Entrepreneurs strive to revitalize Manitou Beach
By Renee Lapham Collins
Two entrepreneurs with ties to Hollywood have been hard at work transforming Manitou Beach from a forgotten backwater to a quaint lakeside destination.
David Gajda and Jose Malagon started with a vision and the burned out remains of the Manitou Inn in 2009 and in 2011 committed to rebuilding Manitou Beach Village. Gajda, who grew up in Garden City, Mich., spent his summers at Devils Lake. His late sister, Marie Parker, owned the Inn and when it was destroyed by fire in January 2009, the pair saw an opportunity not just to rebuild the tavern but improve the village as a whole. [Read more...]