Welcome to Tales

In this section read fictional or non-fictional short stories about Clark Lake or written by Clark Lake writers.  Enjoy!
Mishibizhiw: a Tale of Old Clark’s Lake

Mishibizhiw: a Tale of Old Clark’s Lake

by Bill Leutz It was a beautiful sunny day in mid-June when John Martin arrived on the train. His cousin from Covington Kentucky had told him about this beautiful little lake up in Michigan, and he had decided to take a week from the hustle and bustle of business life...
Shining Brightly

Shining Brightly

by Rick Belcher   At the 1986 WSGW-AM / WIOG-FM employee Christmas party, the on-air staff gave me a most unusual gift.  As they presented it, I was truly puzzled.  Why?  There it sat on a table in a large wrapped box – not that unusual.  Here’s what...
Clark Lake and the Media

Clark Lake and the Media

Endless cable shows have increased demands on TV production houses to come up with new content.  Way back Bruce Springsteen said “57 channels and nothing to watch.”  57 doesn’t come close to today.  New reality shows pop  up like Swamp People...
Clark Lake’s Expertise

Clark Lake’s Expertise

In a world where expertise is valued, where it comes from is less important than actually acquiring it.  In business or sports, small differences can significantly improve results. Talk to former Pine Riders, and you’ll hear stories from skiers and drivers, and...
The Science Behind Happiness

The Science Behind Happiness

By Laurie LaZebnik My grandfather was a hobo. That’s what he told my brother and me as we sat at his kitchen table, dunked toasted Wonderbread in mugs of hot chocolate, and listened to his stories. Paul told us about the kinship he found in the hobo jungles outside...
Clark Lake Changing Lives

Clark Lake Changing Lives

By Rick Belcher As someone who writes regularly about Clark Lake, I was asked by the Irish Hills Chamber of Commerce to tell about the lake in a publication called the Resorter.  The Resorter was included in a recent issue of the Exponent, and is available now as...
April 1st, 2015

April 1st, 2015

April 1st posts on this website always garner a lot of attention, and none more than the first one on April 1, 2015.  This story went viral with 70,000 pageviews in a 24 hour period, and achieved international status.  By the time a viewer came upon the last few...
So Sad

So Sad

Jill Bentley is in handcuffs.  How could this be?  Clark Lake is in shock. Local police explain what action must take place when there is violation: “it must be pursued,” even if it accuses a person whom you never would expect to be in such a situation.  Of course,...
Clark Lake’s Other Count

Clark Lake’s Other Count

Every summer from long ago, a team launches early on July 4th morning to count Clark Lake’s boats.  The purpose? To take a census specific to this lake.  Early on, it detected the explosive growth of a kind of craft that originated right here.  Rafts...
Coming Soon

Coming Soon

When it comes to docks at Clark Lake, no two are exactly the same.  Even manufactured docks have their differences. For years, cottagers developed their dock systems based on their own understanding of engineering principles, or “it worked last year…why...
Unidentified Object Lands near Clark Lake

Unidentified Object Lands near Clark Lake

Time and time again, credible people see objects in the sky, and even land, yet governmental authorities dismiss those sightings.  Worse yet, individuals who come forward with their evidence become the target of derision.  In laying out the details of this...