Sandbar party no Girls Gone Wild

Obviously as the past organizer of the Lake Petite Sandbar Party for the last 15 years I take great offense to a recent article. Although nothing is incorrect the way that it was stated and the way that the article reads, it definitely gives the wrong impression of the party to people who have never been there. I will tell you that I think Girls Gone Wild would be deeply disappointed in the sandbar party because over the last few years it very much has mellowed out and a good part of that is likely due to the increased police presence, which I always personally welcomed and personally thanked them for their efforts. I offered in past years to even save a spot directly next to our boat with the band for the police unit because the party was not started to be a "Mardi Gras" type of party, it was started for friends and family to get together and enjoy a band that we love. And it was the joint efforts of the party organizers, the Fox Waterway Agency, the Lake County Sheriff's Marine Unit and the Antioch Fire and Rescue that made last year's party a huge and safe party for the 1,070-plus boats and probably 5,000 to 7,000 people. And yes it is basically an adult's-only day out at the sandbar but it's a far cry from what Girls Gone Wild is.

Last year's party drew over 125 boats that camped out Friday night and Lake County did have officers on site through the entire night which I know was no picnic for the officers. And to the best of my knowledge there was not a single complaint over the night from any of the neighbors even though there were people partying the entire night I know.

Saturday at sunrise brought in over another 900 boats all of which were safely parked in rows to allow access for both the police and for the rescue workers if need be. Now anybody who normally visits the sandbar knows that getting 100 boats there on a normal weekend tends to cause problems and arguments over where people park and stuff. o while there may be a lack of security patrol per say there was no lack of planning and plenty of people who helped organize the party and worked hard to make sure that people were not walking around with glass or that minor arguments were quickly put to rest.

Not to mention last year an effort was made to make sure that the impact to the waterways was minimal and two boats full of trash were hauled away from the party and honestly during the party I saw less garbage in the water than on any given weekend I have been out there.

It's probably a combination of luck, planning, the police presence, responsible boaters and a lot of hard work by many individuals that made it a safe party for 5,000- to 7,000-plus boaters.

So where the party may have a history of being out of control in the eyes of the Lake County Sheriff it also has a 15-year history of being a very safe and fun party for thousands of people. A history of something that many boaters look forward to every year and that is the highlight of many peoples' summer.

Rodney McManamy

Fox Lake