KU community will gather to celebrate the renewal of Potter Lake on Sept. 26

Artist's rendering of revitalized Potter Lake. Image courtesy of KU Endowment

Thu, 09/18/2025

David Day

LAWRENCE — The University of Kansas and KU Endowment are hosting an event Sept. 26 to celebrate the renewal of Potter Lake on the Lawrence campus. The event will start at 3 p.m. on the west hillside overlooking Potter Lake and will include brief remarks by Chancellor Douglas A. Girod and special guests.

A cardboard boat regatta sponsored by Student Union Activities will follow the celebration program. The celebration event and the regatta are open to all members of the KU and Lawrence communities, including faculty, staff, alumni and students. KU parents and families are encouraged to attend with their students as part of Family Weekend activities.

In addition to celebrating the 2024 revitalization work to Potter Lake, the event will kick off a LaunchKU fundraising campaign to support continuing beautification efforts.

Last summer, Potter Lake received an extreme makeover both for aesthetic and functional improvements. The project included dredging to lower the lake bed, rebuilding portions of the original edge wall, improving the spillway and sediment basin, and adding new landscaping.

Originally built to provide water for fighting fires on campus, Potter Lake was a popular swimming and skating spot in its early days. Although swimming and skating were eventually curtailed for safety reasons, generations of adults and kids have continued fishing there. Potter Lake has also hosted concrete canoe races and cardboard boat regattas over the years, and goalposts have mysteriously appeared there after significant KU football wins.

Beyond fun and games, picnics and leisurely walks along its banks, Potter Lake has served an important purpose as an outdoor, experiential classroom and research laboratory for both university and K-12 students. The revitalization project last summer and ongoing beautification and preservation efforts funded by the Potter Lake - Campus Beautification LaunchKU campaign will help ensure Potter Lake continues to be a favorite learning and leisure spot for generations to come.