I certainly dont look like someone whos a beach expert or even like someone who should be seen at a beach but after more than a decade of putting together our Get Out Guide to Kenosha County beaches, Im intimately acquainted with our local hot spots.

After visiting our public beaches this week, Ive come away with some inside information:

The best sand hands down can be found at Lake Andrea in Pleasant Prairie. Seriously, they groom that beach more than I comb my own hair, and the swimming area has a clean, sandy bottom, too. (Thats much appreciated when compared to the other lakes.)

Check it out yourself. New this year at Lake Andrea are Beach Bash Wednesdays, with prizes, games and other activities from 4 to 6 p.m. each week. Free to RecPlex members; $4 for non-members.

Ink-spiration: If you need ideas for your next tattoo, head to a beach. Youll see plenty of body art. In fact, its rare to find someone between the ages of 18 and 40 who doesn't sport at least one tattoo.

A real shame: The beach house at Simmons Island beach is mostly boarded up and crumbling (though the restrooms are open). That's no way to treat a National Historic Landmark from 1934! I hate to think Racine is doing anything better than we are, but check out that city's North Beach Oasis for an idea of what we could have here. Isn't it time to revive this building?

Bring a book: The worlds cutest Little Library can be found at the beach in Lance Park in Twin Lakes (look for the Cat in the Hat), but it was almost empty when we visited Sunday afternoon. If youre heading to that beach, be a pal and bring a book or two or eight to restock that free library.

Does this look like a rash to you? Silver Lake Park has the countys most popular beach, but it isnt perfect. They are currently warning visitors about swimmers itch, a rash caused by an allergic reaction to the larvae of parasites being in the water. Yuck, right? To avoid getting an itchy rash, towel off or rinse off theres a hose near the lifeguard office for this purpose after getting out of the water. An even bigger outrage? The Snoopy Ice Cream bar is gone from the concession stand! Is nothing sacred?

All the jazz: The perfect time to visit the beach at Old Settlers Park in Paddock Lake is July 11. Stick around that evening for the first west-of-the-I Twilight Jazz concert. Bills Little Big Band is performing from 7 to 9 that night. Admission is free.

Finally, smile and enjoy yourself. When you go to a beach in this area, youll see bodies of every size and shape. Including my shape, which is round and squishy. And you know what? Even the folks who dont have perfect beach bodies were having fun. And isnt that what a day at the beach is all about? Oh, and wear sunscreen. No matter what shape youre in, a sunburn is no fun.

Have a comment? Email Liz at esnyder@kenoshanews.com or call her at 262-656-6271.

Look in the June 15 Get Out entertainment section for your 2017 Guide to Kenosha County Beaches.

Jim Kreutzer has been producing movies for more than two decades, and he knows getting an independent film into theaters is no easy task.

Thats why hes thrilled that his latest film, Tommys Honour, will be playing for one week in Lake Geneva, starting June 16.

I finally managed to get Tommy opened locally, he said, adding, Getting any film outside of a studio picture to open in theaters is very political and difficult.

Tommys Honour, a movie about golfing legends Tom Morris (Old Tom) and his son Tommy Morris (Young Tom), also benefits from the U.S. Open being at the Erin Hills Golf Course in Hartford, Wis., he said.

The movie played in April at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside Student Cinema Theater as a Boys & Girls Club of Kenosha fundraiser and at theaters in Wauwatosa and New Berlin. The film has had a very successful theatrical release in more than 65 of the biggest markets in the U.S. since April 14, Kreutzer said.

Critical reception: Tommy's Honour has a 77 percent approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, a figure indicating positive reviews. An engrossing and accessible celebration of the games modern origins, enhanced by striking locations and a standout cast, led by Scottish actors Peter Mullan and Jack Lowden, wrote The Hollywood Reporters Justin Lowe.

Audience reaction, Kreutzer said, has always been good.

Future showings: The movie, which was filmed in Scotland, will open in the U.K. on July 7 and Australia in August. It comes out on DVD and Video on Demand in July.

The film: The movie is a feast for golf fans, with several scenes of 19th century matches.

The golf in the movie is quite different from todays game. For one thing, they play in high winds, rain and even snow. Also, the spectators are right on top of the golfers and are busy yelling, fighting, drinking and wagering all through the match.

Its a film thats not about golf, though golf is the background of this, Kreutzer says of the movie, which, at its heart, is a father-and-son story. Young Tom is torn between his duty to his father and his yearning to break free of the strict class structure that existed in Scotland at that time.

Website: For more information about the film and reviews, go to http://www.tommyshonour.com.

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Snyder: The inside scoop on area beaches - Kenosha News