If you want to know how much the people living near the Iowa Great Lakes, in northwest Iowa, care about their community, consider two words: Arnold's Park. the park is an amusement park on west Lake Okoboji that dates back to 1886, making it the oldest one west of the Mississippi river.

In 1999, a developer from sioux Falls, S.D., bought the park with the intent of building lakeside condominiums. when the public learned of the transaction, a movement to "save the park" began in earnest. More than $7.6 million was raised in seven weeks. Donations came from individuals, corporations, foundations and local governments, as well as state grants. the park was eventually sold to a local museum, the Iowa Great Lakes Maritime Museum, which had taken a leadership role in saving the park.

Keeping the park means that visitors can continue enjoying the more than 30 rides and other attractions, including a 63-foot Ferris wheel, the "Legend" roller coaster and go-karts. Carnival games, shops and food stands also await guests who can either drive or boat to the park.

"We had donations from all 50 states and seven foreign countries," said Joe Vander Laan, a local business owner who lives with his family on Big spirit Lake. "we had a lot of small contributions. Kids sent the money they earned from lemonade stands."

Vander Laan visited the Okoboji lakes region virtually every summer weekend as a child, spending each waking moment with the other children whose families trekked to the same lake. He loved his visits so much that he couldn't wait to move there when he finished college. "I didn't think there was another choice," he said.

"The lakes are unique but it's the people who keep me here. It's a small town; we all know each other, but the locals welcome everyone who visits. there's a great feeling here - a circle of friendship."

Dickinson County is only one of seven that is growing in the state of Iowa according to Vander Laan. The county has about 16,000 residents, but that count grows to about 150,000 in the peak summer months. An active winter season, spotlighted by the "University of Okoboji" winter Games, draws about 80,000 visitors to the region.

"While many visitors are from sioux Falls, s.D., omaha, Neb., and Des Moines and sioux City, Iowa, many people from the Minneapolis-St. Paul area find the drive is faster to the Okoboji area, than shorter distances to Minnesota lakes, because the traffic to Iowa is less," Vander Laan said.

He cites a good mix of agriculture and industry in the county, including tourism, as contributing to the strong economy. one example of a local, thriving business is Pure Fishing, headquartered in spirit Lake, which is the world's largest fishing tackle company (http://www.purefishing.com/menu.cfm?p_ menu=395&cm=395).

Vander Laan owns a construction business, JVL Corporation (www.JVLCorp.com), which focuses on lake-related commercial and residential properties. some projects involve tearing down old cabins and, in their place, building large, year-round homes. while the majority of lake properties are used seasonally, an increasing number are being used all year. "Before, you could drive around in winter and see lights on in about one in 10 homes. Now more and more are lived in year-round," Vander Laan said.

"What I've found is that people may move to California or the east Coast, but they want to retire here. they don't feel as safe on the coasts. they want to be in the Midwest."

Beauty of glacier-carved lakes

What draws people to the Okoboji lakes region, and keeps them coming back, is the beauty of glacier-carved lakes. the chain of lakes called the Iowa Great Lakes extends from the Minnesota border southwest several miles, covering about 15,000 square acres. Five interconnected lakes join Iowa's largest natural lake, spirit Lake, to form the Iowa Great Lakes. the five are East Okoboji, West Okoboji, Lower Gar, Upper Gar and Minnewashta.

The most desirable of the five is West Lake Okoboji. It is spring fed, 134 feet deep and most known for its deep blue color.

So is West Lake Okoboji the third bluest lake in the world? Connie Cory and many other locals have heard that claim many times over the decades - a pronouncement allegedly printed in National Geographic magazine. that would place it behind switzerland's Lake Geneva and the deep turquoise waters of Lake Louise.

"For some reason, the water is very blue," Cory said. "The beauty of such clean blue water is piercing. When the sky turns orange, the lake turns purple - wham, just like that."the top part of a wave reflects the sky-blue or gray, or even white, but the under-part of the wave is where you see the color," Cory added. "That can be blue or gray or navy or purple. Many people love the lake when it is dead calm, the trees mirrored around its rim. But I like it best when it is dancing-talking to me."

Besides its beautiful color, the waters of West Okoboji are relatively clean. "The clean water is a big draw," Cory said. "We used to say that a dive into Okoboji cures everything. Where other sailors would carry a thermos on board - or a pop or a beer - Okoboji sailors used to carry just a cup." In the winter months, the frozen lake accommodates ice skating, cross-country skiing and ice boating.

As a child, Cory and her family lived in Des Moines but summered on the lake. Her grandfather bought the family cottage and eventually Cory and her husband built a year-round home on the lake. That followed a wedding ceremony on a steamboat on West Lake Okoboji. Back 100 years ago and more, visitors often took steamboats to an inn on West Lake Okoboji, or to other stops, after traveling by train to the region from points east.

Despite the throngs of tourists whose visits continue today, Cory said, "There's quite a lake family feeling here."

One point of distinction on West Okoboji is the many oak trees that surround the lake. Often, lakeshore in the upper Midwest is dotted by evergreen trees. West Lake Okoboji has 26 miles of shoreline - marked by many bays and points that enhance the beauty and interest for property owners and visitors.

Okoboji mayor wouldn't live anywhere else

Bob Schneider sails on lakes across the United States but he is always happy to come home to Okoboji. He grew up about 50 miles from here, summered in Okoboji and has lived here full- time since 1973. He is now the mayor of Okoboji.

"This is the number one second-home location in the state of Iowa," he said. "People have been coming here for some 100 years." He described an influx of visitors from Sioux Falls, S.D., that took place about 20 years ago when that city's economy boomed.

A main attraction to the Okoboji area is the clean water, Schneider said. "The city fathers in the 1930s had the foresight to put in sanitary sewers around West Lake Okoboji and most of the other lakes. That was pretty unique." He said the deep blue color of West Lake Okoboji is caused by the particular algae that grow there.

"The lake is busy but it doesn't have near the traffic of other big lakes in the Midwest," he said. The local economy is strong and growing. In the winter, the population of Okoboji is about 900, but it swells many times that number in the summer. "We only have 16,000 people in Dickinson County, but 73 restaurants are open in the summer. It's quite a tourist spot."

Assessed value in the town is about $270 million, Schneider said, attesting to the volume of non-resident lake homes.

"The quality of life here is absolutely wonderful," he said. "We have great schools. With such terrific tax bases, our schools benefit. I wouldn't live anywhere else."

West Lake Okoboji highly sought-after

Kirk and Sue Westergard, owners of Okoboji realty, specialize in West Lake Okoboji. As a deep, spring-fed lake with intensive blue water, West Okoboji is highly desirable, Kirk said. "It's a place where generation after generation have visited. The turnover rate is very low."

Many of the properties are like legacies, Kirk said, with some that haven't changed hands since the 1930s. Out of the more than 1,000 cottages and homes around the lake, only 25 to 30 sales occur each year.

Most properties remain seasonal but, increasingly, small cabins are being sold to people ready to tear them down and build large homes. While many states are represented, most properties are owned by families from Omaha, Neb., Des Moines, Iowa, Sioux Falls, S.D., and Sioux City, Iowa, along with cities and towns in between.

Depending on location and other factors, buyers looking for 50 feet of lakeshore can expect to pay about $500,000 to $600,000, with 100 feet of lakeshore fetching between $1 million and $1.2 million. "Certain parts of the lake are not as expensive," Kirk said. "But for many parts of the lake, expect a ballpark range of about $10,000 to $12,000 per front foot."
The lake offers good fishing, Kirk said, with a number of state records set by individuals fishing West Lake Okoboji. Other popular activities are boating, swimming, parasailing and scuba diving.

Beside lakeside recreation, the area offers opportunities ranging from a thriving summer theatre, the Lakes Arts Center, a county- wide system of paved trails, several amusement parks and movie theatres, and six golf courses.

Quick Clicks

Arnold's park (Historic Amusement park),

Arnold's park, Iowa
www.arnoldspark.com

Explore Okoboji
www.exploreokoboji.com

Fishing, Hunting information
http://vacationokoboji.com/2002/05_sports/05_05outd.html

Golf courses
http://vacationokoboji.com/2002/05_sports/05_03golf.html

Iowa great lakes Maritime Museum
http://www.okobojimuseum.org/museum.htm

Okoboji Online
www.okoboji.com

Okoboji Tourism committee, iowa great lakes area chamber of commerce
www.vacationokoboji.com

Parks and Nature Areas
http://vacationokoboji.com/2002/05_sports/05_06parks.html

Ranch Amusement park, Okoboji, iowa
http://www.ranchamusement.com/man-aged/index.html

Recreation Equipment rental (boats, PWC and tubes; snorkeling and SCUBA gear, skates and skis, parasailing, bicycles)
http://vacationokoboji.com/2002/05_sports/05_01rec.html

Western iowa Tourism region
www.traveliowa.org/

By Barb Umberger