do a special training in Rice Lake for the people who have just recently applied for the lifeguard positions. This is huge that she has agreed to do this, and if the applicants pass the certification, then we will have guards. To ensure the highest level of safety for Shell Lake and the surrounding community, our beach requires a minimum of 4 certified, experienced lifeguards. Looking ahead, we will revisit our recruitment efforts next spring. Our goal remains to fully staff our beaches with qualified lifeguards so we can once again provide the high level of safety that everyone visiting Shell Lake deserves. Please help us spread the word! If you or anyone you know is interested in becoming a lifeguard, we would love to have you apply. As a reminder, the City of Shell Lake covers the full cost of the Red Cross training course and provides all the necessary gear for the job. We look forward to welcoming a full team next year to keep our beautiful lake safe for everyone. So, keep your fingers crossed, hopefully all these extra efforts will make this come to fruition this summer!!

Did you know that the Chamber in Shell Lake will be having a Social in Downtown Shell Lake, every Thursday from 4:00-6:00 PM. So come on over and check out the specials that will be available in the various stores on main street. They will be excited to see you!

On Friday May 22nd, the Shell Lake Art Center (SLAC) had their ribbon cutting ceremony/open house. It was a huge success, with many showing up to see this new beautiful building that will be available for many more events. Not only for the band camp students, but also for family reunions, class reunions, bridal/baby showers, rehearsal dinners, quilting clubs…the list is endless. Have an upcoming event…consider this new state of the art building. Summer Band Camp will begin at the Shell Lake’s Art Center on June 7th. They are always looking for volunteers to help out. Please contact them to volunteer for any of their summer events by emailing them at: info@shelllakeartscenter.org All faculty and camper concerts are FREE! They will be posting their schedules on Facebook, as well as on their website. You are encouraged to come and enjoy wonderful music all summer long!!

Don’t forget, Friday June 5th and Saturday June 6th, the city wide clean up will take place. On Friday, the City Shop will take tires, electronics and such at the City Shop from the hours of 0830-1130, and 1230-3:00. On Saturday there will be a city wide pick up, of the items that you leave on your curb. Please just put these items where you normally would put your garbage. You should have all items to be picked up at curbside by 0600 on Saturday morning. Anything left, the city garbage trucks will not pick up on the following Monday.

June 4th, At Perlick Distillery, the food trucks will be out, along with the beginning of the Farmer’s market. Always a fun place to go to get some fresh produce, a bite to eat, refreshing drinks and take in the beautiful quiet country scene. This will take place during the Summer, every Thursday. Enjoy!!

Dates to Remember in JUNE:

• 4th Perlick Distillery Farmer’s Market, with Food Truck
• 4th Chambers Social in downtown Shell Lake 4:00-6:00
• 8th City Council Meeting 7:00 PM City Hall
• 14th Flag Day
• 21st Father’s Day and First Day of Summer

With June comes Father’s Day! As with Mother’s Day, we take a day to celebrated Dad. On Father’s Day we honor the men who taught us how to stand tall, how to laugh at our own mistakes, and how to keep going when the road gets rough. To the dads, stepdads, grandfathers, and father figures who have been our anchors—thank you for giving us a safe place to land and the courage to fly. We spend our childhoods looking up to them, and our adulthoods realizing just how much of our own strength was borrowed from theirs. As a kid, Father’s Day meant a trip to the local ice cream parlor to treat my dad to his favorite scoop. It was such a simple act, but my siblings and I truly believed we were giving him the world. In his quiet, loving way, he always made sure we knew the truth: the treat was extra special simply because it came from us. My father was, and always will be, my hero. He left us far too young, but he left behind a enduring legacy of love, kindness, and humility. He was the father of 11 children, and in a bustling house, he managed to make each of us feel uniquely special. He gave every single one of us a nickname—names that we still call each other to this very day. He taught us the absolute importance of always being kind, a lesson he lived out every moment. We may have thought we were treating him all those years ago, but the real treat was having him as our dad.

Mayor Rowie Hansberger