Marina owner's boat raffle to help Lake Delhi renovation

Chris and Wendy Stender, owners of Hartwick Marina on Lake Delhi, are providing a new boat to be raffled off for the rebuilding of the Lake Delhi dam.

“We wanted to step up and do our part with this effort,” Chris Stender said. “Both Wendy and I have grown up on this lake and our kids are now the third generation here.”

The boat, a new Princecraft Versailles Pontoon with a trailer and 115 HP motor, has a retail value of $36,485.

Mercury donated the motor, Princecraft discounted the price of the boat and the Stenders are donating the balance for the first major fund-raiser under the auspices of the Community Fund to Rebuild Lake Delhi.

Floodwaters filled Hartwick Marina to a depth of 5 feet last July when the flooding Maquoketa River blew out the Lake Delhi dam. Like scores of other homes in the area, the Stenders' nearby home sustained considerable damage.

The community is amassing volunteer efforts to raise $3,500,000 for their share of the lake rebuilding. “I am amazed to think that after all the Stenders have been through, they now offer a brand new top of the line boat to us”, said Laurie Kramer, spokeswoman for the Community Fund to Rebuild Lake Delhi.

Tickets, at $10 each, can be purchased by mail from the Maquoketa Valley Alliance, P.O. Box 4, Delhi, IA 52223. For details, call (563)-920-9863.