Rum runners at Lake Erie

To The Haldimand Press

DUNNVILLE—During Prohibition, Lake Erie fishermen sometimes filled their boats with a catch they called “Midnight Herring”.  If you listened carefully, you could hear it clinking in the hold. Between 1920 and 1933, thousands of gallons of bootleg whiskey crossed the lake in all kinds of boats. Colourful characters like Bugeye Smith plied their trade back and forth across the lake. Ian Bell, retired curator of the Port Dover Harbour Museum, will use vintage photos and artifacts to tell the fascinating story of “Rum Running on Lake Erie” on Wednesday, September 25, 7 p.m., at Grandview Lodge Auditorium, 657 Lock St. W., Dunnville.