Summer traditions, timeless fun on the Twin Lakes

SALISBURY — About 50 people attended Twin Lakes Day on Saturday, Aug. 2. The weather was not encouraging, but the children seemed to be having fun as they participated in such old-fashioned fun as wheelbarrow and swimming races.The annual celebration of the Twin Lakes Association was held this year at Camp Isola Bella.The Twin Lakes Association includes property owners around the two lakes, known as Washining and Washinee. Isola Bella is on an island in one of the lakes. It is separate from the Twin Lakes Beach Club, which is near O’Hara’s Marina and is more of a traditional beach club. It has two tennis courts, a small beach and swim area, and docks for owners of boats. It has members from throughout the Tri-state area and is popular enough to have a waiting list. “The Twin Lakes Beach Club was started in the 1940s,” explained Deirdre Flynn, president of the club, in an interview this week. “The clubhouse building itself burned down in the early 1990s and was rebuilt around then. The tennis courts are a somewhat recent addition as well. But it has always been a family club. Right now we have about 120 member families; some years we have a little more.” Most people, Flynn said, “join because of their kids, and then they end up staying even when the kids grow up, so we really have a mixed age group.” She said that the people who join without children are mostly tennis players, as the tennis program is a main attraction. There is also a snack bar where “people will come and enjoy the view of the lake while having a nice lunch,” Flynn said.Interestingly, more members are out-of-towners than local people, although Flynn said that the number of local members is increasing. About 60 percent of members aren’t local, and half of those are from New York. “We have members from Florida, Houston, California, even London,” Flynn said. “People who grew up here remember it. They consider it a community, a tie to home in northwest Connecticut.”This sense of community is something that all members of the Twin Lakes Beach Club come back for. “We have an all-volunteer board; it’s definitely a do-it-yourself type of place,” Flynn said. “It only works when everyone does their fair share, which they do. People like helping out, that’s what makes it so great.” People interested in joining can send emails to tlbcmembers@gmail.com and request an application. All applicants are placed on the waiting list and then interviewed. “The interviews are really just for getting to know the families,” said Flynn. “The vast majority of people get into the club; we just want to make sure it’s a good fit for people.”