The 11th Annual Burr Oak Alive Boat Flotilla helps raise money for the state park
By: Charlie Ihlenfeld
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GLOUSTER, Ohio (WOUB) – While it was not standing 1,453 feet tall, the Empire State Building did plod along Burr Oak Lake last Saturday.
More than just a holiday weekend celebration, the event raises money for Burr Oak Alive, a nonprofit that helps to maintain the state park.
The group formed in response to fears the Burr Oak Lodge may be torn down and worked in conjunction with county officials to convince business leaders to keep the lodge open.
“Somehow in the process, somebody said, ‘Maybe we should take the money we appropriated to tear this down and find a new company to take care of this,’” said Bob Garbo, one of the organizers for the event.
The event hands out prizes for every boat that participates. After an hour of events for kids, the boats each drew for a prize and a 50/50 raffle with half of the winnings going to a boat owner and half toward supporting the work Burr Oak Alive does. They host more fundraising and community events like the Halloween Spooktacular and Winter Mixer at the lodge.
Most notably, the group worked with the state to install an accessible route down to the water.
“I told the state that we would share responsibility for raising the money,” said Garbo. “We do not expect you to pay for all of that. So we started a campaign and actually managed to raise about $35,000. That was our biggest project.
Garbo has been visiting the lake at Burr Oak State Park since he first moved to the area in 1970. The boat he pilots has been on the lake even longer. Ol’ Red was around for decades before Garbo became the captain in 1992. It remains a part of a parade of boats that finishes the day’s proceedings.
He and the group have taken on more responsibility over the years, and now, as a result of the new state budget, the park will be unable to hire a naturalist.
“The last naturalist we had was excellent,” said Garbo. “(They had) a lot of programs, a lot of families. If we’re not going to have a naturalist, that’s a big loss.”
Toward the end of the night, Garbo’s friends and family gathered with him on Ol’ Red for the parade. Horns blared as red, white and blue boats circled the lake, earning waves from families across the water. When they returned to the dock, Garbo and company waved goodbye to people stepping off on the dock, and they turned to enjoy the rest of the night.
“We can fill in the gaps that they can’t do,” said Garbo. “I guess it’s what we’ll do.”