Boat House and Festival Plaza

Ok, so this post is just a bit of unsolicited, free advertising for the City of Lafayette. I just wanted to keep you up to date about the happenings around town. If you are a local you can come to some of these events.
I have written several times about our boathouse and the fire that destroyed it; now, I want to let you know that the new one is ready to go!

Come to the Waneka Lake Boathouse Celebration

May 9
2:00pm – 4:00pm
Waneka Lake Park and Boathouse, 1600 Caria Drive / Lafayette

There will be activities for kids, refreshments, paddle boat rides and more!

Another new addition to Lafayette will be opened on May 9. Festival Plaza is a new area on Public Road, to be used for community events, local farmers markets, and as a fun public gathering spot. Later this spring several sculptures will be installed as part of Art on the Street, Lafayette's new sculpture walk.

Festival Plaza dedication

May 9

Activities and refreshments from 10:00 am - 2:00 pm

Corner of S. Public Road and Chester Street

A lot is happening around town! It's exciting to be part of such a great community! Maybe we will see you at one of these fun events.

Boat House Update

Do you remember when I told you about the Lafayette Boathouse that was destroyed by arson. It was a big loss for our community. The boathouse at Waneka Lake was a nice little gem in our town. Children and adults enjoyed what it had to offer, and in 2007, it was senselessly burned to the ground.

I wanted to give you an update. What was diminished to ashes has been rebuilt.

I have been meaning to take my camera with me on our walks, today I remembered it, just as I was walking out the door. I am so glad I did. As we were coming around the west end of the lake, we saw a trailer filled with bright paddle boats, ready for delivery.

The boathouse will be finished soon. The fleet will be back in the water this summer. There will be a ribbon cutting ceremony and grand opening next month - details to follow.

Winter on the lake

From our walk last week, ice pieces at the edge of Waneka Lake.

On the other side of the lake, trees in the ice.

If winter comes, can spring be far behind?

-Percy Bysshe Shelley

A Horrible Discovery

Kerry and I went on our regular walk around Waneka Lake today (in Lafayette, Colorado). It was a lovely fall day. The air was cool, the breeze had a crisp fall smell. The sky was bright blue, not a cloud in sight.
As we walked around the south west side of the lake, we saw a horrible sight! The boathouse was gone, or mostly gone. All that was left was ugly, charred remains. (photo from 9news.com)
We were both saddened by this. We had each brought our kids here to ride on the paddle boats this summer. We have enjoyed looking at it on our twice a week walks.
Later, at home, I tried to find out what happened. Arson is suspected in the Saturday morning fire that destroyed the boathouse and it's contents. There was an estimated damage of $400,000.
It is a shame. A shame to lose an asset to our community; a shame that someone would set a fire; a shame to see such senseless destruction.

Best Deal in Town

Today we were looking for something interesting to occupy our Sunday afternoon. We decided to check out the paddle boats at Waneka Lake (in Lafayette, Colorado). They have a beautiful fleet of brightly colored animal paddle boats. For $6-8 per boat, depending on the size, you can spend 30 minutes tooling around the lake. Believe me, 30 minutes is plenty of time peddling for a 5 and 8 year old. We chose the 4-person, white pelican boat (not pictured). All four of us had a great time peddling around the lake, and watching the fish jump. It was a nice Sunday afternoon.
You can find more information on the City of Lafayette website.