Lighting Up Glen Lake: 11th Year of the Christmas Tree Boat
If you’ve crossed the Glen Lake Narrows on a December night, you’ve seen it: the glow of a 12-foot illuminated Christmas tree floating on the water.
What started as a small family idea has become a beloved Glen Lake tradition. This year marks the 11th launch of the Christmas Tree Boat, created and cared for by GLA Board Member Frank G. Siepker Jr. and his family.
A Lifelong Glen Laker
Frank’s history with Glen Lake spans more than four decades. His family first arrived in 1982, purchased their cottage in 1986, and moved full-time to Big Glen in 1990. Frank graduated from Glen Lake Schools and later built his family’s house on the lake in 2006.
“I was always a water kid,” Frank shared. From boating in Chicago to exploring the Kankakee River, Frank enjoyed being on the water. But zooming around the “Caribbean blue” waters in a rowboat is what officially hooked him. “The clear waters, the forested hills, the sandy bottom had me for life.”
Today, he and his wife Tracy are raising their two children, Ashley and Frank, as “lake kids” as well, continuing the family’s deep bond with the watershed.
A Legacy of Stewardship
Frank’s early love of the lake quickly turned into stewardship. He began volunteering with the GLA in high school, doing “Secchi disk readings, plankton sampling and counting plankton under a microscope, and taking water level readings at the bridge.” Later, as a summer intern, he surveyed the shoreline for Cladophora algae and staffed the boat wash station during its launch to help prevent aquatic invasive species.
Frank is now the Chief Operating Officer at Cherryland Electric Cooperative, President of the Glen Lake Fire and Rescue Association Board, past Deacon at Glen Lake Church, past President of the Habitat for Humanity Board, and, of course, Captain of the Glen Lake Christmas Tree Boat.
How The Tradition Began
The tradition began Thanksgiving weekend 2014. Surrounded by dense forest, the Siepker home wasn’t ideal for holiday lights and winter views over the lake often felt dark and quiet.
That sparked an idea he described simply: “How about we put some lights on the lake!”
Frank cobbled together an old artificial tree from the basement, which “would have made Charlie Brown proud!” Powered by an aging battery and set on the same boat he explored the lake with as a kid, the Christmas Tree Boat made its first appearance.
11 Years and Thousands of Lights
Today’s version features a fresh 12-foot Fraser Fir mounted on a 14-foot boat, anchored about 600 feet off the shoreline. Its 3,000 LED lights, powered by solar panels and batteries, are visible by anyone crossing the Narrows bridge between Big Glen and Little Glen.
Frank expected locals to notice, but he “had no idea how much holiday cheer it would bring to others.” Media from Detroit, Grand Rapids, and Traverse City now cover it annually, and Glen Arbor shops display artwork inspired by the floating tree.
A Symbol of Joy and Community
The Christmas Tree Boat reflects Frank’s lifelong bond with Glen Lake—shaped in childhood, strengthened by stewardship, and now passed on to a new generation.
Now in its 11th year, it continues to bring what inspired it from the beginning: a little extra holiday cheer out the front window and across the entire Glen Lake community.
As the season settles in, the GLA wishes everyone a time of joy and light, wherever and however you celebrate.