Lake life has been everything the Krizek family could have hoped for over the past four decades—and quite possibly a whole lot more.
John and Colleen purchased a little red cottage on Shady Shores in 1985 after telling some friends at a Memorial Day barbeque in Berrien Springs they were interested in purchasing a vacation home. The hosts told them their neighbor was selling her vacation home. “Before we knew it, we left the party and headed to Barron Lake,” Colleen said. “We immediately fell in love with this beautiful clear lake, sandy beach, big gorgeous trees, and the little red cottage with an outdoor stone fireplace.”
Their offer was accepted and the Krizeks moved in Labor Day weekend. Both John and Colleen were working full-time in Illinois, so they were on the lake part-time. “We were weekenders and learned about another name for those of us who cross the border,” she said with a smile.
When spring arrived, so did their newborn, but they were anxious to get back to the lake. “When we arrived, we were very surprised to see so much sand,” Colleen said. “The lake had retreated quite a bit since our first meeting. But, our neighbor, two doors over—Victor Kennedy—assured us that the lake is cyclical and would come back up. He taught us ‘new kids on the block’ a few things about lake living. And as sure as Vic said it, a few years later the water was up to our lawn!”
One of the best things for the Krizeks is having such wonderful neighbors. “Back then, our other next-door neighbors were Editha Truesdale and Jim. Editha worked at the Hide-Away and was always looking out for us. The kids loved seeing her and she was the first person they’d greet when we arrived,” Colleen said. “Her family sold to Jeremy Bayles, our wonderful neighbor and good friend. Whenever I’m looking for John, I usually find him outside chatting it up with Jeremy.”
And just like the parents being friendly with the neighbors, the Krizek children always had friends to play with—like the sons of Bob and Vicky Palmiter, who lived just a few houses down from them. “They would ride their bikes down Shady Shores through ‘Butch’s woods’ at the end of the road, and on hot days would be running on the piers and jumping in—always enjoying the lake,” she said, adding that after their daughter greeted all the neighbors, she had one more favorite thing to do. “She would end up at her favorite destination to play with the Palmiter’s sweet, little dog, Rusty.”
For a while, Colleen’s sister and her husband lived on the lake, but then sold to the Krizek’s lifelong friends, Al and Kim Fischer. “We are having such a great time together with our families on the lake—the laughs and good times are never ending,” Colleen said. “In the early years, we attended a few picnics at Pepper Martin Park. They were wonderful events with great food, and awesome people! We always left feeling lucky to belong to such great welcoming community.”
After some time, they realized the little red cottage was beyond repair and needed to be rebuilt. So, they took down the old cottage and John started to build the new house. “It took a lot more time than we anticipated, due to our weekend citizenship. On more than one occasion if we didn’t have the right tool, Earl Durkin helped John out,” she said. “We have a wonderful place that we enjoy, and so do our children and grandchildren.”
Colleen noted her family has enjoyed every season on the lake. “For years, John has shoveled a large section of lake in front of our home and has enjoyed ice skating and shooting some hockey pucks. While I prefer a fire and hot chocolate inside, I have been known to make quite a few snow angels,” she said. “Way back in the day, when we had time, we would snowmobile the trails, enjoying this beautiful winter wonderland.”
Spring is always the “working season” getting the house and yard ready for summer. Summers for the Krizeks is when the fun really kicks in. “Summers on Barron Lake mean music playing on the deck, watching full moons rise, star gazing, listening to kids splash in the water, water skiing, jet skiing and tubing. Whatever we could do, we did it. We’re still doing it and enjoying every second.”
She recalls watching the weed machine that used to circle the lake-a practice that stopped in the in the 1990s. “Back in the day, we loved it when the big weed machine came out. It was fun to watch Mr. Sloderbeck drive it back and forth cutting the underwater weeds.”
The Fourth of July has always been a favorite for people on the lake—and that is no different for the Krizeks. “The fireworks are absolutely over the top! Recalling the days, we would anchor our boat off Kugler’s Beach and listen to the music.”
Spending time at the lake in the fall is also a treasured time. “We –I mean John– still enjoy raking the leaves—we’re down to one tree now, and hope to replant a new one soon—having a fire and a few beers, while listening to football on the radio. Every year, the fall colors are spectacular, and each year I wonder how it can get better than this. And yet, somehow it always does,” Colleen said.
“Barron Lake has always been an amazing place. Not too crowded, really nice people, stunning views, and a wonderful place for our children and now our grandchildren to grow up and enjoy.”
As told by Colleen Krizek; written by Jodi Marneris. Barron Lake Association October 2022
Jodi, I just binged every single one of your 25 lake stories. I had only read a couple, but obviously needed to catch up. They are amazing stories – and although I already loved Barron Lake – I have a new sense of appreciation for it! Thank you so much for sharing these, and for being such an awesome writer!