Lake Loramie - Dave's Midwestern Ohio Memories

Series of Guest Blogs by an out-of-state Fish Report reader originally from this area about fond memories of growing up in Midwestern Ohio during the 50’s & 60’s

Lake Loramie

Just over 80 years ago, the Lake Loramie Improvement Association made up of local civic leaders, was formed to work closely with the State of Ohio for lake-related capital improvements. All the hard work has paid off over the years, as Lake Loramie is today considered the most picturesque of the five Miami-Erie canal feeder lakes. The eagle on their logo is apropos as my sister who lives on the lake, has seen many of the majestic birds flying overhead or setting in trees eyeing the lake for fish. Without the Association's diligent efforts, it’s doubtful the eagles plus a lot of other wildlife would be habitating the lake, as the demise of canal traffic in the later part of the 1800’s caused the lake to be neglected and literally forgotten.

Then in 1917, the State of Ohio recognized the Lake as a state park, following thereafter by the formation of the Improvement Association that still actively functions today; considered to be the longest running organization of that type in Ohio.

As a kid I can vividly recall the opening of the swimming beach, one of the many improvements implemented on the lake. We’d spend hours out there each summer on hot days, enjoying the cool water and sandy beach, while having a cookout on one of the adjacent charcoal grills. During one summer, I can recall a number of my school classmates on a whim deciding to do some skinny dipping at the beach one warm evening after a few too many brewskis. Unfortunately, none of the girls in our class chose to participate!

My sister’s husband Leroy loves fishing Lake Loramie, knowing but not divulging all the hot spots around the lake. We enjoy his fish fry's and his well stocked cooler. My Uncle Bob also was an avid Lake Loramie fisherman. No doubt both would be or were inducted into the Fish Report Wall of Fame if it was still active!

The Lake Loramie camp ground was kinda neat, especially since there were girls there camping with their parents, so most were bored and looking for some fun. No, not skinny dipping kinda fun! Instead we'd go to Morrie’s Landing for an ice cream cone and check out the old spillway next door. Us townies never had much success beyond the occasional ice cream cone.

The annual Fall Festival on the lake is always special, with all the old farm machinery and other such antiques on display. When Dad was alive, he could tell a story about each and every artifact. He especially like the threshing machine demo.

During the winter as a kid, I’d ice skate down the creek running through our farm to the lake. Here's a past blog about those ventures.

Family reunions were sometimes held in a pavilion at the lake, and the highlight was always a ride on my Uncle Pat’s boat. The speed zone was a designated oval that allowed boats to get up to speed, as everywhere else was designated a no wake zone. What fun! Kayaking has really become popular on the lake. No doubt kayakers don’t like the speed boats like I did back then!

Look out each summer for the annual Boat Parade made up of pontoon boats converted to the theme of the year, like the zoo and Gilligan's Island.

With these strange beasts roaming Lake Loramie, it’s no surprise that a UFO was also spotted on the lake in 2007 as described by this witness:

FORT LORAMIE, OHIO:

2-19-07, 9:00pm to 11:00pm

Side-note: This witness reported observing a rectangular shaped object the size of a "hovering apartment building", over Lake Loramie, in Fort Loramie, Ohio. In addition, this craft hovered at approximately 1000 feet, and then "abruptly shot out into space...", leaving a hole in the clouds. The witness reports heavy winds associated with the event. Weather conditions were reported as "calm" for this area. "While driving home on County Rd. 78 ( Luthman Rd.) in Shelby county, said person stopped along the road near a state park area to use a blue outhouse to relieve himself. While using the facilities he had left his car door open with the radio playing loudly on a local fm station.

Upon exiting the blue outhouse he noticed his radio went to complete static. As he attempted to take the few large steps thru the knee high snow, he for whatever reason looked out over the lake and upward to see what appeared to be a rectangular structure hovering above him in the area of Lehmkuhl Landing, near the intersection of Rte. 119 and Luthman Rd.

"The object seemed to be a kind of Black which seemed to mimic the stars around it in order to blend in. The surfaces were hard to distinguish, and not enough to discern an exact shape. Nevertheless best guesses lean towards an upright rectangular shape. "The distance between observer, the object, and the lake below was extremely hard to observe therefore the altitude of the UFO was not possible to calculate. Guesses lean towards the huge object to be approx. 1000ft in the air while the top of the object must have been approx. 30 to 60 floors high as described by the observer while comparing it to a hovering apartment building from a large city.

"While the observer was stunned and had been standing, staring in amazement for approx. 30 seconds the silence of the entire area including the object was noticed. There was no sounds except for the car and the static radio.

"The object abruptly shot off towards space with no sound and at speeds incomprehensible to the observer. The object traveled through a cloud in the sky which left a hole that quickly refilled in the cloud. It would also be noticeably important to mention that there were considerable windy conditions during this event.

"The following night while typing this out the weather conditions where described as winds having calmed causing freezing fog to plague the dark area.”

For sure the witness had visited the many drinking establishments around the lake, as have I many times over the years. So I’ll continue to anxiously await observing my first UFO! That all being said, a similar siting was observed and photographed in Hawaii! Go figure! In the meantime, enjoy this rainbow over Lake Loramie. The pot of gold is somewhere along the shoreline.

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