News March 2021

Put-in-Bay News March 2021

Put-in-Bay Named Tree City USA

Once again, Put-in-Bay, Ohio, has been named a Tree City USA by the Arbor Day Foundation in honor of its commitment to the goals and principles of the Arbor Day Foundation. Put-in-Bay‘s Arbor Day Celebration will take place on April 23, 2021. Trees will be planted at the village Arbor Day site adjacent to the Put-in-Bay Post Office. More details to come. Plans are in the works for the Great Lakes Island Alliance next year!

Search for Put-in-Bay Police Chief

At the end of January, the Village of Put-in-Bay announced it was searching for a permanent police chief. A few days later, Mayor Jessica Dress told Council members she had received 30 applications. The number increased to 45 just days later. Put-in-Bay has had an interim chief, James Kimble, since the end of last June. He is among those seeking a permanent position, according to News March 2021.

Dress and a committee consisting of President of Council Judy Berry, Putin- Bay Township Trustee Matt Miller, Mark Hummer, and Matt Mariano from the Put-in-Bay Police Department, and a representative from the Ottawa County Sheriff Department conducted interviews in February. Mayor Dress is expected to make a recommendation for the position at the March Village Council meeting. The council must vote on the approval of her candidate.

2021 Season Outlook

Covid had a huge impact on the 2020 season at Put-in-Bay, but things are looking a lot better for this coming season. Social media is alive with date announcements for many events, plus Covid numbers, thanks to vaccines and other factors, seem to be heading in the right direction for getting back to a normal-like season. Dates have already been announced for Put-in-Bay Spring Fling, the Island Wide Garage Sale, Art in the Park, New Year’s at the Bay, Put-in-Bay Jeep Invasion, the I-LYA Sailboat Regatta, Piratefest, and the Put-in-Bay Road Race Reunion, among others.

Jet Eyes Resuming Service to Kelleys and Sandusky

Last season, Jet Express did not offer service to Kelleys Island and Sandusky. Two prevailing issues forced management to pause operations: Covid and the high lake water level causing dock flooding. With both Covid and lake levels trending down, things will return to normal.

Browns Backers Draft Day 5k

The Put-in-Bay Browns Backers Draft Day 5k will occur on Sunday, May 2, 2021. Information about the race that will be in person as well as virtual can be found at the registration link on the race website: https://draftday5k.itsyourrace.com/event.aspx?id=5254

Pull Tabs

St. Paul’s Episcopal Church at Put-in-Bay continues collecting pull tabs for Ronald McDonald’s house in Cleveland. Fifteen five-gallon buckets have been delivered to them. Bucket number 16 is almost full, so save those pull tabs and drop them off. No bag is too small.

Not a Bad Idea! Reflective Tape on Fish Shanties

Chris Cooper posted an excellent suggestion for safety on the ice – Ice shanties should have strips of reflective tape on them so they can be spotted at night. When the EMS ran to Middle Bass on the fire department airboat last night last month, it was difficult to spot the ice fishing shanties. Nothing serious happened, but it would undoubtedly have been better if the shanties could have been spotted sooner. Something else happened on a lake in Michigan that could happen here.

A snowmobile crashed into a shanty and killed the fisherman inside. Perhaps if there had been reflective tape on the shanty the snowmobiler might have spotted it soon and avoided the crash. Remember, it’s all about safety when you’re out on the ice!

Put-in-Bay Floating Tiki

Miranda Krueger, the daughter of Carl and Chris Krueger, who own Mojito Bay, is launching a new business this season. If all goes well, she’ll have a floating tiki that people can reserve for some fun on the water. She’s had a lot of positive support since getting the word out about her venture! The plan is to have people make reservations to rent the floating tiki for fun on the water.

Quote of the Month

Heidi Ziegler Ladd posted this on the snow emergency day when people weren’t supposed to drive and Put-in-Bay School was
closed….. “Another reason to stay off the roads today…all of the island high schoolers will be out playing on 4-wheelers and snowmobiles.”

Protect Our Preserves – Keep Pets On A Leash

Our Put-in-Bay Township Park District Preserves posted that dogs must be on a leash to be in the preserve. Jane Coates Wildflower Preserve is posted “No Pets” by the wishes of one of the donors to the Preserve. All of our preserves were purchased with grants because of their value as wildlife habitats, their valuable plant communities, and open space for all to enjoy. We have provided bags and garbage bins, but we continue to see droppings on our trails. Why should you keep your dog on a leash at our preserves? News March 2021 gives the top 5 reasons,

1. You should be considerate of other visitors who may not appreciate your friendly dog suddenly appearing in front of them. We invite bird watchers, photographers, and nature lovers to come and enjoy our preserves. Keeping your dog on a leash keeps everyone comfortable. Families walk these trails who may not know their dog.

2. Unleashed dogs cause wildlife stress. Whether your dog consumes birds or other wildlife, their presence off-leash can cause stress, and their droppings can spread parasites to local wildlife. Wildlife has a tough enough time making it without the added stress of your pet.

3. Being on a leash is better and safer for your dog. They will have no unwelcome contact with wildlife, like a bite in the nose, and no unwelcome contact with other dogs or neighbors on the trail.

4. And last but not least, it is illegal. The Park District has its rules posted at the entrance to every preserve. If you choose to ignore these rules, we may have to not allow pets at all in our preserves if we cannot control the situation. Authorities will be alerted if your dog is off the leash and on a trail

Our community is lucky to have a wonderful dog park on Port Authority property for dogs to run and enjoy in a fenced-in area. This is the place to go to allow your dog off the leash. Please Protect Our Preserves Keep Your Pet On A Leash!

News March 2021 Reports Battle Of Lake Erie Telescope Sells For $99,000

A spyglass used by Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry at the Battle of Lake Erie on September 10th, 1813 sold for $99,000 at a Pennsylvania “Early Arms & Memorabilia” auction back in November 2020. According to an Erie Times news article, Perry gave the telescope to his friend, U.S. Gen. William Henry Harrison, who served in the War of 1812 and later became the ninth American president.

The telescope was sold at an auction hosted by Morphy Auctions, of Denver, Pennsylvania, in Lancaster County. The minimum bid was $25,000. There were 30 bids, according to information listed on Morphy Auctions’ website.

The telescope’s estimated value on the website was $50,000 to $100,000. Perry’s telescope is an early 19th century, three-draw, mahogany and- brass marine spyglass measuring 34 inches fully extended with sunshade and 11 inches closed, with sliding brass shutters at each end to protect the objective lens and eyepiece. One of the lenses in the telescope was missing. We can only imagine what it would have brought had one been able to actually see through it.

New Events At Put-in-Bay Yacht Club

One of the new events at Put-in-Bay Yacht Club this season is the Mayfly Festival. Watch for details soon! Did you know that Lake Erie’s estimated number of walleye this year is 151,000,000. If you spend your time ice fishing and haven’t got one yet, maybe you should find another hobby.

Like many islanders, we watch the weather closely. This past month something surprised us. The weather app on our cell phone read “8 Degrees – RealFeel 15 Degrees.” Now that’s global warming! Zach and Jackie Kowalski’s new house, being build by island contractor Greg Auger in the Morgan Park Subdivision on East Point, is coming along nicely.

If you want to see a great video and learn a little more about the ship home, the Benson Ford, on South Bass Island’s West Shore, check out Odd Living: Not Your Average Houseboat on visitputinbay.org

Patrick Rogers tells us the Put-in-Bay EMS had six runs with three Lifeflights off the island in January. He says that he was busy for January. Last month we wrote that NOAA forecasters were predicting warmer-than-usual weather for February. Boy, were they wrong! Our reporting about their forecast was not fake news. We were reporting what the weather experts were predicting. Just so you know, those same experts are predicting warmer-than-normal temperatures and more-than-normal precipitation for March and April.

Cross Country Skiing is part of the gym program at the high school on Mackinac Island. The Pelee Island Co-operative Association, the store on the island, was recently donated some movies (DVDs) and started a movie exchange: take a movie, leave a movie! Great idea!

Put-in-Bay Watercraft Receives RISE Grant for GPS Units

Among those in Ottawa County receiving a grant to help keep businesses afloat after last season’s Covid pandemic was Bob Gatewood at Put-in-Bay Watercraft Rental at the South Bass Island State Park. The Regional Incubator for Sustainability and Entrepreneurship, or RISE, a grant program for small-business innovation, was launched in Ottawa County last fall by the Ottawa County Improvement Corporation, the Ottawa County Community Foundation, and the Burton D. Morgan Foundation.

With his fun-filled, family-oriented business down dramatically in 2020, Bob began looking for a way to return strong in 2021. One of the options was to offer his customers something more. In the past, kayak and jet ski renters were limited to the area in Stone’s Cove, where they didn’t venture out of sight of the rental operation onshore. This was for their safety, so they could be found if they needed help. These units have been used on Put-in-Bay Golf Cart Rentals for several years.

The $1,000 RISE grant will allow Gatewood to put GPS units on the kayaks. Boats and jet skis so they can leave the “in-sight” area and see more of the beautiful shoreline and things like the South Bass Island Lighthouse or the Benson Ford Shiphouse, plus their location can be pinpointed and found in case they get lost or encounter difficulties.