The McHenry County Health Department was warning of potential unsafe swimming conditions because of the heavy rains Monday night.

If swimmers saw the 8 1/2 by 11 inch paper sign, a “HEAVY RAIN ADVISORY,” they didn’t seem to be heeding the warning at Lakewood’s Gate 7 Beach.

As I was walking to the beach, a neighbor told me about it or I probably would have missed the sign.

And, certainly people coming from the east would have seen nothing.

That’s because the Health Department folks attached it with tape not strong enough to keep the wind from blowing it down.

Having just been through two nights of hearing how Crystal Lake’s purity has been constant over the last twenty years and knowing that there are no longer any septic tanks serving homes around Crystal Lake, I had no problem letting my son and a friend go swimming.

The two teen boys and one girl didn’t have a problem either. They went diving looking for fish under the raft. I heard one boy say there were five or six walleye hiding there.

Neither did the young family–visiting Grandma across the street.

Two of the tykes went to the raft with their father, while the baby got twirled by Mom in a floating device.

Two more teen girls enjoyed Crystal Lake as they would have any other day.

As did the seven ducks—no longer ducklings.

And the dog and his master.
Did they have fun jumping off the pier near the boat ramp!

So did his niece, who threw a ball for the dog to chase and then jumped off the end of the pier herself.

I couldn’t tell if she were emulating the dog or her uncle, who jumped off after his dog several times.

The McHenry County Health Department’s warning sign seems to have been ignored, wouldn’t you say?

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