Imagine going for a bike ride on a Colorado mountain path, only to find the love of your life, and then 25 years later co-owning a restaurant and lake in Shannondale, a mostly quiet neighborhood in the outskirts of Harpers Ferry. That’s exactly what happened to Jeff Shores, one of the owners of the Mountain Lake Club (MLC). “I first saw Matt on a Colorado Springs’ bike path,” he said. His eyes lit up and his lips curled into a grin. “I just had to turn around and meet him.”
Their backgrounds vary widely. Jeff served as an Alabama police officer, before joining the Air Force. He retired as a Colonel after 27 years of service. Matt Barager worked for a while as a regional trainer for California Pizza Kitchen and is now CFO/Treasurer for a non-profit and still works nearly full-time outside of his MLC responsibilities.
While living in DC in 2010, Shores and Barager bought the former cabin home of Jamie Firestone and Elizabeth Houghton. Initially, they were just looking for a place to relax and enjoy the bucolic scenery. Then Covid hit and Matt and Jeff moved to “the mountain” permanently. Shortly after, they purchased the Mountain Lake Club property, also previously owned by Houghton, which consists of 25 acres of land and the entire 55-acre lake. There was a lot of controversy and drama during Houghton’s prior attempt to develop the property as an upscale resort, including a fire that destroyed the mansion that had at one point served as the clubhouse. Shores and Barager view that as ancient history and have a very different vision for the property.
Dreams and Vision
They were sold on buying the club when someone quoted to them the famous Field of Dreams line: “If you build it, they will come.” They repeatedly heard mountain residents were desperate to get back a local watering hole where they could gather with friends and neighbors after a long day of work. “People will flock back to this place the minute the doors open,” they were assured when they committed to a sizable bank loan and the even bigger time commitment associated with running such a large facility.
But Covid and the 20 years that had passed since the clubhouse burned had seemingly changed things. Shannondale residents had gotten used to driving further away to eat out or learned they didn’t miss it so much after all. The early months were a slow crawl of navigating renovations, satisfying inspection requirements, and getting people in the door. They have yet to have a profitable year but hope that will turn around soon enough.
Membership fees once ran as high as $800 (with a $300 initiation fee), but they’ve worked hard to keep those fees much lower (and minus initiation charges). Their goal is to freeze fees for original members under their ownership and offer discounts for residents of Jefferson County. Members get benefits like free and/or discounted tickets to some events, discounted lake entry fees, reduced pontoon rental charges, free beach access, and early reservation opportunities for special events. Matt and Jeff want members to know they are also making an investment in their neighborhood club so that it can grow and expand.
More Than Just a Lake
In a short time, Matt and Jeff have already taken the potential of the property way beyond its initial scope by hosting weddings, music festivals, movies on the lake, Halloween and Easter events, and a Fourth of July fireworks display that is attended by nearly 2,000 people. Lights on the Lake, a festive holiday experience near and about the clubhouse ruins, has been one of their most popular events with as many as 1,000 attendees in a single night.
My personal favorite is their celebrations for the Air Force and Marine Corps birthdays (no interest has yet been expressed in the other services). Last year, my father got to cut the cake at the Air Force celebration as the oldest Air Force veteran in attendance at 82 years old. He’d never before been invited to perform that honor and he still talks about it.
On Trivia Nights, you’ll find regulars and newcomers competing for coveted Lakeside Bar & Grill gift certificates. Other nights are filled with BINGO, karaoke, live music, painting classes, or (coming soon) line dancing lessons. In addition to the usual fare of fishing, swimming, food truck and restaurant items, a full-service bar, yoga, and dog swims, new offerings this summer will include pickleball, ax throwing (image right), and a farmers-style market.
Building a Community
Matt and Jeff see community service as critical. They work closely with their members and the Blue Ridge Food Pantry to offer one-pan meals for pantry customers and often use canned food donations as the cost of event admissions. Equally important, Lake Shannondale has a dry hydrant used by firefighters to access water from the lake to fight fires on the mountain since there isn’t a single fire hydrant for the nearly 3,000 homes. Also, near the spillway, there is a designated landing zone for medical transport helicopters.
Always foremost in Matt and Jeff’s minds is creating and maintaining a space where everyone feels welcome. They don’t allow campaign signs on the property or political rallies or celebrations. They don’t offer political endorsements. For the benefit of the community, candidate meet and greets, Q&A sessions and informational events with elected officials, and events that advance voter registration are allowed.
They are a long way from that fateful bike ride in Colorado 25 years ago but have made Shannondale their home and are thankful for their wonderful customers, neighbors, and new friends.
The Lakeside Bar & Grill is open to the public (no membership required), see website for current hours of operation. Annual Club memberships provide for access to boating, swimming, and other recreation activities; limited day passes are available (see website for membership details, activity information, and current rates). Mountain Lake Club on Lake Shannondale, 1329 Lakeside Dr, Harpers Ferry, WV 25425. Tel: 304- -963-5253. Web: MountainLakeClub.com.
