My Holiday Season’s greetings and best wishes for a Merry Christmas and New Year to come!
May I please share with you that the community of Chimney Rock and Lake Lure opened their arms on December 14th to show how the recovery process is progressing. What a special moment this was! The activities were centered at the Lake Lure Inn and so many of the shops and businesses were present with their displays and items to share.
This was my second visit following a previous meeting at the Inn that John Heiderich and I attended to discuss the show schedule for the coming year. Both times it has been stunning to see the breadth of the damage caused by Hurricane Helene. We have all seen the many videos and photo collages online and through news reports.
The recovery process is being supported by many professionals, charities, service clubs, churches and volunteers. It’s uplifting to see the progress being made since September 28th knowing that there is so much more to come. Below is a photo gallery showing the storm impact in the immediate Lake Lure and Chimney Rock area where our annual boat and car show is held on the third weekend in May. CR itself is closed, but the positive and upbeat day was a bright spot in such a difficult time. Supporters came from different states, and one could see the variety of license plates.
Approaching the Ingles store and gas station 2+ miles away……all the parking was completely full, with 75 to 100 people in line to take the next tour coaches to town. Cars were parking in vacant lots on the other side of the road as well.
Further along, the restaurant that we cruise to for a lunch during the May show is above the water and operating although the docks cannot be used.
Coming down into Lake Lure, the line of cars was long. People parked on the shoulders and in different areas all over. It was brisk and sunny, but a good walk the rest of the way.
The Lake Lure Inn parking lots were filled with businesses and supporters from opening to 4:00pm. Performers were on the stage and there was a positive air throughout. Everyone showed support for each other amidst the tremendous impact of the storm. I was also able to meet the director of Spokes of Hope that has been very active in the initial recovery process.
I was able to walk over to the Marina building where we normally check in for our show. Although still standing, it will be decided whether to start over or repair. From there I was able to walk across the work sites to the water, see how the area has changed, and then go around the walking path that was a feature of the park across the lake from where we dock our boats. The path has been plowed out in sections and winds around to our launch ramp.
The construction crew was kind to let me continue, and the photos will give you a sense of the impact in this area.
Heavy equipment is at work, and I stopped several times remembering the large grass fields and water channel that were there before. You will see how all has been changed from different vantage points. Large dump trucks are loading and transferring debris constantly, but they took a break for the event.
You will also see photos of a sand bar and a section of marina dock embedded. This is the channel that we would normally use to turn right and cruise up the main lake. It is now much narrower due to the sediment and will be dredged.
The Marina Docks are almost clear, and the dozer must simply drag boats up to move them to the loading area. The Marina held 212 boats, and this has been a long but steady process. Insurers are then notified.
The boat launch ramp is still in place, and the Army Corp of Engineers from Wilmington is there using a remote craft with sensors to develop a current image of the depth and topography under water in this area of the lake.
Will Cooper kindly took me through the process and showed how the view is taking shape on his computer. An operator stays near the remote craft in tight areas.
The lake overall will be taken down further than the 12’ seasonally, and he updated that this would happen after the first of the year. The target is to take it down up to 20’.
You will also see a photo of a metal ramp without a dock attached. That is where our Main Dock for the show was located adjacent to the beach. The dock will be reinstalled again over time.
This will be a very long and arduous recovery process as you will see from the photos. I kept walking up the channel to the Flowering Bridge, and there were many others walking on the adjacent main bridge taking photos to better understand the breadth of what happened. It’s overwhelming to see.
Although it is too soon to know, we will look forward to a possible return to Lake Lure in May of 2026 or beyond as the recovery continues. There can be no beach operations for at least 2025.
We have volunteered to hold a trailer boat show perhaps in June of 2025 to show our continued support for the community and the Lake Lure Inn. John and I will update everyone on this as the plan unfolds. This would be a special opportunity for us as a Chapter, and strong attendance would be so important. More to come.
We have moved our Lake Lure Show to Lake Greenwood, SC for May 23/24, 2025. Lake Greenwood was cancelled due the storm and loss of power for the first weekend in October just after Helene. We are very grateful to the Break on the Lake and Main Event venues to accommodate us next Spring. This weekend in May is in between Mother’s Day and Memorial Day and we look forward to seeing you there! Registration information will be reset and communicated as we get closer.
Our overall 2025 Show Schedule will be posted in a separate message soon. We are also awaiting the possibility to hold our 2024 Annual Meeting that was cancelled by the storm in late January or in February upcoming. More information will follow on this soon as well.
For 2025, we will hold our Annual Meeting in October as it has been traditionally scheduled.
My sincere thank you for reading through this message, and my best to everyone!
Respectfully, Steve
