News June 2021

Put-in-Bay News June 2021

Come One – Come All! Let’s play PICKLEBALL

Anyone interested in playing pickleball, we are working on getting something together to make it happen. We will be meeting every Tuesday, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. and Thursday 8:30 to 10:30 a.m., at the Crew’s Nest Tennis Court beginning June 8th. Come when you can, for as long as you can. No need to commit to regular league hours. Beginners are welcome so bring your paddle and join us!

Property Owners to Meet in June

The first meeting of the Put-in-Bay Property Owners to be held on Saturday, June 19th, 2021 at 9 a.m. at the Perry’s Cave Pavilion. Bring lawn chairs and wear Covid masks.

Mills Trophy Race *Volunteers Needed!

Put-in-Bay Yacht Club will be welcoming the sailors who competed in the 98th Mills Trophy Race. The club is looking for volunteers to help serve drinks and food for the regatta party. Please sign up here or contact the manager at manager@pibyc.org to sign up.

Put-in-Bay Twp. Digitizes Cemetery Plot Locations

After 3 years of countless hours of research and digitizing, Put-in-Bay Twp. is proud to announce in news June 2021 they will unveil online searchable cemetery maps to the residents of Put-in-Bay, Middle Bass, and North Bass. This process has moved all cemetery documents into the cloud and preserves island history in a safe and backed up environment.

This has been a daunting task of combing through very old documents and maps to come up with accurate records. Although still a work in progress, it’s very impressive and interesting to see. Thank you to everyone who has worked to make this happen. Go to https://www.pibtownship.com/cemeteries and check it out.

Show Off Your Canine in the Pooch Parade

Do you have a pooch that you absolutely love? Join the “Pooch Parade” being held downtown in DeRivera Park on Saturday morning, June 12th, between 9 and 11 a.m. Dress your special pooch in a costume or just bring them down. If you don’t have a pet, that’s OK too. Just head downtown
to watch the parade. Prizes will be distributed. This event is sponsored by the Mother of Sorrows Church.

Thanks from Put-in-Bay American Legion Post

Many thanks to Put-in-Bay Fire Department for the use of their ladder truck with American Flag, and Todd Blumensaadt for allowing the Fire Truck on his property, and Scott Jackson for allowing us to have our Veterans meet and greet at the Goat, and supplying us with hot dogs. Thank you to
all veterans that attended. We met a lot of veterans and had a great time according to News June 2021

Put-in-Bay News June 2021 Upcoming Events!

Rudy & The Island Girl Live – June 4th Stop by the Goat Biergarten on Friday, June 4th, at 6 p.m. to see Rudy Cooks and Christie Ontko broadcast their popular WPIB Digital Radio show. This is a rescheduled date from the original date in May.

Kayak Rendezvous – June 11th to 13th The South Bass Island Kayak Rendezvous is the premier Put-in-Bay kayaking gathering on Lake Erie. Join more than 100 kayakers from the tri-state area and beyond for a weekend of paddling, camping, socializing, and exploring the islands located in the western basin of Lake Erie.

Each year on the second weekend after Memorial Day, paddlers have descended upon the South Bass Island State Park for this annual gathering. This paddler-organized event brings kayakers together for a fun weekend.  Boating Safety is our utmost concern and paddlers are encouraged to plan their own water-based activities but join our land-based social functions.

Pooch Parade – June 12th The Put-in-Bay Island Pooch Parade will be held Saturday, June 12th, in DeRivera Park. Dogs of all kinds and sizes are encouraged to participate. Registration for this amusing, fun event will open in the Gazebo at 9:30 a.m., followed by the children-led traditional doggie stroll around the Park at 10:30 a.m. Judging will immediately follow the parade. This is always an enjoyable and entertaining event for the entire island and particularly the children. Cats are NOT invited.

Founder’s Day – June 12th The annual Founders Day Celebration at Put-in-Bay will be held in the center of the village at DeRivera Park
from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on June 12th. This free, family-focused island event is hosted by the Put-in-Bay Chamber of Commerce and celebrates the founding of Put-in-Bay by Hispanic merchant Jose DeRivera. Founder’s Day will feature live entertainment, playing popular tunes in a fair-type
atmosphere.

Children’s games will be available from noon to 2 p.m. There will also be local crafters and jewelry makers selling their wares. Pick up a vintage Put-in-Bay souvenir, handcrafted items, tee-shirts, jewelry, and more. Carronade Weekend – June 12th & 13th Park Rangers and volunteers at Perry’s Monument will demonstrate firing Historic Firearms and the Park’s carronade from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, June 12th, and Sunday, June 13th.

Ranger programs will cover the nuances of the 1812 military uniform, the proper handling of black powder, and the steps to firing a musket. The carronade, a small short-barrel gun like those used in the Battle of Lake Erie, will be fired by the Park’s Gun Crew. The carronade program will discuss the proper steps in firing the short-range gun and its limitations during the Battle of Lake Erie.

Historic Firearms demonstrations will take place at 11 a.m., 3, and 5 p.m. Carronade demonstrations will be given at noon, 2, and 4 p.m. There will be a Junior Ranger program: “Join the Army” at 1 p.m. For tips on visiting Put-in-Bay Click here

Perry’s Monument Opening – June 13th Perry’s Victory and International Peace Memorial will open to celebrate its 105th year in operation. The 25-acre Park and Visitor Center are open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily. This is a rescheduled date from the original date in May. The monument is one of the top tourist attractions at Put-in-Bay

Island Vaccination Clinic – June 22nd The Ottawa County Health Department will be offering a vaccination clinic at the Put-in-Bay Fire Station on June 22nd. The shots will be administered by appointment only and participants must register at http://www.ottawahealth. org. This is a follow-up vaccination clinic for those people who received their first vaccination shot on May 25th. No first vaccination shots will be given at this clinic. Ottawa
County Health Department is currently only using the Moderna vaccine, which is only approved for ages 18 and over.

Pyrate Fest – June 25th to 27th The 12th Annual Pirate Festival will take place from June 25th to 27th in the downtown park. Scallywags, Pirates,
Buccaneers, Mermaids, Corsairs, Wenches, and all common folk are invited to this fun-filled event. Put-in-Bay’s annual Pyrate Fest sees the return of the Pyrate King to find his stolen treasure. Pirate Fest is one of the Top Kid Friendly things to do at Put-in-Bay

Fun for the whole family with costume contests for kids and adults, watch Pirates invade the Put-in-Bay Harbor, a Pirate Village, Faire Winds Circus, historic displays, re-enactors and so much more! Don’t forget to dress like a Pirate and Save $1 OFF your round trip passenger fare for Put-in-Bay on the Miller Ferry, any time during Pyrate Fest. Check out the Put-in-Bay Travel Guide for more information.

News June 2021 This & That

USA TODAY recently listed Put-in-Bay in their “10 Best Island Escapes You Can Drive To” post on the Internet. Put-in-Bay School’s science teacher Missi Kowalski has two young goats she’s raising at her home on East Point. Chris and Joy Cooper recently installed an 85-foot long zip line for their kids that they got as a gift.

Gerry Baumert, the husband of Marsha from the Resale Shop, builds model airplanes in his spare time. Michala Wertenbach, PIBHS Class of 2011, made some beautiful and delicious cookies for this year’s graduates at the PIBHS graduation ceremony. Louise Titchener from Shore Villas is excited to announce that the first novel in her Oliver Redcastle series, Gunshy, is now an audiobook and that it’s available on Amazon and Audible. Check it out.

Happy birthday wishes to “Cousin Jen” Larcey who celebrates her 40th birthday this month. Did you know Carl and Chris Krueger from the Put-in-Bay Brewing Company are celebrating 25 years of brewing at the bay?

Plan now for the Fireworks over the Bay on July 4th! Speaking of fire, did you know the volunteers at the Put-in-Bay Vol. Fire Dept. get a few bucks when they show up for a call, but are paid nothing for all the training and drill hours they have to have? Macy Ladd was voted “Best Hair” by her fellow high school students.

On one recent day at their South Bass Island bird banding station, banders banded 101 birds of 19 species, plus they recaptured a red-winged blackbird that was originally banded as a second-year bird in 2016 at their Middle Bass Island East Point Preserve banding station.

Robin Burris Cadez posted an interesting comment on social media, saying North Bass Island has no place to spend money other than the church’s donation jar. We’re getting concerned that the cicada and Mayflies might show up on the island at the same time. If they do, it should be interesting.
There was no Put-in-Bay High School Alumni Banquet this year due to continuing Covid concerns.

Dan Skoufos, a longtime island resident, has sold his home on Put-in-Bay Rd. and has moved to Missouri. Dan, who retired from the Monument maintenance department and was Commander for the island’s American Legion Post, will be missed. The Library is looking for volunteers to assist us with our monthly “Sidewalk Book Sales.” Let them know if you would be willing to help.

The New Season Begins

There’s always something going on in the Lake Erie Islands, and this past month, May 2021, had plenty of things to report about or comment on.
We’ve all been saying 2021 is going to be a gangbuster season and the Put-in-Bay Hotels have been booking at record numbers. May certainly fit the bill. The weekends were really busy as people started emerging from their Covid caves. Put-in-Bay Rental Homes are also setting records.

The island was slammed with the normal boaters and visitors, plus summer cottagers and homeowners opening for the season. Some days reminded us of busy summer days, nothing like the typical pre-Covid May ones. The nationwide problem of finding help is not a stranger to the island businesses. We’ve never seen so many help-wanted notices on social media. One business closed for a few days before Memorial Day because of lack of help and was offering a $500 sign-on bonus, a first-ever in our recollection.

For the last couple of decades, the islands have come to depend on foreign student workers to fill their employment needs. Even before Covid,
Washington began limiting summer work visas for foreign students, but the Covid travel restrictions put the icing on the cake for that help pool. Things have not returned to normal as Covid concerns continue to linger.

Many island businesses continue to scramble to find the help they’ll need. Just because the islands were busy for May doesn’t mean everything is peachy keen when it comes to getting back to normal. At the end of the month, only 40 percent of Ohio’s population had been vaccinated which means a fair portion of visitors to the islands can still be contagious or become sick themselves. So please play it safe if you haven’t been vaccinated and wear your mask when appropriate.

If you boat on Lake Erie or are a cottage owner on Pelee Island, you’ll be happy to know that there are talks between Biden administration officials
and their counterparts in Canada to discuss the criteria for opening the border between our two countries. For more than a year, the border has
been closed to non-essential travel. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau recently flagged a 75% vaccination rate as the key threshold when asked about potentially reopening the border.

The inoculation rate in both countries is well below this, but let’s keep our fingers crossed and hope the border will at least be opened to those who are vaccinated.

We don’t want to be remiss in reminding everyone AGAIN about Put-in-Bay Golf Cart Rental safety. We’ve already had one golf cart miss the sharp turn going to East Point and go off the bank into the lake. Several people witnessed a golf cart driver going down Bayview Ave. a little too fast who turned sharply into the driveway of Put-in-Bay Winery’s
driveway.

The woman in the front seat next to him flew off the cart like a rag doll smashing her head on the sidewalk. One witness thought she was killed, but fortunately, she got up and drove away without getting help. We’re betting her visit to the Bay was ruined.

On the lighter side of Put-in-Bay News June 2021, there were two big trees by the seawall on the bend just east of the Monument on Bayview Ave. For those who love taking photos of the Monument, there’s a new unobstructed view of Put-in-Bay’s premier landmark for picturing taking pleasure. Check out what’s new at Put-n-Bay For 2021 Here

A Storm To Remember Put-in-Bay News June 2021

Mother nature dealt the islands some bad cards on Memorial Day Friday as steady 30-mile-per-hour winds out of the northeast ruined the first half
of the holiday weekend. Weather guru Billy Market started warning everyone a few days ahead of time, and by Thursday night, the Catawba dock was packed with anxious people wanting to come to the Bay ahead of Friday’s storm.

Cleveland TV Channel 5 was on hand to interview several of them including island resident Kendra Koehler who ended up waiting three hours in line to get home. By the next morning, the rain was falling and the wind was pushing the water level to heights the island hadn’t seen in more than 30 years. Thankfully the lake water level was down compared to 2019 and 2020 when the normal level of the lake was setting record levels.

Millers was able to make one run in the morning, but that was it for the day. The M/V Put-in-Bay ended up anchoring off the State Park Dock during
the storm from early Friday morning to midday Saturday when service resumed. Reports started coming in on social media. Trees were down at the
Black Squirrel, the Arbor Inn and at the Stuckey home on Peach Point and other places. There were also plenty of limbs down. Before long, the water made State Route 357 impassable.

JR Domer, one of the last to get across to “East Bass Island” reported the water was 40 inches deep by the Monument when he drove through it.
Jeff and Jane Bringardner’s pickup truck stalled in the middle of the road and PIB police officer Tyrone Sanders waded into the flooded Monument grounds to help the stranded passengers get to dry ground. One of the Lime Kiln busses tried to take a few people to East Point, but had to turn around.

One unknown driver in a van with Florida plates drove through the deep water by going off the pavement and through the Monument lawn – not appreciated! A bit later as the water was starting to go down, Greg Auger and Jack Wertenbach were giving rides to and from East Point in Kyle Wertenbach’s pickup truck with oversized wheels. The Monument ended up closing the grounds and the Visitors Center at the park.

Bayview Avenue from Oak Point all the way around Squaw Harbor and around Miller’s corner to the Crew’s Nest was flooded and impassable. The restrooms at Miller Marina were flooded and a little water got into the yacht club, plus there were floating docks washed up on the shoreline road by the bridge at Pinky’s Pond. Pinky’s Pond even had white caps in it.

Joe Cerny, who lives next to the Village water plant, watched as the plant’s water intake buoy got a rough ride in the ravaging waves. The powerful lake water threw debris up on the shore and washed out some of the stones along the shoreline protecting the facility. There were some brave boaters who came over early to enjoy the weekend. They ended up re-tying lines and walking on water-covered docks. A large pleasure boat fell off its davits just south of the Bathing Beach and was pushed by waves to shore. Listing hard, it caught fire, and when all was over it was a total loss.

Over on Middle Bass, water almost reached the yacht club at the state park marina. Deist Rd. to East Point was covered with debris a mess. On North Bass, Honey Point on the southeast of the island has a totally new look. Police, fire and EMS personnel had to rescue approximately 15 resident/visitors from the high water levels. During a ride around the island (not including East Bass Island), we saw just a few golf carts out, and many of the island businesses were actually closed. The Dairy Isle had some water inside, and it appears Sara Booker also had water issues at
her cottage by Oak Point.

We were also surprised to see someone leave Squaw Harbor in a small boat, plus an unknown man paddling on a surfboard in the lake off Shore Villas. When all was said and done, the high water level was still about 4 inches shy of the all-time record set in the 1980s.

Put-In-Bay Garden Club News June 2021

On May 18th ann absolutely beautiful island morning, PIB Garden Club planted 42 hanging baskets for the lamp posts in DeRivera Park. Another
team of volunteers then hung the baskets by lift the next day. Thank you to all of our wonderful members or continuing to make this a successful event! And, an especially big thank you to Mike McCabe for the use of his lift and continued support of the Garden Club.

Reminder to join us for our first GC meeting on June 9th, at 5 p.m., at the PIBYC. The topic will be Herbs and cover container gardens and the herbs that do well together, along with other plants you can add for color and function. There will be herb combo groups available for sale. More programs will be published here, or can be found on Put-in-Bay Facebook Page or our website at www.putinbaygardenclub.com.

Mark your calendars now for Put-in-Bay Garden Club’s fundraiser, Wine & Roses Tour, on Wednesday, July 14th, from 3 to 6 p.m. Local businesses The Goat, The Anchor Inn, Put-in-Bay Winery and The Getaway Inn will graciously open their doors to host Garden Club members and community guests. The local fauba is one of  the top family vacation ideas for visiting Put-in-Bay!

Libations and small appetizers will be served and each business will provide tips on how they keep their grounds and gardens looking spectacular throughout the summer season. Attendance will be limited to 30 individuals with a cost of $15 for members, $20 for non-members. Tickets will be available beginning June 12th. Contact Sheri Murphy for availability at (419) 348-0383. Please consider joining us for a funfilled afternoon…rain or shine! With limited parking at some sites, also consider sharing rides on golf carts.

Garlic Mustard Pulled!

The City of Green near Akron, Ohio issued a challenge as to which community can pull the most garlic mustard in a day! Put-in-Bay accepted the challenge and had a great group of volunteers who showed up to help us meet it! Brendan Morgan of EnviroScience rallied the Put-in-Bay volunteers at the Cooper’s Woods Preserve on Saturday, May 8th, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

He showed everyone the difference between the invasive garlic mustard and other native wildflowers and spoke about the importance of removing it from our woodlands. He and fellow EnviroScience employee Jack Harper supplied everyone with heavy contractor bags that volunteers filled with garlic mustard and brought back for him to weigh. A personal tally was kept for all as well as our total for the group that day. Thanks to Lake Disposal who worked with us to supply a dumpster for the day at a discounted rate!

Over five hours, thirty-four Put-in-Bay volunteers removed 1,845 pounds of garlic mustard from the woods! They pulled 56 pounds per person with a figure of 24 lbs. per person, per hour. The Island’s top picker was Caroline Jackson at 94.7 pounds total. Lake Erie Islands Conservancy board member Susan Byrnes placed 2nd with 63.2 lbs. Sheri Murphy was third with 39.4 lbs. Placing 4th, 5th, 6th & 7th was the Gilmore family with 36 lbs. apiece, for a total of 144 lbs. Coming in 8th was Cody Kowalski with 32.2 lbs. Ninth was Greg Ziebarth who hauled in extra bags after the pull was over.

Both communities were declared winners with such great participation! Green’s top “puller” at Southgate was Green Mayor Gerard Neugebauer. He made four trips to the scale, totaling 90.89 pounds of unwanted growth. Elkins said Green’s volunteers pulled 1,160 pounds of garlic mustard out of Southgate Park and averaged 11.9 pounds per person per 2½-hour shift. Mike Elkins, Green’s administrator of Parks Planning and Development, said: “This competition isn’t about which community wins. The real winners are our nature preserves — Southgate Park in Green and Cooper’s
Woods in Put-in-Bay. These are some of the reasons that Put-in-Bay is known for it’s attractions for families to enjoy. We all are winners for what was accomplished today.”

Articles about the challenge can be found on the front page of the Akron Beacon Journal on May 11th. Google “Garlic Mustard Pull Put-in-Bay” and you’ll find more interesting info. PIBTPD Commissioner Kendra Koehler and the PIB Community rallied to get some great prizes for participants and winners. There were T-Shirts and 15 gift certificates from The Goat and the Biergarten, ten gift certificates from Cameo Pizza for subs and pizza,

The Reel Bar donated T-Shirts and a grand prize gift certificate. The Forge also gave a grand prize gift certificate. The Lake Erie Islands Historical Society gave two grand prizes for family entrances to the museum, a four-piece Hotel Victory collection, a Bass Islands lake chart, a copy of Bob Dodge’s Isolated Splendor, a Hotel Victory hat, an island fishing poster, a large “Don’t Give Up the Ship” flag, plus “Don’t Give Up the Ship” flasks, mugs and masks.

The Lake Erie Islands Conservancy provided t-shirts for the first 25 participants and the Put-in-Bay Gazette provided special refillable water bottles for all participants. Gifts from Kendra and Jeff Koehler included a Monarch Butterfly book, two Put-in-Bay pennants, a Sara Booker print, an historical society framed print of the Lake Erie Islands, several homemade face masks and a Perry’s Cave Family Fun Center Child’s Combo Ticket. Thanks once again to the Put-in-Bay community for their generosity and help with Cooper’s Woods.

The Lake Erie Islands Conservancy is working with EnviroScience to remove invasive plants/trees from our Cooper’s Woods Preserve with funding from the Conservation Fund. They will be removing amur honeysuckle later this year by cutting and applying herbicide to the base. You can see their work from last fall with the piles of the cut brush left behind. We will continue to work on the invasives in June and in November.