After years of discussion, longtime owner A.O. Smith has sold the White River Lake Marina to Josh and Kelly Ticer of Abernathy. Josh is an electrical contractor in Abernathy, and Kelly is an LVN with one of Covenant Hospital’s clinics in Lubbock. They have a second home at White River Lake.
“Buying the marina feels like we are coming home,” said Kelly. “We are from Kalgary and Verbena, and we grew up in the ’80s and ’90s at the lake.”
One of the first plans of the new owners is to get the Friday night fish fries going again—quickly. The first one will be Friday, June 2, and the new owners have plans to quickly raise funds for the traditional July 4 fireworks over the lake.
“We’ll do some fun fundraisers for fireworks each week, like a bobber toast, $5 closest to the bucket 50/50 raffle, a silent auction, a cake walk and things like that,” Kelly said.
The Ticers plan to have the marina be a family initiative. They have three children: a son who is 27, and two teenage daughters, all of whom will be helping out at the marina.
The Ticers said that they have no immediate plans to adjust the open hours of the marina, but that might change as the summer progresses.
“We know how important the marina is to this area, and we want to keep what makes it special. What makes it special is being small and intimate,” Kelly said. “This is our home. We feel like we are returning to our home roots.”
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Ticer, New Owner,
White River Marina
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