Blarney Island reopens as Chain waters recede

It may have been cloudy, cold, and windy.

But Blarney Island was open.

The first sign that life on the Chain O' Lakes was returning back to normal occurred Saturday when the tavern reopened for the first time in three weeks.

"I am very happy," owner John Haley said. "We may only have half the bar open, but people are on the deck, the music is playing and everyone is having a good time."

After three weeks, the Chain finally receded below flood heights on Saturday. While the numbers showed the Chain was about 4 inches above flood levels, it was below the level that ends up damaging homes. It was the first time since June 11 the water level has not been at the point of causing damage to homes.

"We lost three weeks this year and five weeks out of the last seven," Haley said. "We were supposed to open May 1, but April floods washed that away."

The Chain was flooded about 2.5 feet over flood stage this month, but has been receding for the last month. This is the third time in one year the Chain has overflowed. It was about 2 feet over flood stage in August 2007, but only about 6 inches over in April.

This time, about 400 homes were affected in the flooding in Fox Lake, Antioch, and Antioch Township.

Yet the water now is about 3 inches over flood stage, and well under the point where homes are being damaged.

And that means Blarney Island is back in business.

"I'm seriously very happy," Haley said. "I have about 70 employees who have been off for the last three weeks and they are also happy."

Jenna Diemer, a bartender on the island, echoed that.

"Even though it rained on and off out here, it's great to be back out here," she said. "This is our busy season, so losing three weeks of that was bad."