Lures, Love and Healing in Reel Time

Lake Liberty is one of the best kept, multi-faceted secrets in Southwest Ohio. But not for long.

Nestled in a quiet neighborhood in Liberty Township, it offers a popular recreational fishing business, a beautiful wedding venue and a welcoming outreach center for children whose lives have been affected by their parents’ drug addiction.

And now, in a surprise development, a Hollywood producer has selected Lake Liberty for a reality TV series titled “Catching Liberty.” A production team spent a week there in early spring, with plans to return with a crew to begin filming episodes in May.

“It’s beautiful property out here,” says owner Victor Kidd, mayor of the City of Mason and founder of Kidd Coffee Company.

“Our primary clientele is loyal ‘salt of the earth’ folks who are passionate about fishing and about Lake Liberty,” says Kidd. “Our four primary staff members have a cumulative tenure of over half a century.”

Kidd’s vision for the property expanded soon after they purchased it.

“The previous owners turned away several wedding requests, which we intend to accommodate in the future,” he notes. “For those who do not want to spend a fortune but prefer an outdoor wedding setting, we can help. We even have an ordained minister available to officiate.”

Committed to the current fight against heroin in Warren County, Kidd and his family also saw the fishing business as a means of reaching out to area children who have lost a parent to drug overdose. “Children often get overlooked and suffer quietly because so much time, energy and resources are required to fight addiction,” he continues. “Fishing is an excellent way for children to relax, get away from technology and back to the earth where so many good things happen in the soul.”

Lake Liberty’s accomplished anglers are always on hand and happy to teach the kids how to fish. And it’s the perfect atmosphere for children to interact with others who have suffered the same loss, Kidd points out.

They have also opened the property to The LEAF (Love Encourage Accept Forgive), a small church dedicated to helping alleviate the suffering associated with drug addiction. A representative from The LEAF now works with One City Against Heroin, an organization that has raised $600,000 to address the heroin epidemic. The funds have been used to set up a hotline, hire three care coordinators and purchase a recovery home for men. To date, care coordinators have ushered 514 addicts into recovery, Kidd notes. 

Lake Liberty is located at 7308 Linn Road in Liberty Township, OH 45044. For more information, call 513.777.9851 or email lakelibertyoh@gmail.com.