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In April of 1949 a group of boating
enthusiasts met at THE SUNSET SODA BAR on Lake Road in
Painesville Township. This group of gentlemen headed by
Hiram Laird of Painesville, organized a boating club. H.
Laird shared his thoughts on Regulations and Purpose of
the Club. A motion to organize carried and Officers were
elected as follows:
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President: |
Hiram
Laird |
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Vice President: |
J. Donald
Smith |
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Secretary: |
Carl
J. Stokes |
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Treasurer: |
John Killinen |
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At the second meeting at THE SUNSET
SODA BAR with an
attendance of 13, a Board of Directors was formed consisting of the above
elected Officers and 3 Chairman |
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of the following committees; Membership,
Entertainment/Attendance and Property. |
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Topics included possible sites for club use. Diamond
Alkali Co. and B. & O. Railroad properties were the
early candidates. Membership fees were set at $10. Later
on,
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annual dues were set at $10. |
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Regular Membership and Board of Directors meetings were held at local
establishments and at member’s homes and businesses. The
Board of Directors continued working on Rules and
Regulations, property acquisition, goals for the club
and by the end of the 6th
regular Meeting, Club property was acquired through a lease agreement with the
B. & O. Railroad Co. Cost of leasing was $30 per month. An associate
membership status was added for those wishing to join the club for the social
activities. Later on this evolved as a waiting list for Full Membership. At the
end of the regular meeting on July 5, 1949, the Club Charter was officially
closed with 33 Charter members. |
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| Included
in the Charter membership is Past Commodore Lou Crowther. Lou served the club many years as Secretary and other the positions
before and after becoming Commodore. I'm sure older members remember Lou. |
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This group of dedicated boaters, named the club THE
OUTBOARD BOATING CLUB OF LAKE COUNTY (OBC of LC) and
decided to file for Incorporation with the State of Ohio. Articles of
Incorporation were filed January 5, 1950. The club also became an affiliate of
the Outboard Boating Club of America. Years
later, on the 9th day of August 1968, the club name was officially
changed to FAIRPORT HARBOR YACHT CLUB. |
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After much time and effort in acquiring a lease of the
property (currently called the Mainland), Club members
began clearing the land and building docks on this site
located on the Fairport side of the Grand River. Club
members were assigned dock spaces and required to
construct their own docks according to specifications
per Club Regulations.
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In the beginning, membership was restricted to boats
with outboard propulsion, which later included
inboard/outboard propulsion. It appears the reason was
basically to keep the club restricted to smaller boats,
to maintain lower dues and other costs low, so that the average
working man could afford to belong to the club and participate in boating. |
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As time passed and needs
changed, the restrictions on the type of propulsion were replaced by boat size
limitations.
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The first meeting on Club grounds took place on August
2, 1949. For several years, club meetings in winter
months were held at members’ homes or businesses because
there was no clubhouse or shelter adequate to hold
meetings during cold weather. On a few occasions, summer
club meetings held on the club grounds were closed early
due to heavy downpours. Usually refreshments and fishing
or boating movies followed meetings.
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Even with a tight budget, many improvements were
accomplished in a short time, including a bridge, a
roadway through the grounds, a shelter/concession stand,
“Chick Sails” (outside toilets), and lighting powered by
a gasoline powered generator. Club grounds lighting seemed to set the
stage for a bright future.
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During these earlier years
of development, the club was confronted with many problems: A firebug burned all
the club buildings, delinquents using firearms on club
grounds, thievery and fears of losing use of the club
property. Even with all these problems and adversities,
the Officers and Members would not give up their dream.
Without the dedication and hard work of these strong
willed visionaries, we would not have what we have here
today.
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a meeting on February 6, 1951, a motion passed to allow
the Ladies to form a Ladies Auxiliary. The Ladies
Auxiliary turned out to be a great asset to the club. In
addition to being a great opportunity for fellowship for
the ladies, The Ladies Auxiliary provided many assets
and improvements to the clubhouse and contributed to the
beautification of the grounds. |
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| Social
events began in June of 1951, with a fish fry held at
Township Park at a cost of $1 per plate. It was a big
success and netted some revenue for the club. A clambake
in September of 1951, put on by club members was also a
success.
This was the beginning of many social events that although have had some
ups and downs, overall has been a big benefit for the club. Also, for several
years, the club participated in The Annual Mardi Gras with boat outfit raffles,
which added to the finances of the club. |
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In September 1953, members approved the purchase of a
24ft. x 32ft. Quonset Building. The building was put up
and officially opened on Decoration Day.
A Grand Opening celebration included a flag raising, boat parade and a
potluck dinner. At this point in time the clubhouse was just a bare structure
with a dirt floor and required much more work. |
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In September 1957, the property currently called the
Island was leased from the Diamond Alkali Co. at a cost
of $12 a year. The use of this property added more docks
for member use and expansion of membership. At an
Emergency Board Meeting on August 4, 1977, member Ralph
Parsons informed the club that Diamond Shamrock was
willing to sell the Island property and FHYC would have the first option to purchase. The Board of
Directors voted to have the Treasurer check out possible financing options and
to immediately send a check for $1,000.00 as a retainer. An additional $33,000
would be required to complete the purchase. After much consideraton, the Board
came to an agreement that the club should pay for the property in full and
charge each full member for their share of the cost of the property. A Land
Acquisition Committee was formed to work out the details and bring a plan before
the membership for approval. In
brief, the plan called for each full member to pay an equal share of the
purchase price, to be paid back upon resignation or death. New members coming
into the club would also be required to pay an equal share, as part of their
obligation to the club. At the December 6, 1977 Election Meeting, the membership
voted to approve the committee’s plan and recommendations. After much
follow-up work, purchase of the Island property was completed in August of 1978.
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Later on a screen house was built and as improvements
were made, it served as a second clubhouse for members
docking on the Island. As years passed and many more
improvements made, the Island soon became a favorite
spot for many visiting boaters.
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From the beginning, many attempts were made and failed
to acquire the mainland property the club was renting.
Several times there was reason to fear losing the use of
the property and possible disbanding of the Club.
Finally, a group of members, led by member Ralph
Parsons, persisted in the pursuit of and final
acquisition of the mainland property the club had
occupied since 1949. Purchase of the mainland was
finalized in December of 1979. At this time there was a
good feeling of security and survival.
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Over the years the club experienced many problems: Low
and high water problems, destruction from floods and ice
jams, differences between members, thievery and at times
lack of member attendance and participation. But due to
the hard work and perseverance of some determined
visionaries, the club keep improving and growing. Many
changes such as; major additions and improvements to the
club house and grounds, repair and improvements on the
water front and enlargement of the slip area, all came
slowly and made the Fairport Harbor Yacht Club one of
the nicest, versatile boating clubs in this area. Much of
the progress was a result of special skills and talents of many club members and
donations of materials and use of equipment from local companies whose employees
were members of FHYC.
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The Fairport Harbor Yacht Club supports and satisfies
the needs of a wide variety of boaters. Boaters
interested in cruising, fishing, sailing or any
combination of boating interests can usually have their
needs met at FHYC. |
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All of you, who benefit from all the work, the vision
and determination of those who poured their heart and
soul into the Fairport Harbor Yacht Club, should never
take for granted what we have today. We should continue
to honor and give thanks to the founders of FHYC and to those who followed up and continued this effort to get us where we
are today. Lets always remember and
respect the Ideals and Purpose of the founders and the hard workers who followed
their lead. And just as important, we should follow the golden rule and treat
our fellow members and fellow boaters with respect, which would certainly make
the founders and builders of this club proud. |
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