It all started with a cocktail and a conversation between Faye Wetzel and Warren Pierson. At the time, the snow was falling outside and the temperatures hovered around freezing, but inside Sam’s Bistro conversation of what our club might look like was only the beginning. Within a few months, conversations with architects, designers, and board members began and the hunt to find who might fit our brand and budget began. By October of 2018, Collaborative Design, based out of Waukesha matched with our board and team personal and the drawings of what our club imagined to be would soon come to fruition. In an effort to remain how the club had been established, the Board approved that this project would not be assessed to the membership, however that voluntary contributions and commitments could be made to the all-around capital project fund.

After the initial meetings were approved, the drawings needed to come to life. On November 7, 2018, the initial kickoff fundraising event happened, hosted by Mike & Eva White. The White family hosted an evening for Collaborative to showcase what the Great Hall and Dockside would look like. By the end of the night the Board of Directors had committed almost $200,000 to kickstart our future.

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After some initial setbacks, construction of the update was fully underway by mid-March, and by May 11, 2019, when our first wedding was scheduled to take place, the Great Hall had finished. After a very successful summer on the newly finished pier, as well as a record breaking summer in the Great Hall with weddings and private events, the next stage was underway.

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One level below the Great Hall, The Commodore Dining Room was about to get the update that it long deserved as well. A vision of a grand, luxurious, and comfortable dining room was something that the OLC longed for. Fresh carpeting, re-touched walls, and curtains to hug our amazing view were just some of the elements to feature in our space. Glorious crystal chandeliers would boast a statement in the middle of the dining room, while newly hardwood floors would hand that touch of class in Sam’s Bistro. By March of 2020, one-year following the update upstairs, the route to a refreshed dining room was on its way. While COVID restrictions would prevent the club from re-opening to its grandeur, the excitement and anticipation was held throughout the year. By summer of 2020, a number of members had seen the new Commodore Dining Room, and the continued hope of a total club refreshment rippled throughout the membership.