Local Put-in-Bay News May 2013
Put in Bay News April was loaded with about everything in the news you could want to hear or read about. We’ll ramble a bit about some of the island news, so hang on. Benefit Fundraiser for Suzanne Kostura…..The island community really came together with an outpouring of support for Suzanne Kostura and her family as they dealt with her health issues.
The fundraiser benefit at Tipper’s on Friday evening, April 5th, was emceed by Billy Market with help from Bob Gatewood, J.D. Owen, and Duff Spatafore. There were plenty of great auction items, raffles for gift baskets, and silent auction items. Rob Hard roasted a big hog for the event. A truly big thank you goes out to all those who helped in any way with the event.
Put in Bay News was able to view the Wizard of Oz, The Put in Bay Dramatic Society’s play, one night when it was performed on three evenings in a row in mid-April. What a fantastic show! It’s hard to believe such great talent exists in a little community like ours. It takes a lot of work not only by the actors on stage but behind the curtain, too.
We congratulate director Joe Foutts and all those involved with this most successful production. Meredith Engel certainly left her mark on Put-in-Bay theatrical history with her performance as Dorothy. When you see such talented young people with such poise and confidence on stage, there is a reason for her family to be proud and the entire community. Great job, Meredith!
Local Politics Put-in-Bay News May 2013
Turning to politics, Put in Bay News reports that Village Councilman Terry Gentry announced in April he would be resigning his seat effective May 1st. Terry and his wife, Carol, have sold their home on Doller Ave. and have moved to the mainland. The Village Council has 30 days to pick a new member. If one is not chosen by then, the mayor makes an appointment.
House Numbers-One island activist walked around the Put in Bay village in April and found many places still don’t have street numbers. Among the list is the post office, the village’s very own sewage treatment plant, the Senior Center, and even the fire station. Looks like there’s a little work to do in this area.
Sidewalks-You may notice a lot of work going on when it comes to replacing broken and cracked sidewalks this spring. The Village sent out letters to owners whose sidewalks were inspected and found to be in need of repair. In April, the Council discussed doing even more than fixing just broken and cracked sidewalks. It decided to pay for half of any sidewalk replacement if a property owner wanted to join in the sidewalk project. Some people have perfectly good sidewalks with no cracks or trip hazards. The Village is making the offer to them, too.
Some project critics are concerned about their old sandstone or other period sidewalks, which add character to their old island homes. They don’t want to see that go away and be replaced with the sidewalks found in a new suburban neighborhood in Cleveland or Columbus. “People don’t come to Put-in-Bay to see what they left at home,” said one critic.
Put-in-Bay Councilman Jeff Koehler voiced his concern to Put in Bay News at the April meeting about the Village paying half of replacing good sidewalks saying, “We have plenty of sidewalks with real safety issues that need our attention, and to pay for half just to make all the sidewalks look alike when the Village has other higher priorities is not a good use of its limited funds. How can we go out to the hotel and B&B business owners and ask for them for a new bed tax so we can tear up perfect sidewalks?”
The Bicentennial of the Battle of Lake Erie-If, the release of the Perry quarter is any indication of what’s to come this summer with all the planned Bicentennial of the Battle of Lake Erie events, Put in Bay news projects the island is going to be packed with visitors, participants and just plain curiosity seekers. The island community must go all out to support all the events. Let’s make the celebration one to remember!
Richard Warren is planning on a Cigar Night at Joe’s Bar on Friday, May 24th, from 6 to 8 p.m. Great Lakes Cigars will be featured, plus he will be introducing Niagara Cigars. Stop by and talk cigars and get four and a beverage for $25. If you were one of the unlucky ones who has not reached their Perry quarter, you’d be glad to know Linda Mahony and her daughter, Amanda Goaziou, have chocolate coins wrapped in foil that look like Perry quarters. We’ve got a few of the real ones. Does anyone want to trade?
Steve and Natalie Ontko Price are being transferred from Air Force duty in Stuttgart, Germany, back to the United States. This will give Grandma Linda Parker more opportunities to see her two granddaughters more often.
Michele Dodge Heineman reminded us recently how busy the kids are on Put-in-Bay. Her daughter, Ava, had a busy Saturday, April 20th. First there was a soccer game at 10 a.m. in 36 degrees and windy weather. Then it was on to the Perry quarter release ceremony where Ava’s island Brownie troop was involved in the program reciting the Pledge of Allegiance. Her long day ended with a role as a munchkin in the Wizard of Oz play at the Town Hall.
Marc Wright from the Old Forge Café and Crêperie (formerly the Cellar Caché) spent the winter perfecting the menu, which will be served when the reconstruction work is completed on the old Blacksmith Shop building next to Tony’s Garage. He’s very excited for everyone to finally get a taste of what they have worked so hard on! If you’d like to track the Old Forge’s progress, follow it on Put-in-Bay Facebook Page at The Old Forge Café and Crêperie.
Stone Laboratory Director Jeff Reutter recently announced the scholarship results awarded to college and high school students, undergrad researchers, and workshop participants! Help went to 68 students with 71 scholarships totaling a record amount of $86,000 dollars! A huge thank you goes to the donors who help Stone Lab help those who need it! Spring can’t be too far
away.
On May 5th, 2013, the first official Antique Car Parade of the year will take place, and Put in Bay News will be there to cover it! There are a couple of open dates if anyone is interested in sponsoring a Pre- or Post Parade.
Henry, Jack, Finn, and Leif Genzman help monitor the trail and clean out the Tree Swallow boxes at the Scheeff East Point Nature Preserve. The Put-in-Bay Township Park District thanks them for their hard work! In April, the tree swallows and purple martins arrived on the island. You could see them flying over the water and feeding on the emerging aquatic insects (mostly midges or Chironomids.)
Take a walk at the Scheeff East Point Preserve at the tip of East Point and enjoy the tree swallows in their nesting boxes and the purple martins moving into the gourds maintained by Paula Ziebarth. Thanks to the Genzman family for cleaning out the tree swallow boxes just in time the day before they moved in!
Put in Bay News, and Islanders with pets will be glad Catawba Veterinary Hospital will be back on the island this summer at Dan and Val Kowalski’s residence at East Point from Noon to 4 p.m. on the following dates: May 9th, July 11th, and September 12th. They will be doing health exams, parasite screenings, and vaccinations. Please bring a stool sample with you. If there are any special items needed, please call the office at 419-797-2180. If you need help with directions, call Val at 419-285-2208.
It’s great to see all the fishermen from out of state coming to Put-in-Bay for spring fishing. This April, we saw vehicles from Montana, Nebraska, South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, New York, Maryland, Tennessee, and Iowa. David Hill at the Wharfside said the fishermen were doing exceptionally well this year and coming in sometimes by lunchtime because they had caught their day’s limit.
Chemical hazard exercise takes place at Put-in-Bay Airport-The 52nd Civil Support Team (CST) of the Ohio National Guard conducted a training exercise Thursday, April 4, 2013, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., at the Put-in-Bay Airport and at the Ferry dock on the mainland. This exercise aimed to work with local first responders at a chemical hazard incident and mobilize the CST’s assets to Put-in-Bay while maintaining the Common Operating Picture for sustained operations on the mainland.
Put in Bay News reports that no real chemicals/hazards were used during this exercise. Exercise participants were the 52nd Civil Support Team, Erie/Ottawa Regional Airport, Put-in-Bay Airport, Put-in-Bay Volunteer Fire Department, and Miller Boat Line.
The mission of the CST was to support civil authorities at domestic Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, and High Yield Explosive (CBRNE) or natural disaster incident site(s) by assessing current and projected consequences, identifying CBRNE agents/ substances, advising on response measures and assisting with appropriate requests for state and federal support.
Put in Bay News notes that May 27th will mark the 25th anniversary of the burning of the Colonial, the beautiful two-story building with its landmark dome which graced the corner where Tipper’s and the Beer Barrel Saloon are now and the grocery store which was in the building. Norma Wasson, an islander from birth, also from East Point, and a member of Put-in-Bay’s American Legion Ladies Auxiliary, was selling the little poppies as a fundraiser as the members did for years and years. He bought one, found it after the fire, and put it aside, thinking it might interest him someday.
Jeff recently came across the little red poppy, just as the 25th anniversary is upon us, obviously a reminder of that historic island building. And, for those skeptics who wonder about the poppy, it is dated “1988,” the year of the fire.
0 Comments