Bottineau's Les Turner can recall a summer day in the late 1950s when he and a few friends' antics started what is now a Lake Metigoshe tradition.

And today that tradition is Club de Skinautique, now in its 50th year and the only water ski team in North Dakota.

"There were four young guys, myself and three others, who got together and started skiing here at the lake," said Turner from his home on Lake Metigoshe. "We innovated and started doing our own thing."

Their exhibitions on water skis attracted the attention of the Lake Metigoshe Improvement Association, which promoted area tourism. Turner said the association eventually sponsored the fledgling club and promoted its early shows or "water carnivals," featuring a parade of boats followed by a water ski show.

Turner, 69, is the club's historian and recently published a booklet on the past 50 years. He said the last time he grabbed a tow rope to ski in a water show was in the 1990s with his children.

"It's really a widespread family, with over 400 people involved over the years," said Turner, "and one thing that's unique about this club is it's all young teens from the area."

Each year, the club has a traditional show on or near July 4, in which alumni participate either in the regular acts or form their own ski line.

Club members practice every Friday evening and Saturday morning starting June 1, said Ron Deraas; he and Bob Garbe are the club's co-business managers.

This summer's last Club de Skinautique show is at 7 p.m. Saturday. Shows usually last 90 minutes and are best viewed from what is known as Skinautique Hill, which is located west of the Lake Metigoshe Drive-In on Lake Loop Road.

Deraas said the season finale will feature a number of acts including "the saucer," pyramids and barefoot lines.

Water ski teams were once a common summer attraction in Devils Lake and at Lake Tschida, said Deraas, but today only Club de Skinautique's water shows remain for state residents to include in summer vacation plans.

For more information, go to http://www.clubdeskinautique. com.