LONE STAR ? People will have to tote their own ice, soft drinks, hot dogs and fishing licenses to the shores of Lone Star Lake for the rest of the season. The park’s concessionaire has packed up and left.

Bonnie and Harold Keylon this week lost their contract to sell food, offer supplies and rent paddle boats in the county park at 665 E. 665 Road, eight miles southwest of Lawrence. The couple had operated the marina since March.

Visitors to Lone Star Lake will have to come prepared for the rest of the season. The park's concessionaire has closed the marina, and its shelves that once held soft drinks, hot dogs, hamburger buns, charcoal, fishing line and other items are now empty.

Last week the Keylons asked to be released from the contract after county officials learned the couple had lost liability insurance coverage for the operation. Such insurance was a condition of the county’s contract, and the Keylons had not kept up on their monthly insurance payments.

Keith Browning, the county’s director of Public Works, said the closing meant visitors would have to plan a bit before trekking to the 183-acre lake.

“Don’t go out to Lone Star now and expect to buy ice and provisions and food at the marina, because the marina’s closed,” he said. “You just need to be aware of that. You have to bring your own items.”

Attempts to contact the Keylons were unsuccessful. Phone lines at the marina and the couple’s home have been disconnected.

The Keylons sold products often sought by folks looking for camping, fishing or boating recreation at the lake. Licenses for fishing and boating at Lone Star were offered, and the marina rented paddle boats.

The Keylons paid the county $1,000 for the exclusive right to offer concessions at the lake, which hadn’t had a concessionaire for about three seasons. The marina had been closed in 2000 and 2001 because the lake level was lowered to allow for reconstruction of the dam’s spillway.

Camping permits will continue to be sold by the camp’s host, who lives during the season at Lone Star campground, said Mike Perkins, who oversees the park as the county’s operations manager for Public Works.

Next spring, county officials hope to have another concessionaire lined up to work the marina. Several options are on the table, including the possibility of teaming with the city of Lawrence.

Lawrence Parks and Recreation could offer kayaking and rowing classes at the lake, Browning said. Such activities could attract more visitors and possibly make a concessions business more viable.

“The discussions are all very preliminary at this point,” Browning said. “We’ll have to wait and see what happens.”