The Syracuse-Wawasee Historical Museum in the Community Center will feature the Smith sisters this week through Saturday, June 30 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in a summer exhibit entitled Ski Clubs of Wawasee. The exhibit will then continue through the summer until after Labor Day.

SYRACUSE — During the 1960s, watching the WAWA Skiers in front of the South Shore Hotel on Lake Wawasee was a thrilling Saturday evening ritual. In 1963, teenage sisters Carolyn and Cathy Smith started tournament skiing, specializing in tricks, jumps and slalom events.

Carolyn became the Indiana Overall Champion in 1965 and 1967, and younger sister Cathy was the Women’s State Champion in 1971.

They were inducted into the Indiana Water Ski Hall of Fame in 2010. In 2016, Carolyn Smith Baker and Cathy Smith Lemberg were named to represent Kosciusko County as Indiana Bicentennial torch bearers.

The Syracuse-Wawasee Historical Museum in the Community Center will feature the sisters this week through Saturday, June 30 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in a summer exhibit entitled Ski Clubs of Wawasee. The exhibit will then continue through the summer until after Labor Day.

Since Cathy was a member of the Syracuse High School Class of 1968, the museum wanted to highlight the Smith sisters during the SHS alumni banquet in June. As the summer progresses, more history of the WAWA skiers, founded by Marion and Faye Ensminger, and information on other members of various clubs on Lake Wawasee, will become part of the exhibit.