Yup, the biggest fish tale was recounted by the piano player. About 20 years ago, dogs baking wildly woke Christine Hebert on a foggy night. A new dock had recently been built at the Auer Family Boathouse, with a light that extended out into the water. Christine looked out to see what was alarming the dogs, thought someone might be taking a boat, and to her astonishment she saw a large creature rise up out of the water right under the light. It was Champ, green with algae, a dinosaur head and humps on it's back... s/he was seemingly curious about the new dock, and the light. The next night, a juvenile appeared, looking like a smaller dinosaur and also causing a dog barking frenzy. Christine woke her mother and took her to the window to be a witness. If you go down to the Boathouse before they shutter up for the winter, you can hear these stories for yourself.
John Shappy's father could build a boat in 8 days, without power tools. His secret? Lots of smart, strapping kids who picked up the art and didn't need much sleep! The boat cost $150, and the Shappy identifying mark was placed up under the bow. If someone stole a Shappy boat, they went to jail.
Charlie Auer encountered a skunk, and successfully used the trick of shining a light in it's eyes while quickly picking the skunk up by its tail. A skunk can't spray unless it's feet are on the ground. Problem was that Charlie walked by a log, the skunk got a foothold, and Charlie got it good.
By popular demand, we'll do a follow-up mid-winter.
