News & Events

Cleaning up the Spirit Trail is a thing of joy when weather conditions align with the mood of Clark Lake volunteers.  That means little or no rain, no gale force winds, or volcanic eruptions.   Given the heavy thunderstorms in the forecast for this evening, and more...

Columbia Township has established new hours for the park on Hyde Road, as this website reported on March 21st.   The park had previously been closed at 5 pm due to disorderly and some criminal activity.  The problems multiplied at 5 pm like clockwork.  Groups would...

Freedom Fireworks will again thunder over Clark Lake.  The dramatic displays of colorful and intricate designs accompanied by earth-shaking roars and rumble is set for Saturday, August 5th.  Ralph Mahalak Jr. and friends have made Freedom Fireworks an annual...

Once again the Lions Club is inviting you and your kids (or grand kids) to the Clark Lake Easter Egg Hunt. There are age group prizes and refreshments in the clubhouse after the hunt. What did it look like last year? This map will help locate...

Just when it looked like everything was a "go" for the Spirit Trail cleanup tomorrow (Sat 3/25), the weather forecast said "no" -- rain in the morning, a mix of rain/snow in the afternoon.  So, the annual cleanup has been postponed to Saturday, April 1st (not an April...

A new use is being considered for the building that was formerly the Clark Lake Community Church on Hyde Road.  Diane Smith would like to convert it to a Montessori preschool for ages 2 thru 6.  Diane is the founder and director of Countryside Montessori School in...

It's the first day of spring.  A further sign of the new season is the Clark Lake Spirit Trail Cleanup.  Each year at this time volunteers scour this 7.3 mile path around the lake and improve the look and feel of one of this community's crowning achievements.  In the...

Super Saturday is the pinnacle of the hard fought season-long competition of the Clark Lake's Men's Shuffleboard League.  The event on March 18, 2023, did not disappoint. Fans watched as the ten two-man teams did their best to win for their division --- Green vs Red. ...

Two separate traffic accidents kept first responders busy in the last 24 hours.  Just moments ago of this writing (Sat 5:30 pm), a truck left Jefferson Road, landing in the front yard of a home on the south side.  Crews are on hand, and traffic is down to one lane on...

Men's Shuffleboard ten teams battled to a finish of the regular season last night.  The competition sets the faceoffs for division honors on Super Saturday when it's Green vs Red for places 5 through 1. First place teams are the Green Division's Leighton Uhl and...

Columbia Township Police arrested a 21 year old man at the Wesco gas station in Brooklyn on March 10th.  Their investigation revealed he had a concealed semi-automatic handgun.  Here is the story in the words of the police: On March 10th, 2023, at 1:31am, Officers...

Raft-O-Rama would like to know if you have building plans?  This year's theme is "houses."  Raft-O-Rama is only 146 days away, so looking for inspiration today gives participants a chance to go big.  Think about it.  Rafts masquerading as houses on the waters of Clark...

Somewhere, in a faraway corner of the world, a few chosen decapod crustaceans are in training.  Eventually they will arrive at Clark Lake for their colorful appearance in the Great American Crab Races. The event draws participants from all over. This year's Crab Races...

Once again, one of Clark Lake's own used his master builder skills to take advantage of the snow.  Thus, Sparty now graces Mike McKay's dock.   It happens on a day when two teams, across state borders, face off on the basketball court.  Sparty's is standing up for his...

Brad Beyer and B.J. Lyons are smiling for a reason.  They have clinched 1st place in the Red Division as competition heads toward Super Saturday on March 18th.  So, the big question is whom will they face from the Green Division?  Leighton Uhl and Dennis Wenzlick have...

The Community Center stands today in the County Park as evidence of the purpose to preserve Clark Lake's past.  It's also an inviting location for events--birthday parties, weddings, life celebrations, neighborhood gatherings, and meetings.  When it appeared disrepair...

Clark Lake is defined by a myriad of expressions.  No two days are exactly the same.  Consider recent experiences---calm to ice storm, ice storm to melt, melt to heavy snow, heavy snow to a calm Sunday on the water. Henry David Thoreau captured the idea of lake, and...

Yesterday's snow had been predicted for several days.  The Weather Channel said there was a 100% chance of it, and enough snow to call it a winter storm.  And so it happened.  At least 6 3/4 inches fell, and more in spots. The highlight of this snow was its weight. ...

Thursday night Men's Shuffleboard competition heats up as Super Saturday approaches.  The teams will play on Thursday nights, March 9th and 16th.  Then the division champs face off on Super Saturday, March 18th.  It all happens on the longboard at the Beach Bar, as it...

A quick check reveals that most locations around Clark Lake once again have electric power.  There is one glaring exception.  As of 3 pm (Sun 2/26), traffic lights at 127/Jefferson Road were not functioning.  Safe travel depended upon drivers regarding this busy...

The battalion of electric workers descending upon Clark Lake yesterday had its effect.  Many at the lake saw their power restored.  But not everyone.  As of this writing (8:30 am Sun), the Eagle Point area is like standing between jets ready for takeoff on the runway...

A battalion of out of town electric utility vehicles arrived at Clark Lake this morning.  Congregating at first in the church parking lot, they then moved to Lions Park where they created the formation you see above.  The crews met with Consumers Energy officials...

Not even the ice storm could hold back the Men's Shuffleboard League.  The longboard was also its slippery self as competition continued in Week 10.  Here are the results from Thursday night's action. The slideshow below shows week to week changes in standings....

It's been a trying week.  Power is still out for many but has been restored at the Columbia Charter Township Hall.  The Township offers this invitation: Any Township residents impacted by the outage are welcome to go to the Township Hall, 8500 Jefferson Road,...

It will not be a surprise to Clark Lakers to learn that Jackson County was among the hardest hit by the ice storm, and with it, heavy loss of electrical service.  Consumers Energy says that Kalamazoo and Hillsdale also suffered major outages as the storm's destructive...