By Stephanie Othersen, EAA 1107247
Pokagon State Park, situated on Lake James in northeast Indiana, is where families go to gather, hike, and play. On one special weekend, Pokagon becomes home to the Indiana Seaplane Pilots Association and its annual Seaplane Splash-In. This event has become a tradition on Lake James as it is now in its 16th year with seaplanes arriving from Ohio, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Indiana.
Randy Strebig, EAA Lifetime 853775 and president of the Indiana Seaplane Pilots Association, said that what makes the Seaplane Splash-In so appealing is that it really has become a community event.
“My local friends and neighbors from the Lake James Association and Steuben County Tourism, volunteers from the pilot community, from the lake community, they all got together and it really has become a community fly-in,” he said.
When it began 16 years ago, Randy really had no idea what was going to happen when he presented the idea to Pokagon State Park property manager Ted Bohman.
“I wanted to do a seaplane fly-in at Potawatomi Inn and he pretty much looked at me like I had three eyes in my head,” Randy said. The first year, eight seaplanes showed up on a Sunday for lunch. They decided to start giving people rides and everybody loved it! It has become such a huge attraction that now tickets are given to interested individuals and there is a drawing for rides that take place during the event. They’ve increased their safety programming and their number of safety volunteers; in turn, Pokagon State Park has seen a rise in park admission and restaurant sales during the event.
On Sunday, September 23, I made the drive to Pokagon for my first time at this event, which is held on the west lawn of the parks Potawatomi Inn, and made my way to the lake to photograph some arrivals. The seaplanes were nestled in awaiting the day’s activities. The number of seaplanes at this event has tripled in size since it began. This year, 30 or so seaplanes graced the lawn and Lake James waiting to take to the sky over the lake giving rides, making people smile, and doing what pilots no doubt love to do: Fly!
“I want to keep it relaxed,” Randy said. “There’s all these things in life we have to do all the time. They (the pilots) don’t have to do this. I don’t want them to pay. I want the pilots to put their wallets away. They pay to put gas in their airplanes, they pay to buy their airplanes. They are the main attraction. They pay their way to come here. They’re helping me do the good work by showing up. We make people happy. We make people smile.” Isn’t that what aviation is all about?
If you missed the 2018 splash in, of course, there’s always next year — same time, same place, same smiles! Pokagon State Park, Lake James Angola, Indiana, bring your family, bring your seaplanes, fly in or drive in — either way, you’ll be glad you did!
For more information about this and future events, contact the Indiana Seaplane Pilots Association.