Annual event offers fun on and in the water, hot dogs, fries and friendship
The Chiputneticook Lake International Conservancy (CLIC) will host its free annual hot dog roast on Half Moon Island, aka Old Man Island, at the northern end of East Grand Lake on Saturday, July 6, from noon to 2 p.m. New Brunswick time (11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Maine time).
Except for two summers during the height of COVID, CLIC has hosted the picnic for almost two decades.
“Attendees arrive by boat, sailboat, kayak and canoe to socialize, swim and eat Maine’s famous red hot dogs and what, over the years, some attendees have described as the best French fries they’ve ever eaten,” said CLIC secretary Frank Bolton. “Whether it is because of the taste of the potatoes, the seasoning, or the love with which they are prepared, at the end of the picnic, there are never any potatoes left to be fried.”
Bolton said one or two officers of U.S. Homeland Security would be on the island to ease the arrival of our neighbours from the opposite – Canadian – shore.
“They’ve always seemed to appreciate the relaxed atmosphere while they give the Canadian attendees easy access to the U.S.,” he said.
CLIC, founded in 1992, describes itself as a group of people which advocates for those on and around the Upper St. Croix River Watershed’s five Chiputneticook Lakes: North, East Grand, Mud, Spednic and Palfrey, as well as for those on Deering Lake in Orient and Bracket Lake in Weston.
CLIC volunteers monitor the lake waters for clarity, put up signs reminding boaters to check for invasive species, place boating safety buoys in spots on East Grand on behalf of the Department of Inland Fisheries, and more.
In recent years, the group has taken part in efforts to keep the Forest City dam in place with operational water gates,
Bolton said those wishing to attend can bring their boat to the boat ramp in Orient on the Public Landing Road.
