The original Newsletter, published in 1988 and distributed mainly through sportshows and as responses to regular mail and phone inquiries, advised all guests of Aikens Lake Lodge of a change in ownership from Gerry Lavergne to Gerry & Lorraine Turenne and partners Phil & Jacquie Lavack . It announced preliminary plans for new programs as well as some new equipment and desirable upgrades. It promised more service and a new "gourmet " menu. It promised that the best shorelunch in the world would be cooked right here along the spectacular shores of Aikens Lake. From 1989 to 2004 we published the Aikens Lake INFO-FISH magazine , a glossy 12 to 16 page tabloid sized marketing piece that contained all the accomplishments and Master Anglers of the past season along with all relevant information for the upcoming season. The annual Newsletter was a main feature. Our guests and potential customers did not get very much news and they did not get news very often.

The advent of the Internet allowed us design a stylish and up to date Web Page in order to get more information than ever to our customers in real time. But Ma and Pa went as far as they could with that "stuff ". That's where the new Partners turned things on their head. Chris Jensen and his partners were already consummate professionals in this field and quickly they summoned their friends and business contacts to produce one of the finest and most interactive Web Sites in the industry. The Web Site's Newsletter made up a large part of communicating with guests and disseminating information. As the Internet grew at a feverish pace, social media made its appearance globally in the form of Facebook, YouTube and Twitter. Again, Aikens was on it and for the last two years, all the major news and announcements have been made on our Facebook Page where Aikens Lake has over ten thousand likes. The old trusty Newsletter had lost some of its luster as time to write articles and prepare stories became of essence and finally vanished. In 2012, we tested a new mission for the Newsletter. Publishing Logs, interviews and full length articles ( written by persons with presumably more idle time on their hands ) was successful in bringing behind the scene insider information, insights into guests' perspectives as well as staff personalities and life "on the Peninsula". We also sometimes love to share humourous but generally benign , sometimes useless information with the world at large.

The 2012 experiment with a new format elicited enough positive feedback to carry it over to 2013. If you like it, or not, please comment, and if there is something you would like to see in the Newsletter, please let us know and we'll be happy to " work with you ".

Happy reading...

From a Newsletter to a Blogroll and everything in between!