#FunFactFriday - White Bear Yacht Club opens for the season. White Bear Life - May 31, 1903. Summer is upon us (so they say), and one of the best places to celebrate the "Lake Life" lifestyle was at the White Bear Yacht Club! Organized in 1889, with a membership fee of $3 annually, the club swelled to 42 members their first year. After a merger with the White Bear Yacht Association in 1894, WBYC had trouble finding a headquarters to suit its needs after losing their original lease and moving to Ramaley's Pavilion. They would eventually buy the original clubhouse in Dellwood in 1899 with immediate plans to remodel the building, adding a two-story area at the front of the building. It wasn't until the early 1900s that two clay tennis courts and a nine-hole golf course were added, and plans for a larger clubhouse began circulating, with the new, larger building officially opening on Memorial Day, 1913. This building would end up burned to the ground in 1937, and the clubhouse was rebuilt along with a pool, two tennis courts, and a sailors' pavilion. It was opened in May 1939. While the interior has been updated since, the exterior remains largely unchanged today. WBLAHS Collection Photos Article: "White Bear Yacht Club, White Bear Life, May 31, 1903. Photo 1: WBYC, ca. 1890s Photo 2: WBYC, ca. 1900s - addition added Photo 3: WBYC, ca. 1935 - built in 1912 Photo 4: WBYC, ca. 1940s - built 1939 (fb)

This Memorial Day, WBLAHS would like to share a profound thank you to those who serve our nation and protect our freedom - past, present, and future. THANK YOU! Illustration: Lake Breeze - May 27, 1898 (fb)