We welcome our own gardener, IKE member, and Vice President, Mr. John Manuszak as our presenter on Wednesday, October 19th. John was a biology teacher at Mishawaka high school for over 30 years. His passion is gardening. John will explain lots of tips and tricks on the art of properly putting your garden to “bed” for the Winter. He will describe which techniques work for different species of plants, shrubs and trees. He will also explain what NOT to do! By employing John’s wisdom, you will learn how to maintain the best health for your plants and give them a head start in the Spring! This will be an education for all gardeners and planters!

Dinner at 6:30 Program at 7:30

Cost of dinner is $10. Menu is Polish Chicken with the all the trimmings.

Dinner reservations must be made by Tuesday morning at noon. October 18th at 574-272-3660 in order to get an accurate head count for the caterer.

The Annual Fall Festival is Friday, November 4th 6-8

We have repairs and maintenance to make at both the lodge and caretaker’s house that will exceed over $10,000. We are counting on our membership to help offset these costs with our annual dinner and silent auction. Please help us with our environmental mission. See other sheet for details!

September Dinner/Program “Mushroom Foraging”

We welcome Mr. Jim Wolfe to the IKES on Wednesday, September 21st. Jim has been foraging mushrooms for decades. He will give us valuable information on Morels and other varieties. He will disclose the tell tale signs on when to start, and most importantly spots where he has foraged successfully! This is a unique opportunity to learn all the tips and tricks of mushroom foraging from a seasoned expert!

Jim will share many photos of mushrooms in the wild.
Dinner starts at 6:30 P.M. Program starts at 7:30 P.M
Menu is City Chicken with all the trimmings
Cost of dinner is $10 Free hot dogs for the kids!
Reservations for dinner MUST BE MADE by 10 A.M, Tuesdav, September 20th by calling 574-272-3660

Important IKE Caretaker Update

We lost our caretaker, Bob Binder, who passed away on August 29th. Bob is survived by his wife Judi, four children, and nine grand kids. Bob faithfully served the IKES for nearly three years, replacing Casey Collier. He was a Vietnam Army veteran. Our condolences to his family. Thomas "Nate" Moore has stepped up as our new IKE caretaker. Nate has already been doing many of the duties and will segue into the role seamlessly. We welcome Nate and will help him.

Bob’s obituary can be found here and memorial contributions may be donated to Wounded Warrior Project, P.O. Box 758516, Topeka, KS 66675.

We welcome our own perennial IKE member and Vice President, Mr. John Manuszak as our presenter on Wednesday, May 18th. John was a biology teacher at Mishawaka high school for over 30 years. His passion is gardening. John will explain lots of tips and tricks on the art of perennials and their juxtaposition with annuals. He will describe which native perennials work best in our region and light requirements for common species. This will be an education for all gardeners!

Dinner at 6:30 Program at 7:30. Cost of dinner is $10. Menu is Pork Chops with the all the trimmings. Dinner reservations must be made by Tuesday morning at 10:00 A.M. May 17th at 574-272-3660. We will be introducing our annual Stan Klaybor Scholarship award winners, Grace Jones and Faith Rock. Grace is from New Prarie and Faith is from LaVille.

Please attend the program to honor these scholars!

April 16th Easter Egg Hunt Starts at 1:00 P.M.

Questions? Call Janice Moore 574-210-1277

April 20th Dinner/Tree Giveaway

Dinner at 6:30 Tree giveaway at 7:30 Five species!

Cost of dinner is $10. Menu is Chicken with the all the trimmings. Dinner reservations must be made by

Monday, April 18th at 574-272-3660. Species include

White Pine, Norway Spruce, Arborvitae, Redbud and American Beech. Get your shovels ready!

May 1st Fishing Day at IKES

Open to all! Bring the whole family and guests. Bait & tackle will be provided along with refreshments. 10:00A.M. - 2:00P.M.

Call JC Sporleder 574-532-2312 or Tim Kanczuzewski

574-340-0842 to help volunteer.