Both weed harvesters are off Lauderdale Lakes for the year. They are going through fall maintenance before winter storage, and their 2026 season ended with 862 tons cut from Mill, Middle and Green Lakes, up from 639 tons the year before. Once they're gone, the open water goes quiet. The piers come out and the bays wait for ice.
This year one building on the shore stays lit. The Lauderdale Lakes Lake Management District owns the golf course and its clubhouse, and the clubhouse is now open year-round. The district that spent the summer cutting weeds is keeping a warm room open through football season. That gives the lake a shared indoor place that stays open through the off-season.
A summer that ended at 862 tons
That harvest total is a 35 percent jump over last season. According to the district's report in the Fall/Winter 2026 issue of Shorelines, the Lauderdale Lakes Improvement Association newsletter, the DNR confirmed the jump was confined to these lakes. One reason the report gives is a very warm, dry July. Plants usually grow that fast in August, and in warmer water they came on early.
The crew also started the season a harvester short. The district's older 1991 machine was being refurbished and didn't go back to work until after the July 4 weekend. When the state grant for that work was suspended, the board took a planned $174,000 loan off the agenda. It paid the remaining $86,000 from capital reserves, which avoided loan interest and should keep the old harvester running for another 15 to 20 years. Even with that late start, the report called it a productive year, with the goal of keeping the waterways navigable and safe.
The same report shows the golf course has been profitable since 2019. It posted a $76,000 surplus in 2026 even though a wet spring and a hot, dry midsummer cut the number of rounds played. Clubhouse revenue rose too. With a surplus from the course and reserves that could cover a harvester, the district is in a position to keep the clubhouse open after the golfers leave.
A building drawn for January
The clubhouse was planned with winter in mind. When the district's Municipal Land Planning Committee drew up the plans to replace the old clubhouse, which was more than 100 years old, one of its stated design rules was that the building would be built for year-round use. The committee also recorded a strong, unanimous wish to keep the old building's cozy feel, including the beamed ceiling, the wood ceiling materials and the warmth of the room. Another design rule was that one person could run every function of the clubhouse, from tee times and golf carts to the bar. That same layout lets a small staff run a winter bar night.
The course it serves dates to 1921. Edward Hawk Ravenscroft redesigned it in the 1930s, with smaller greens and rolling fairways spread across 45 acres of mature trees, according to the Lauderdale Lakes Country Club site. The new clubhouse has been open for a little over a year. The course was scheduled to close for the season on October 31, weather permitting, and the clubhouse carries on without it.
Thursday through Sunday, on football time
The club's site lists these winter hours:
- Thursdays: opens at 5 p.m.
- Fridays: opens at 3 p.m.
- Saturdays and Sundays: opens at 11 a.m.
- Closing: 15 minutes after the sporting event ends
There's no fixed closing time. A Sunday ends when the game ends, so an overtime game means a later night. The district says it will post off-season hours on the Lake District website and on social media, so check there for any changes.
The district chair, writing in Shorelines, described the plan in a few lines:
"The clubhouse will remain open throughout the winter with a focus on providing the community with an awesome place to enjoy the football season."
Food comes from outside the club. Anthony Cecola will serve during clubhouse hours from his Tango Charlie's Chicago Dogs booth, and the newsletter says an expanded menu is coming soon. The bar runs as a full bar, and golf check-in, idle until spring, is handled at the bar too.
Football isn't the only thing on the schedule. Jill Hummel is the clubhouse's program coordinator. In its first year she planned and hosted murder mysteries, comedy shows, wine tastings and meat raffles, many of them raising money for local groups. The Lauderdale Lakes Yacht Club held several well-attended parties there as well. The district says it will keep hosting events through fall and winter. In summer the Yacht Club's racing schedule sets the lake's social calendar. In winter, the room on the golf course does.
Out on the water, the work that waits for cold
While the social side moves indoors, the lake itself gets a few off-season jobs that are easier to do with the water quiet.
The West Shore Drive launch
The Town of LaGrange is rebuilding the boat launch ramp on West Shore Drive. At its September 14 meeting, the Town Board approved a $19,980 bid from Covers Concrete. Under the plan, the worn concrete planks come out and a single slab goes in. The slab is 15 by 30 feet, 6 inches thick and reinforced with rebar. It cures for 30 days and is then set in the water by crane. The ramp would be closed for 72 hours, and the minutes put the work this fall or into early winter. The district's report says the project comes at no cost to taxpayers. If the work goes ahead on that schedule, the 72-hour closure would fall after the boating season.
Bubblers and open water
At the same meeting, the board approved a permit for an aerator to protect a wet boathouse from ice damage. The conditions show how the town handles open water near the shore in winter. The motor is limited to half a horsepower, it has to be turned off if the opening grows past 10 feet of water, and the area has to be marked off with caution tape.
The ice itself
The LLIA's ice-safety article in the same issue of Shorelines makes the point that matters most on a spring-fed chain. Ice thickness can change sharply from one spot to the next, especially near springs and moving water. The association recommends checking conditions before heading out and carrying ice picks and flotation gear. An opening kept clear by a boathouse bubbler, like the one the town just permitted, is another place where the ice won't be uniform.
The calendar from here to Fishapalooza
Between the clubhouse's weekly hours, a few fixed dates mark the season, on the lake and in Elkhorn:
- Saturday, November 14, 9 to 11 a.m. The LLIA Directors Meeting is held on Zoom, according to the LLIA calendar.
- Friday, December 4, 5 p.m. Elkhorn's annual tree lighting takes place downtown. Caroling starts at 5:15, Santa arrives at 5:30, and Santa visits run from 6 to 7:30.
- Saturday, December 5, 1:30 p.m. The 45th Christmas Card Town Parade goes through downtown Elkhorn.
- Saturday, February 6, 2027, 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. The LLIA's Fishapalooza ice-fishing tournament. Registration is at Lauderdale Landing from 5:30 to 9 a.m., and the association says more details are coming.
Fishapalooza is the only date out on the ice. The rest of the season's social life is on shore, mostly at the clubhouse from Thursday evening through Sunday.
If you'd like to talk about how the lake's off-season fits into owning on Mill, Middle or Green Lake, from the West Shore launch to how the clubhouse year is taking shape, Linda Tongé is glad to share what she's seeing around the chain this winter. Schedule a Consultation whenever it suits you.
