June 25 - At the May 30th General Meeting, the Smallwood Civic Association (SWCA) Board repeatedly stressed the primary importance of maintaining a safe and healthy and protected Mountain Lake. The lake is—so says Board President Jonathan Hyman—the blue diamond in our greening midst.

It provides residents of the hamlet endless recreational pleasures like swimming, boating, fishing, long walks and short jogs, radiant sunrises and roseate sunsets. Without a beautiful lake in its midst, Smallwood would not be Smallwood. Our property values and quality of life would be a fraction of what they currently are without it. It is everyone’s primary asset who calls Smallwood ‘home.’

As outlined in a recent column here, the SWCA Board has initiated various initiatives to assess and stabilize the water quality of the lake and viability of its dam. In an email sent out last week, additional measures were announced to help our community ensure the lake is safe, clean and compliant with existing Association and state regulations.

The new Board is very active in reaching out to the membership to ask for help with its essential work. Got a few hours to spare this summer and want to help out? The SWCA is setting up a Volunteer Lake Patrol comprised of Association members willing to casually and diplomatically engage with visitors to our lake.

The volunteers will be trained to do their job on their assigned shifts from the comfort and security of their cars while on patrol around the shoreline (the Association Beach is not part of the patrol.). 

Volunteers will be checking for life jackets, boat stickers, and requesting proof of membership, guest or renter status if appropriate, and doing so in a completely non-confrontational manner.

If you feel you would like to help out with the Volunteer Patrol over the summer season (approx. July 1st through September 11th), please plan to attend an informational session with some of the Lake Patrol Directors and local law enforcement on the day this column is published, Friday, June 25th at 4:00 p.m. at the SWCA Boat Launch.

A few other things to mention. If you have been putting off joining the Association, do so immediately, by June 30th, and pay a $500 initiation fee which rises to $750 after July 1st.

Upcoming Smallwood Events: There will be a Family Bonfire – Beach Season Opener on Saturday, June 26, at 7:30 PM at Smallwood Beach. On Monday, June 28th, at 10:30 AM on Smallwood Beach, Swimming Lessons will commence. On Saturday, July 3rd, at 10:00 AM, the second summer SWCA General Membership Meeting will take place on the Lodge Ballfield (and/or Zoom) at which updates on various issues of concern to members will be discussed.

And, delightfully enough, the SWCA Board has commenced organizing a large Children’s Carnival for Saturday, July 17th (rain date: July 18th).

Mark your calendars and keep your eye on the SWCA website at smallwoodcivicassociation.org for more complete details about each event!