Bass Lake

Winds demolish Screen One at the Melody Drive-In

Fierce storms whipped through the Kankakee Valley area Friday night causing damage.

The storm caused flooding in Pulaski County where over three inches of rain fell in a half-hour period. A Pulaski County officer noted to dispatch that the water was up over the hood of his squad car while in the town of Winamac. The drains couldn’t keep up with the amount of water that fell in that short amount of time. Several cars were stranded in the road during the storm, several trees fell, a power outage was reported, and several roads washed out as a result of the rushing water.

The Pulaski County Highway Department was out Saturday patching up the roads and cutting up the many trees that fell in the road.

Luckily, no injuries were reported.

The Melody Drive-In theater at Bass Lake suffered damage as well with the demolition of Screen One. The Starke County Sheriff’s Department received a couple of other notices of trees down but no other damage.

Marshall County Emergency Management Agency Director Clyde Avery said there is ponding in fields in the Marshall County area and he’s monitoring river levels after the storms. Trees were reported down in the area, but no injuries were reported.

Photos by Denice Daggett and William Boldt

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Bass Lake Beach

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An alley behind this building was a topic of discussion at this week’s Starke County Commissioners meeting.

An overgrown, unmaintained alleyway near the Bass Lake Property Owner’s Association building was a topic of discussion at the Starke County Commissioners meeting this week, as James Mol of Bass Lake approached them with a simple request: let him purchase the dilapidated alleyway which he currently maintains. However, nothing in government is that easy, and Mol learned that he would have to file a petition with the county, who would then be required to send notices of the petition via certified mail to all owners of property abutting the alleyway, hold a public hearing, and await a decision from the county as to whether or not they would vacate the property. To his dismay, Mol would be responsible for all related expenses.

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No word has been released on the cause of the fire at the Bass Lake Sandbar.

Starke County detectives are continuing in their investigation of the arson committed at the Sandbar at Bass Lake.

Police and fire officials have not released the cause of the fire due to the ongoing investigation.

Five fire departments battled the early morning fire on Dec. 2. It took three hours to extinguish. Investigators from the Indiana State Fire Marshal’s Office returned with an arson ruling several weeks after the incident.

Detectives are asking for your help in gathering information about this incident. There is a reward of up to $5,000 if you can relay information that leads to the arrest of any person(s) involved in this arson. Your anonymous tip can be reported by calling 1-800-382-4628.

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A local attraction will not reopen for the season. The co-owner of Bass Lake Golf Course confirms the course, pro shop and restaurant are closed for good. Rudy and Cindy DeSabatine have owned the course since 2006. It is one of the oldest in the Kankakee Valley. Bass Lake Golf Course originally opened in 1921.

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A meeting was held recently to determine the fate of the Bass Lake Summer Festival.

The Bass Lake Festival Association met in January when the new officers were appointed and determined that the festival will continue in 2013.

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Gene Blastic

02-11-13 – Henry F. Schricker Award Winner Dies

By Anita Goodan

The newly-named Henry F. Schricker Award winner has died.

Gene Blastic suffered through the effects of cancer treatment to attend the Schricker Award dinner on Jan. 17 to accept this prestigious honor. He passed away Friday night.

Blastic was honored for his “service before self” attitude and was active in many community programs including the Starke County Economic Development Foundation, Starke United, Starke County Chamber of Commerce, Starke County Right to Life, and countless others.

Blastic was president of the Starke County Economic Development Foundation Board for two years, having been a member for more than 10 years, and was nominated volunteer of the year for Starke United in 2003. Blastic was also recognized as the Older Hoosier of the Year in 2009 by the board of Community Services of Starke County in recognition of his lifetime of service to improve the quality of life in the community.

In recent years, he spearheaded talks about improving the status of downtown Knox.

Visitation will be Wednesday, Feb. 13 from 4 until 8 p.m. at M.C. Smith Funeral Home, with a wake service at 8 p.m.

A rosary service will be Thursday, Feb. 14 at 9 a.m. at the funeral home, prior to a 10 a.m. funeral mass at at St. Thomas Aquinas Church.

Burial will take place at the Rose Lawn Cemetery on Saturday, Feb. 16 at 12:30 p.m.

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A volunteer firefighter for 26 years, Phillip L. Banasiak passed away on Friday. Banasiak had been the fire chief for the Bass Lake Fire Department for eight years and dedicated his life to saving others. In 2011, however, Banasiak went through one of the hardest ordeals of his life after he was diagnosed with complications from prostate cancer.

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No word has been released on the cause of the fire at the Bass Lake Sandbar.

There is still no official word on the cause of the fire at the Sandbar at Bass Lake.

Bass Lake Fire Chief Les Jensen is awaiting a report from the Indiana State Fire Marshal’s Office that releases pertinent information concerning the investigation into the early morning fire that destroyed the business on Sunday, Dec. 2.

Jensen has not released a preliminary cause of the fire as it remains under investigation with the Indiana State Fire Marshal.

Five fire departments battled the blaze at the popular Starke County establishment and it took three hours to extinguish the fire.

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The investigation continues into the fire at the Sandbar at Bass Lake.

Bass Lake Fire Chief Les Jensen said he has not yet heard back from the Indiana State Fire Marshal’s Office about the investigation and word about the cause of the fire may not come for a while.

Five fire departments were called to the popular bar in Starke County early Sunday, Dec. 2 after a report came in about smoke and flames coming from the establishment at about 4:26 a.m. It took three hours to extinguish the fire.

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The cause of the fire at the Sandbar at Bass Lake remains under investigation.

The Indiana State Fire Marshal’s Office is investigating the cause of the early Sunday morning fire that destroyed the structure of the popular Starke County business.

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The Sandbar at Bass Lake was destroyed by a fire yesterday morning. The Bass Lake Fire Department was called to the scene around 4:26 a.m. when a resident drove by the business and saw smoke and fire.

Bass Lake Fire Chief Les Jensen said the building is a total loss, and his crew responded within eight minutes of the initial call. It took over three hours to contain the fire. As the firefighters were attempting to put out the blaze, part of the roof fell in. Jensen would not provide a preliminary cause of the fire.

State Fire Marshall Fred Sumpter was on the scene yesterday afternoon conducting an investigation and helping with cleanup efforts.

The Bass Lake Fire Department was assisted by the Knox-Center Township, North Judson-Wayne Township, Washington Township and Hamlet Fire Departments.

The fire is still under investigation and the cause of the fire remains under investigation.

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Firefighters assess the damage at the Sand Bar

The Sand Bar at Bass Lake was destroyed by an early morning fire on Sunday.

Bass Lake Fire Chief Les Jensen told WKVI that the firefighters were called to the scene at aproximately 4:26 a.m. The structure is a total loss and the Indiana State Fire Marshal’s Office is on the scene investigating what caused the fire.

No one was in the bar at the time of the fire and no injuries were reported. Fire crews battled the blaze for three hours.

The Bass Lake Fire Department was assisted by the Knox-Center Township, Washington Township, Hamlet, and North Judson-Wayne Township Fire Departments.

Photo by Denice Daggett.

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The Bass Lake Fire Department battled a house fire at 8745 S. Sycamore Street in Monterey yesterday morning. Fire Chief Les Jensen said the fire department was called to the residence around 10:00 a.m. The fire was ruled accidental and was caused from common combustibles stored too closely to a hot water heater.

The home was a total loss. The Monterey Fire Department assisted at the scene.

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