Pontoons, Picnics, and Pyrotechnics

Kerr Lake State Recreation Area by Henderson, N.C., is an ideal place for such a celebration where multitudes of picnic tables or convenient areas to pitch a shelter are found under numerous trees throughout the picturesque parks.

It is also a place where many of those locations are right next to a sandy beach to “dock” your pontoon boat while you enjoy your picnic. Numerous families have also come here year after year for the grand fireworks display celebrating our national heritage of freedom to swim in the clear, clean water.

One refuge is located at the Satterwhite Point Park, one of the seven recreation parks that embraces that freedom with all things we relate to on this day.  Kerr Lake (named after John H. Kerr of NC) is a US Army Corps of Engineers body of water that is primarily fed by the Roanoke River. It covers about 50,000 acres, is bordered by over 850 miles of shoreline, and is one of the largest reservoirs in the southeastern U.S.

The focal point for the special weekend spearheaded by the Vance County Tourism Board, is at the Satterwhite Point. This peninsula includes a large grassy expanse with food trucks gathered in the afternoon and DJ music entertainment by the community building, just a short walk from your boat. If you didn’t bring your own hamburger and hot dogs, there is a variety of enticing, flavorful food assortment from barbecue to funnel cakes served while children dance to the music. At dark the spectacular fireworks begin.

Where To Stay           
Everyone can enjoy the seven different camping areas around the reservoir. Over 600 campsites that range from drive-thru RV sites with various services to tent sites, usually along the shoreline, entice families to stay longer than just the weekend.

Those with their own boat who don’t have it docked at one of the two commercial marinas in the recreation area, or at one of the campgrounds, can easily launch from the multiple boat ramps in the region. They can then beach their boat for the day, set up their picnic area, and have fun until they go on the water to watch the fireworks. In July 2022 we caught up with some families celebrating the holiday, including the Browns.

Meet The Browns
Jason Brown and his crew like to beach their pontoon boat and set up a picnic area under their canopy just a few feet from the boat and next to the playground. Jason is a former NFL football offensive lineman for the Baltimore Ravens and St Louis Rams. He was born and raised in Henderson by his parents who have a place by the lake. After living a life of fame and fortune with his wife and child while playing in the NFL, he dedicated his life to God and service. That took him back to the Henderson area and to Lake Kerr.

He now administers a family-run, 100- acre farm with his wife Tay and their eight children. With all his gifts, talents, and blessings, Brown asked God what He would have him do after an epiphany concerning his life and the anniversary of the death of his brother, Lunsford Bernard Brown II, who was slain while serving in Iraq.

“What should I do to serve and show love for our neighbors and give back to the local community?” said Jason. “He pointed me toward food insecurity and agriculture. I know we are in America but there are so many food insecure families and food deserts that are all around us. This is one area I can give back and do my part.”

Serving Others
Jason has done just that with “First Fruit Farm” in Louisburg, N.C., just 18 miles from the lake. The farm has grown, harvested and donated more than a million pounds of food, the majority of that helped by volunteers and distributed to food banks across the area. But he hasn’t let all that work get in the way of taking his children fishing or just enjoying the lake on his well-used Premier triple pontoon boat with a 225hp Honda engine.

Pontoon vs Bass Boat
“At first, I was going to get a fancy bass boat because I love to fish,” he explained. “My wife then asked me where she and the children would be sitting while I was fishing. She convinced me to get something else so the whole family could enjoy fishing or even cruising. I agreed, but also said that if I got a pontoon, I was going to make sure it was going to be a really nice one. This boat is that and is still sporty. Because of the larger center pontoon, it can bank and roll more like a standard V-hull boat.”

Jason purchased the Premier pontoon ten years ago and has kept it in excellent condition. He has an enclosed storage shed that keeps it out of the sun and after every single outing the family vacuums and wipes everything down to protect the vinyl and other parts of the boat.

“We make sure the cloth canopy is always dry, so no mildew or moisture will rot that canopy,” explains Jason. “It’s just a little bit of attention to detail that goes a long way. I want to keep it and it will serve my family a lot longer by taking care of it.”

Picnic Perfect
On the other side of the point from the community center, we caught up with another group who had beached their pontoon, along with several kayaks, beach balls and a badminton net. Nearly 25 feet away, two canopies were erected with chairs under them, which supplied shade for the day.

This is where Beth Champion stayed with some of her family and friends while deciding when to have hot dogs and other picnic staples. Her husband Carson would steer the boat while Carson Champion and Griffin Dixon played on tubes as they cruised around the lake. The boys enjoy testing their agility by skipping over rough waves and trying to just kneel, “hands free,” on the tube as they try to stay on.

Traditions
Beth has been coming to the lake for about 25 years, starting when she would come with her parents. She has continued the tradition and her family loves coming here as well. She emphasized that this beach was just one of the many they enjoy at the lake when they're not cruising, tubing, or swimming off their 20-foot Bentley pontoon boat.

The largest marina in the North Carolina section of the lake is Steele Creek Marina & Campground, separate from the seven Kerr Lake State Recreation Area parks and campgrounds. With over 300 boat slips along four docks, the marina also has a marina store, fuel dock, boat hauling service, and pontoon boat rentals.

Dock A Party
The members on “Dock A” had their own Fourth of July weekend method of celebrating by sharing a wonderful brunch with Alan Duncan cooking the “Duncan Breakfast” of country ham, bacon, pancakes of all kinds, eggs, melon and pineapple. The boating neighbors on the dock all gathered to enjoy great food and lively discussions concerning the day.

Word quickly spread around A Dock that crispy nuggets of striped bass (Rockfish) and catfish with a “potluck” side dish would be held by their marina gazebo that evening. Randy Owen, known as the best fisherman on the dock, would be sharing his fish treasures as he does several times a year, with the Fourth of July weekend being exceptionally popular and now traditional.

When asked where he finds those fish, he smiles and says they move around a lot. “They could be in the south end or the north end of the lake,” says Randy. “Wherever they are, that’s where I go.”

Angler Secrets
The angler uses two depth finders and during the summer the fish can be found in 25-foot deep holes, so that is where he goes, but he wasn't about to say where those holes are actually located. When he does find the fish, he will jig for them with live bait (Blueback herring) that he caught at 4:00 that morning and kept alive in the 40-gallon livewell on his boat.

No planers are used in the summer, only jigged with 2-foot, 20-pound test leaders and three ounce weights attached to 20-pound mono-filament fishing line on the reel. If there is no live bait that he usually gets under the Nutbush low bridge, he uses a 3- or 4-inch long metal spoon and drops it to where the fish are, while making an up and down motion for enticement.

He typically brings in 9- or 10-pound fish. For the fish fry this evening, he cuts it into bite-sized pieces and covers the fish with locally ground MOSS’ Seafood breading, which is sold at the local Food Lion Supermarket. There is no additional covering before dropping them into the hot oil for frying.

Let's Eat
The fish is cooked at the gazebo by Dock A, with all the neighbors coming for the social event from their boats while bringing great side dishes from salads, sandwiches, slaw, to desserts of cobbler and yes, brownies that are thoroughly enjoyed. Not to be missed along with the fish nuggets are the cornbread patties made with MOSS cornbread, buttermilk, salt, pepper and banana pepper slices, or jalapeno peppers for a nice kick.

Enjoying time with neighbors and friends has brought the dock members together, something they especially enjoy during the holiday weekend. Coming together helps them appreciate what the Fourth of July really means in America, and that's freedom.