Les Cheneaux
By Helen Shoberg 484-2626 mink1@cedarville.net

The summer solstice has passed, and once again our days will be slowly getting shorter.

Next week, it will once again be time for fireworks, parades, and barbecues. During the Independence Day celebration, let us not forget all of the young men and women who are serving overseas.

We have experienced lovely summer weather, with just enough rain to keep the grass growing and the gardens blooming. My health seems to have returned, following a bout of illness and a high fever last week, and I hope no one else gets sick.

There are vacancies in most upcoming classes announced by the Arts Council, except the pottery class. Classes include a watercolor class July 18 to July 20; a photography class July 18 and July 25; a "creativity" class August 8, and "Presentation and Individual Guidance in Oils" August 14. For more detailed information on these classes, call Peggy Patrick at (906) 484- 3069, Margaret Pavey at (906) 484-3550, or Gerry Adams at (906) 484-3023. Those who wish to take a class should reserve a spot.

Bruce Patrick's story this week is about the closed perch season many years ago, and also about the great number of deer that were seen coming home from DeTour back in 1945:

"The DNR had a spring closed season for perch. This took place about 1945, and the season was closed for one month. It did not work, for during this 20-day closure, there was no one to chase the cormorants off. You see, fishermen would disturb the cormorants while they were fishing.

"I got out of the Army about a week before the spring-closed season started. Archie Dunn and Jerry Dunn and myself put my motorboat in the water. We wanted to go to Cedarville by boat to fish for perch.

"Cedarville Bay was open, but the problem was that ice was still in Melcher's Bay, so we had a problem getting to Cedarville. The perch were hitting only in Cedarville Bay.

"Somehow, we finally worked my boat through Melcher's Bay and got to Cedarville. We caught many fish, as did everyone else who could get a boat into Cedarville Bay. When we had about 200 perch, we prepared them to fry. Cochran's Bar at DeTour invited us to come to DeTour and have a fish fry at their bar. Jerry Dunn was the only one who had a car at that time, and we went to Cochran's Bar and had the fish fry.

"On the way back home, after dark, we had trouble with deer on the highway. Sometimes there would be 10 in a bunch on the road. At times, we would have to let one of us out of the car to chase them off. I think we counted 116 deer on that trip that night.

"On the night of March 17, 2006, we saw two deer on that road coming home to Cedarville.

"After the perch closed season in that year, we caught many perch here in our channel near Dollar Island. Strange that those perch arrived at Cedarville first and it was a week or 10 days before they arrived to spawn here in our channel. I wonder how it will be here next spring after the ice is out."