Burntside Bash final details

[Steve Foss]

Hey all:

Here’s the thread for final details for this year’s Deb Radosevich Burntside Bash. The Bash starts at 8 a.m and runs as long as people want to hang around on Saturday, Jan. 26. More details below!

For those of you who are new to the bash, it’s the sixth annual gathering, and this year we have dedicated it to the significant other of a good friend to all on this board — Skippers Kid.

For those of you who have been following the thread on this same board about Deb, you know what her condition is, how long she's been in the hospital and what a difficult physical, spiritual and financial toll this has taken and will continue to take on her — and the whole family.

In re-naming this and dedicating it to her, we are also going to donate the proceeds of the Bash to her, and will accept donations in the form of checks written to Debbie Radosevich from those many, many of you who can't make the Bash but still want to help out. Anyone who wants to can mail those checks to me at: Steve Foss, 57 W. Chandler, Ely, MN 55731. Or Frank DeLuca, 5382 Jentoft Rd, Saginaw, MN, 55779 and of course if any of you see us walking around and want to donate, just hand it over to us and we'll keep it safe until the time is right.

BASH DETAILS

1. We're not planning any admission fee, and later in the afternoon we’ll be handing out tickets for a drawing for smaller prizes such as lures, lake maps and caps.

2. There will be a silent auction all day. Prizes include:

MarCum VX-1 Three Color Flasher donated by Fisherman's Corner and Swap Meet proceeds. Fisherman's Corner also donated Five $10 Gift Certificates

A 2-day stay in a brand new sleeper ice fishing shack from from Appeldoorn’s Sunset Bay on Mille Lacs (weekend rental value $725). The shack has 8 holes with Rattle Reels and features “onboard power,” 2 queen bunks, 2 twin bunks, oven with range, microwave, indoor bathroom, TV/DVD Player, underwater cam, fireplace, ceiling fan, and so much more. You can get more info and see pictures here.

A gift certificate for a wedding/party DJ package from Robert Burrington, who is Little Perch 2 on FM (value $300.)

Two tickets for the annaul Grand Superior Lodge wild game feed. All you can eat and drink (value $90). And a one-night stay at the lodge (value $120.)You can find out more about GSL here.

Your choice from Vermilion guide Cliff Wagenbach of either a half-day guided open water trip or full day ice-fishing house rental on Vermilion. Click here for more information.

A framed, signed matted print of a wild black wolf from Steve Foss Images. (value $120). You can view that image here.

A gift certificate from JustinG good for two 18-hole rounds of golf (cart included) at the Ely Golf Course (value $100.)

A gift card from Gander Mountain (value $100.)

A large selection of hand-tied flies of many styles and sizes made by FM/HSO member Kallista.

A framed, signed print of a male pine grosbeak from Finn Bay Photography (value $85.)

And a lot more stuff like rods, reels, Gander Bucks, and life jackets.

3. Cheffrey also has generously donated his chef skills, and we will be offering some type of brat or other meat combo plate for $5 or so, which will mean a lot of folks won't have to bring their own food and prepare it themselves.

4. Anyone who wants to make a separate donation at the Bash can simply give it to Surface Tension or me. All the aforementioned money will go to Deb.

ICE CONDITIONS

Updated 1-23 (final update) There is 16 inches of hard ice in most open locations, with slush absent in those areas, though as always slush can come and go without warning as ice cracks and shifts. Very little snow on the ice, making travel with ATV or on foot as easy as snowmobiling. People were driving full-sized vehicles on the ice at Van Vac Sunday, Jan. 20. There had been more slush but it has been frozen solid. There is still some slush in protected bays and along shoreline because those locations froze early and took several big dumps of snow.

We're still not going to have people parking anything but sleds/wheelers at Bash HQ. Even with the cold temps there won't be more than 18 inches of ice, and parking multiple vehicles and 100 people and all our gear in one area is simply too dangerous, so don't plan on an HQ parking lot.

For those without on-ice transport, there’s good fishing right off the south shore of Van Vac within easy walk of the landing, and we’ll have a few sleds so we can pull folks to nearby spots. A note, if you’re being pulled, make DARN sure your gear is lashed down tight so we don’t have things falling out all over the place and making the day harder. If you have two-way radios, bring 'em and tune 'em to channel 7.

DIRECTIONS

From Tower, come northeast on Hwy. 169 about 18 miles and turn left (north) on County Road 88 (Grant MacMahan Blvd.) Continue on 88 for a couple miles and take a left on County Road 404 (Van Vac Road). Continue for about a mile and turn right at the big brown public access sign, driving CAREFULLY downhill to the access. From Ely, C.R. 88 is about three miles southwest of town on 169.

HEADQUARTERS

Bash HQ is about 100 yards out from the Van Vac public landing. You can’t miss it. The access facility is two-tiered, with a small parking lot right by the ramp and a larger one half way up the hill. In years when people can drive full-size vehicles on the ice, the lots are big enough. In years like this one where there’ll be a lot more folks on foot or on sleds/wheelers for the Bash, the lots won’t hold everyone, so we recommend pulling over only on the NORTH side of Van Vac Road to park after getting your gear on the ice. It’s a road with a lot of full-time residents, and we don’t want to make things too hard on them. The north side of Van Vac Road is the side toward the lake.

AND, FINALLY

When we leave the Bash we want to make sure there isn’t even a cigarette butt left behind on the ice. We’ve had over 100 folks at past Bashes and once we’re gone, we’ve left nothing behind but some holes, some slush and a few dead minnows. The people who live on and use that lake are our neighbors, and we here at HSO/FM are careful to always stay on good terms with the neighbors!

So, friends, as well as coming to the best event on ice and pursuing the most aggressive fish under the ice in North America, you can help out one of our own FM family.

See you all at the Deb Radosevich Burntside Bash!