For 30 years, the Ski Otters have been part of summer in our community—kids sitting on the shoreline with sticky snow cones, grandparents in lawn chairs, families cheering as skiers fly by. We’ve always been proud that our shows are free and family-friendly, because we believe everyone deserves a little joy on a summer night.

And we do it the only way we know how: with volunteers. No paid performers. No paid staff. Just neighbors giving their evenings and weekends—pulling boats, training new skiers, fixing gear, and setting up so the community can have something special to look forward to.

That’s why what happened hurts so much.

Someone broke into our dock storage area and stole the heart of our show: our performance docks and performance stage—equipment worth $30,000. These aren’t just boards and hardware. They’re where the little skiers learn confidence, where the announcer welcomes the crowd, where the pyramids start, where the applause feels loudest. They’re what make the show possible—and safe.

We’re left trying to solve a massive problem with the same volunteer hands that were already stretched thin, and we’re doing it with the clock ticking. We have less than one month to replace what was stolen, or we may not be able to perform this season.

This is hard to say, but it’s the truth: after 30 years of bringing something good to our community, we’re now at risk of losing the very thing we’ve worked so hard to build—because someone chose to take it.

If you’ve ever brought your kids to a show, if you’ve ever cheered from the shore, if the Ski Otters have ever been part of your summer memories, we’re asking you to help us rebuild. Every donation goes directly toward replacing the stolen docks and stage so we can get back on the water and keep the tradition alive.

If you can’t donate, please consider sharing. The more people who hear what happened, the better chance we have to recover before the season begins.

Thank you for standing with the Ski Otters—so we can keep giving our community something to smile about.

The Ski Otters are a 501c3 non-profit organization and donations are tax deductible (41-1804640)