Put-in-Bay Diary January 2015

Put-in-Bay Diary January 2015 Day By Day What Happened At Put-in-Bay!

Put-in-Bay Diary-Thurs., Jan. 1st – Due to near-30-mph winds out of the southwest and low-twenty-degree icing conditions, there is no ferry service to the mainland. Larry and Tammy Knaser are at the Sugar Bowl, where they see the Ohio State Buckeyes
defeat the #1 Alabama team.

Put-in-Bay Diary-Fri., Jan. 2nd – No ferries today due in part to ice on the dock. There is a sign of ice forming in the lake. Down in Key West, Ray and Laura Fogg ride the Conch Train with former island resident Joe Suttmann their driver guide.

Put-in-Bay Diary -Sat., Jan. 3rd – Rain and fog don’t stop the ferry from making the last runs of the season. The ferry is put to bed for the winter. The Miller downtown dock shoots off fireworks to mark the close of another season. The lake definitely wants to make ice.

Put-in-Bay Diary-Sun., Jan. 4th – The holidays are officially over, and things can return to normal.

Mon. Jan. 5th – At the close of the Village Council meeting, Joel Barton and his fellow investigator from the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation, who are doing the investigation of alleged wrongdoing in the Put-in-Bay Police Department asked to interview the mayor and any members of the Village Council they have not previously interviewed. There’s a party for Joan McCann (Put-in-Bay High School Class of 1953). Happy 80th, Joan!

Tues., Jan. 6th – There’s ice almost all over the lake around the islands except on the Lee side. Connie Drake sees the most fantastic sight! Walking on Put-in-Bay Rd. Near Jane Coates Trail, she heard a screech up above, and there were two Bald Eagles about 40’ above her! It was a beautiful way to start her day! Rev. Mary Staley and St. Paul’s Episcopal Church members ventured into the frigid day to celebrate Epiphany and complete Chalking of the Doors. A warm and welcoming reception, including dinner, was enjoyed at Amy and Peter Huston’s home afterward.

Wed., Jan 7th – Travis Kowalski and friends check out the ice by the State Park. It wasn’t quite thick enough to venture out. There’s an icebreaker in the area of School House Bay off Middle Bass Island’s East Point.

Put-in-Bay Diary-Thurs., Jan 8th – With an overnight low near zero, ice is being made like crazy.

Fri., Jan. 9th – There’s a fresh coating of snow overnight, but the day is bright and sunny. The 2015 Put-in-Bay fishing season on ice begins when Shawn Dages, Travis Kowalski, and Jeff Jump plant the first huts in Stone’s Cove off the State Park. The winds are brisk from the west, and there’s still open water off the east side of the islands.

Put-in-Bay Diary -Sat., Jan. 10th – The first ice shanty is planted off the West Shore.

Sun., Jan. 11th – Two groups, North Bass and Middle Bass, made the first ‘across the ice’ travel to Tipper’s on Put-in-Bay. Bud Stonerook reports the ride was a bit rough but says there were five to six inches of ice. Tippers offer free wings during the Ohio State / Oregon championship game.

Mon., Jan. 12th – Council members arrive at the Put-in-Bay Village Council meeting and find a resignation letter from Terry Bodenbender. The is the second resignation in less than a month. There are a good five inches of new snow on the ground. Ohio State Wins. There are a lot of happy island fans!

Tues., Jan. 13th – If you looked out over the lake, you’d see the snow-covered ice for miles and miles. From the base of the Monument, you can look out towards Rattlesnake Island and see what appears to be three shanties planted just to the north of
the island.

Put-in-Bay Diary -Wed., Jan. 14th – Happy Birthday, Pinky Batt

Thurs., Jan. 15th – Among those spotted at the Boat Show in Cleveland are island pumpkin grower and cigar man Richard Warren, Put-in-Bay mystery writer Bob Adamov, Peter Huston and Diane Nemec representing the Perry Group, Eric Booker from the Boardwalk, budding photographer Audrey Sheehan and author Sara Booker Sheehan from Oak Point, Julie, and Jeremy Roach from the Boardwalk, Bret Klun, from the Keys, Laurie Utterberg and Ann Spettel from Sun Stoppers, Melinda Myers, Robby Morrow, and Emily Deeks from the Crew’s Nest, former island resident residents Cory Meyers and Johnny Tobias, Laura and Ray Fogg from the Reel Bar, island entertainer Westside Steve, Chad Overmier, Michael McGreevy and Put-in-Bay Village flag designer Bob Kansa and his wife, Mary.

Fri., Jan. 16th – Shawn Dages takes a beautiful sunrise photo on the ice. There’s a good old fashion potluck at Reel Bar. The first group of four snowmobilers shows up at Tippers. They came from Marblehead. “The more I drink, the thicker the ice gets.”

Sat., Jan. 17th – The Junior Panther basketball team all-stars are playing at the school gym. Lauren Kindt is spotted at the Westside
Market in Cleveland with Don Dunn. Justine Bianchi celebrates her 91st birthday with Sue Duff and Sister Lucille, among others.

Sun., Jan. 18th – Robin Glauser from Middle Bass is seriously rethinking her fishing abilities. It’s her fourth day of fishing, and no luck. Shaena Kowalski caught her first perch of the year.

Mon., Jan. 19th – At the Progressive Insurance Mid- America Boat Show in Cleveland, $1 from each ticket sold was donated to Stone Laboratory scholarships. Among those at the show representing Ohio Sea Grant and Stone Lab are Dr. Jeff Reutter, Ohio Sea Grant Director; Dr. Kristin Stanford, Stone Lab Education & Outreach Coordinator; Kevin Hart, Stone Lab Assistant Manager; Dr. Justin Chaffi n, Stone Lab Research Coordinator, Sue Bixler, Stone Lab Education Assistant, Matt Thomas, Stone Lab Manager, and Sarah Orlando, Ohio Clean Marinas Program Coordinator.

There’s a thriller Panther Basketball game at the school gym with a final score of 53-52 in favor of Put-in-Bay. The game was against Mount Gilead, or as one islander put it, “Mount Something or Other.” Tim and Jeanette Luecke hold a barn party. Among the guests are Howard and Kathy Staley, who lived on the island for three winters about a dozen years ago.

Put-in-Bay Diary-Tues., Jan. 20th – A lone ice boat sailor takes a few ice boat runs through the harbor over the lunch hours.

Wed., Jan. 21st – A light foggy snow holds up flights to and from the island in the morning. A video of ice boating hits social media on the internet.

Thurs., Jan. 22nd – Workers are putting siding on the back wall of the old Wolkersdorfer building; that’s where the Put-in-Bay Surf Shop is located. If you think island life is boring, see what there is on the island calendar for today: 60+ Clinic at Senior Center, Aquamotion at the Crew’s Nest Lap Pool, Senior Lunch at Tipper’s, Mah Jongg and Yoga in the afternoon at the Senior Center, Movie and Popcorn at the Library and Dart League at the Reel Bar.

Fri., Jan. 23rd – The Grades 5-8 Spelling Bee occurs at Put-in-Bay School. A lone ice boater spends time in the harbor. It appears either condition aren’t quite right or there’s a problem with his ice boat. There’s a “Roaring Twenties” dance at the school in the evening.

Sat., Jan. 24th – It’s a busy day in Put-in-Bay harbor. The first snowmobiler to head out of the port around the north side of Gibraltar Island is spotted. Later an airboat enters the sanctuary over Alligator Reef. Some ice boats are sailing, and ATVs pull kids around on sleds. At Squaw Harbor, Walt Duff, Jr. has a huge bonfire, plus kids are playing ice hockey on a snow-cleared rink on the ice. Late in the afternoon, Paul Ladd lost control of his vehicle and crashed into a wooden fence in the 1100 block of Langram Rd. Island roads aren’t salted; sometimes, those icy patches surprise drivers.

Put-in-Bay Diary -Sun., Jan. 25th – Tai Kwon Do classes at the Town Hall are canceled. Volunteer firemen conduct airboat training at Stone Cove.

Diary January 2015 Mon., Jan. 26th – Crew’s Nest staff is busy checking on the equipment which removes ice from around the pilings on mystery islander(s); an email and get a response rather quickly – FUN FUN! Anyone is welcome to log on – islanders, cottagers, visitors, young, old, men and women, and other categories. The mystery islander(s) will pick the best question each month and respond in the Gazette under the “Dear Islander” column. You’ll never know what the response will be. Remember, this is all anonymous.

Tues., Jan. 27th – Paul and Chris Ladd or marking a trail from South Bass Island State Park to the State Park on the west side of Catawba with used Christmas trees.

Diary January 2015 Wed., Jan. 28th – Put-in-Bay School teacher Linda Rence hits a phone pole on Catawba Ave. over lunch and is Life flighted off the island. Again, a warning about extremely slippery roads should be noted by all those who drive on the island this time of year.

Diary January 2015 Thurs., Jan. 29th – The rain that falls during the day doesn’t come close to melting the snow on the ground around the island.

Diary January 2015 Fri., Jan. 30th – J.F. Walleye’s opens on Middle Bass for the winter ice fishing season. It’s “Heroes in Blue” Day at Put-in-Bay School.

Sat. Jan. 31st – WPCR and WPIB do a Live TV broadcast of the Put-in-Bay vs. Oak Harbor Rockets on-island basketball game in the morning. Patrick Myers calls the game. Kate Byrnes is out selling Girl Scout cookies. A group of snowmobilers is seen speeding through the harbor, crossing Alligator Reef, crossing Peach Point Reef, and then heading down the West Shore. This group epitomizes where not to go when traveling on the ice around the islands. Reefs are dangerous!