Cruising Clark Lake’s shoreline, you notice the many flags, particularly when it’s breezy. Most are stars and stripes, and mixed in are three internationals–Italy, Poland, and Canada. Then there is another kind of flag, and their numbers are growing fast. Dori Poles, with the current count at about 40, line the lake. Roger Lepley, president of the company that makes them (Consort Display Group), says Clark Lake “may actually hold the record for a single lake.” It seems that Clark Lake’s Dori Poles have even influenced life in Tennessee (scroll down for the story).
Dori Poles are made out of fiberglass and have a banner attached to them. Most agree that they add a lot of life and festivity to the lake–and also serve another valuable purpose. They discourage the scourge–seagulls. If seagulls decide your boat canopy is their home, your canopy will never be the same. As the Dori banners wave in the breeze or even touch the canopy, your landing strip is less likely to be the gulls’ next condo.
Amazingly, even in high winds, the fiberglass poles hold their own. They sway in the breeze, but don’t break. The model seen most often at Clark Lake is 19-feet high in three sections with a 14-foot banner attached. The banners come in a number of different colors, including some school combos.
The poles are available at local boat stores like Eagle Point Marina and Thayer’s, online at DoriPole or Amazon. Prices vary depending on where you look.
In this slide show are photos of Clark Lake’s Dori population.
Below are individual photos of each Dori that was photographed. For best results, click on them to enlarge.
So how did Clark Lake influence life in Tennessee? Read on…
“We saw the Dori Poles around Clark Lake, Michigan while visiting there and fell in love with them! There was one on the dock of the cottage we rented and we were told it was there to scare off the geese, which really appealed to us, as we have a goose problem here on Walnut Grove Lake.
“Then, the next day during a boat ride, we saw lots of Dori Poles in all the different colors and we all decided we had to get them. So, when we got back to the cottage we did some serious Googling and found them on your web site. We each picked out the color we wanted and even contacted a couple of our friends back home and told them they needed to get one, to trust us, to pick out a color for them! Now we have 6 flags on the lake and they look so festive. The 7th will go on one of our neighborhood docks as soon as we have it refinished next week. (MM, Cordova, TN)
