Headlines

After 42 years of owning Boating and Sailing Atlanta, Mark Lusink is headed out to pasture, literally. In late April, he sold Boating Atlanta to Nathan Rhodes and announced plans to retire to his 62-acre farm in Lula with wife Christine.

Abandoned boats and docks in disrepair violate the 2004 Shoreline Management Plan on Lake Lanier. The US Army Corps of Engineers has announced that owners could be subject to fines, confiscation of the property and/or the revocation of dock permits.

Now you can reserve dock space for the day at Sunset Cove Beach Café and have easy access to Lake Lanier Islands Resort eateries and beaches. The resort is putting the finishing touches on the three finger docks just in time for the summer season.

Headliner bands and weekly Saturday night beach parties, full moon concerts and other special events will turn Lake Lanier Islands into the epicenter of fun and great entertainment this summer.

The wakeboard experience is coming to Aqualand. A new closed cable course will open on Memorial Day weekend.

A peaceful Sunday afternoon unfolded recently at War Hill Park, where children swung on a lakeside play set, teens sunned on a sandy beach and couples walked the campground loop. Beneath the blue waters that lap gently at the shore, the secrets of how the park got its name and who once dwelt near the former banks of the Chestatee River may be kept forever.

Holiday Marina has opened a new dock between the guard shack and the pavilion. With 44 covered slips and a 20-foot high roof, the dock is already about half leased.

3 new restaurants are opening around Lake Lanier this spring:  Antebellum, Southern tradition with a contemporary twist; Castaways, which changes ownership and brings fresh casual dining to the lake; and Coastal Breeze, which opens May 7.

Each year keeps getting bigger and better. This year’s Pirates of Lanier Poker Run features Ed Roland and the Sweet Tea Project (of Collective Soul fame) as the headliner for the victory party on Saturday, July 21. The closing event will be held at Sunset Cove at Lake Lanier Islands; it also includes a laser show and fireworks.

An update of the happenings at the Lake Lanier Olympic Venue

Want to find a place for a romantic lakeside dinner or a fuel dock to fuel up your boat? There’s an app for that coming Memorial Day Weekend.

Revolution Rowing: Coach makes what he knows best
Working out of his basement and with local fabricators, Jim Pickens has launched a business venture that fits hand to oar with his passion for rowing. The former college rower, equipment marketer and coach started Revolution Rowing several months ago to make and market some of his ideas hewn from years of rowing and coaching.

A group of interested parties has begun a regular podcast called, appropriately, Lake Lanier Matters.

The new lakesidenews.com is an exciting and dynamic website covering Lake Lanier, shoreline real estate and lake-related businesses. With timely content and easy-to-use interface, the website features enhanced graphics, photo galleries and videos.

Area residents questioned fiscal integrity and environmental impact of the proposed Glades Reservoir at a public scoping meeting in Gainesville last month. The informational session at Gainesville State College attracted about 60 people interested in finding out more about the 850-acre lake planned by Hall County about 12 miles northeast of Gainesville.

Georgia’s northeast region led the state in tourism revenues in 2011 and stands to continue that momentum as visitors flock to hike mountain trails, zipline through treetops and play in Lake Lanier, according to a state tourism official touring the region last month.

Less than 90 permits remain for dock permits on Lake Lanier. Because lake levels are now above 1064, the Corps of Engineers has resumed reviewing applications determined by a lottery drawing that took place in November 2009.

By mid-April, eight new Bennington pontoon boats will be available to rent at Gainesville Marina.

After more than 15 years, Tom and Janice Helmka have sold Aqua Sports Adventures at Holiday Marina. New owners Curtis and Robin Frampton purchased the business around the first of this year and have already seen a warmer-than-usual spring bring good business.

He’s been behind the scenes for the group’s Poker Runs since the beginning, helping out with logistics and sharing his knowledge. Now, Barkley Geib is a member of the Board of Directors for Lanier Partners, a charity foundation dedicated to helping children through its annual Poker Run fundraiser each summer.

A roundup of news items for April 2012

If you’re a boater in trouble, the best sight you’ll ever see on Lake Lanier is the bright-red TowBoatUS assistance vessel headed your way. Twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year, Captain Robert Estrada and his crew of five other TowBoatUS captains are on call to boaters.

Weekend regattas expected to fill Olympic waters

Three lake restaurants keep things tasty even on the coldest weekends

April 11 is opening day for the US Army Corps of Engineers’ campgrounds on Lake Lanier

Prospective Eagle Scout hammers the docks

The Georgia Women Flyfishers Club hosts its annual fundraiser

A new multisport event attracted a diverse crowd of high school, college and masters athletes to Riverside Military Academy Feb. 4.

New youth coach aims to build LLRC program

Lanier businessman holds fundraiser for fallen heroes’ families

Entries in the contest must be postmarked by April 6

Recent drought exposes sights normally beneath the surface

Roundup of news around Lake Lanier

Lake Lanier Association shows off new digs

A wild hen turkey strutted in the damp woods on the edge of a parking lot off Dawsonville Highway two mornings after Christmas. Inside the adjacent brick, one-story office building Sgt. Mike Burgamy fielded a call to duty.

Vinson, Finlayson chosen LCKC athletes of 2011

The following stories were told to Lakeside’s Jane Harrison, who paraphrases them here:

Couple opens store after unsuccessful shopping experience