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Hoosier lake communities and businesses prepare for summer’s last big weekend

Residents, boaters and businesses around Morse Reservoir look to Labor Day as the season’s final surge before the docks quiet down
Hoosier lake communities and businesses prepare for summer’s last big weekend
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CICERO — As summer winds down, Morse Reservoir is buzzing with activity ahead of Labor Day weekend.

For boaters and local businesses, it’s one last chance to soak in the season before the docks start to empty.

“It was an incredible summer,” said Yussef Abdelhak, manager of The Boathouse Kitchen and Swan Dive. “We’re super excited for this Labor Day weekend, too. It’s our last big push.”

Boaters say the lake community is what keeps them coming back year after year.

“It’s a great community. We realized that when we got on four or five years ago,” said Morse boater Tom Trung. "I think that’s what kind of kept us coming back.”

Richard Keck, another Morse boater, said the final weeks of summer have been especially memorable after a summer full of heat and rain.

“These last few weeks, it’s been awesome,” Keck said.

For local businesses like the Boathouse, the summer season brings a critical boost.

“During the summer, we attract so much tourism and so many out-of-towners that come in, whether it be for our restaurant selection around here,” said Cicero Town Council member Joe Cox.

Abdelhak said summer is by far the busiest stretch for his restaurant.

“I want to say we do 80, 85% of our business probably in those summer months,” he said. “It’s exciting. It’s problematic. There are so many, so many different things that come into play.”

When boating season ends, however, many customers disappear until spring. That forces businesses to adjust.

“With the season comes the chance to juggle our creative energy and reinvigorate the menu with some freshness of seasonal cocktails, seasonal food items,” Abdelhak said.

Even as the traditional summer wraps up, boaters are holding out hope for more sunshine.

“You know there’s a second summer coming in the Midwest, right?” Trung said. “Definitely (keeping the boat in) another a few weeks, hopefully.”

Cox said the town continues to attract visitors year-round, even without the influx of lake crowds.

“It’s not like everything just shuts down in the wintertime,” Cox said. “It really keeps going. We just kind of transition our focus to another thing inside," Cox said.