Union City’s infamous Carp Rodeo was a fundraiser for lake improvements that went through several reincarnations around the area. The earliest events were believed to have been held on Haughly Drive in the 1960s. In the 1980s, the party was held in tents on Riley Rd. on the Ripstra property near the dam. In the 1990s, the Lake Association purchased the property here and named it Betty Coates Park for a longtime community volunteer. It hosted the event for several years and a couple of generations. The carp rodeo often featured carp fishing, hog roasts, dancing, horseshoe, softball and mud volleyball tournaments, along with a little beer consumption. The last one was held here in 2003, and the land became private property again in 2004.