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Moss On The Rock
Measles on the island
This past month, the Ottawa County Health Department was tracking a measles case that made a student in the Put-in-Bay school system ill. Officials couldn’t release the age of the student or state whether the student was vaccinated. At this point, the student received appropriate care and is no longer sick or contagious, and the measles did not spread to other students who for the most part had already been vaccinated. All of them are now vaccinated against measles according to reports. It appears the best defense against measles is to be vaccinated. The CDC says that Ohio has had 11 measles cases so far in 2026 and had 40 cases in all of 2025. “As of the end of March, 1,487 confirmed measles cases were reported in all of the United States in 2026,” according to a CDC website tracking the disease.
Spotted Lanternfly Community Control Grant
The Put-in-Bay Township Park District was awarded a 2025–2026 Spotted Lanternfly (SLF) Community Control Grant from the Ohio Department of Agriculture at the requested amount of $1,150 in this year’s pilot program. The district will be using the funds to buy supplies and control the invasive Tree of Heaven present at our Dodge Woods Preserve. The Tree of Heaven is the preferred host plant for the Spotted Lanternfly. By removing the Tree of Heaven we hope to avoid infestations of the SLF.
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Lunch and Learn
On Thursday, April 16th, the Scheible Downing Post of the American Legion will hold their meeting at 11:45 a.m. at the Lake Erie Islands Historical museum where a “Lunch and Learn” program will take place from 12:15 to 1 p.m. The Legion and Museum members will hear a short program by Amy Huston about World War I veterans Albert Scheible and Rex Downing, for whom the Legion post is named. The Museum will provide lunches for its veteran guests and the public is invited to bring their own sack lunches.
GLIA Heads To Mackinac Island
The 2026 Great Lake Islands Summit will take place at Mackinac Island, Michigan in Lake Huron October 4th thru 7th this fall. The last time the summit was held there, quite a number of Bass Island people attended. Additional details, including draft agenda, registration information, and sponsorship opportunities will be forthcoming in the coming weeks and months. This event will be GLIA’s seventh Islands Summit. You may learn about our past Summits on our website, https://glialliance.org/summit.
2026 putinbayohio.com’s Best Places To Stay!
- Island Club Rentals (islandclub.com) – 216-898-9951
- Commodore Resort (commodoreresort.com) – 419-285-3101
- Bird’s Nest Resort (birdsnestresort.com) – 419-285-6119
- Put-in-Bay Condos (putinbaycondos.com) 216-898-1105
- Victory Station Hotel (putinbayvictorystation.com) 419-285-0120
Taking Orders For Native Plants & Trees
The Lake Erie Islands Conservancy (LEIC) is taking orders for native plants and trees for the islands. We are using Natives in Harmony for native plants and Quail Ridge Specimen Trees (Call for Price—CFP) and Woodland Native Trees ($20 each) for trees. Buying and planting natives provides critical habitat for birds, butterflies, moths, and other wildlife. These species are adapted to native plants for food and shelter. Proceeds support Lake Erie Islands Conservancy land preservation and restoration programs. Don’t miss these fantastic options to beautify your yard—Be sure to order ahead to ensure availability. A delivery day will be scheduled in May, including Middle Bass pickup options. Beautiful native plants and pollinator bundles may be ordered by using this form on the website (lakeerieislandsconservancy.org/2026-native-plant-and-tree-sale-form/) or picking up forms at the Post Office, Island Hardware, or contacting us for one – Lisa Brohl (419) 366-2087 or leiconservancy@gmail.com.
Traveling
Ryan and Jenni Stoiber were in Venice, Louisiana for a fishing trip on the gulf.
Ed and Paula Hubner were spotted at Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas with their daughter, Katherine. Jeff and K.C. Bast were also in Las Vegas at the same time, and Terry and Lesa Jenkins were in town as well.
Scott and Caroline Jackson from the Goat were on a cruise in the Caribbean with their children Liesl and Cal. Also cruising were Joan and Richard French from Fox’s Den who enjoyed a catamaran ride in St. Lucia. Jeff and Jennifer Glauser-Marshall and their kids from Middle Bass enjoyed a Carnival Cruise in the Bahamas.
Dave and Kat Holscott are on their way back to the US after spending time in Portugal, Spain and Cyprus. They left Cyprus after two Iranian missiles landed there.
John and Jennifer Kahler were in Istanbul, Turkey.
The ultimate cruisers, Roger and Joan Rhoad from Lakeview Allotment, and Jack and Lorraine Zimmerman were in Singapore, the Maldives Islands, Malaysia and Madagascar among other places.
Island-Wide Garage Sale
Start cleaning out those garages and basements, and price that stuff you want to sell at the annual Put-in-Bay Island Wide Garage Sale on set Saturday, May 16th, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Residents and businesses can register their address to be included on the official garage sale map created by the Put-in-Bay Chamber of Commerce.
The map will be shared online so shoppers can easily find every participating sale across the island. Registration closes May 9th. Sign up your address at visitputinbay.com.
PIBTPD Receives Grant for Duff Homestead
The Ottawa County Park District’s Parks and Trails Improvement Grant Program has awarded a $23,500 grant to the PIB Twp. Park District for agricultural history improvements at the Duff Homestead and Bayfront Preserve. The project includes restoring historic buildings and equipment to help preserve the site’s rich agricultural heritage.
Grant For Mitchell Rd. Paving
Put-in-Bay Township is happy to announce that they have received a grant to help with the paving costs of Mitchell Road. This is a joint collaboration between the Ohio Public Works, Ottawa County and the Township. Ohio Public Works will fund 50% of the pavement costs and the Township and Ottawa County will split the remaining 50%.
Job Opportunity
Here’s an interesting job for someone. Put-in-Bay Township is looking for an individual who would be interested in helping maintain the Safety Services Boat. Duties would include but are not limited to maintaining fuel levels, checking navigational lighting and emergency lighting, making sure batteries are fully charged, lines and equipment are properly stowed, etc. These duties would need to be performed weekly or as necessary when the boat is operational. Pay begins at $250 a month. If you are interested, please call the Township Office at (419) 285-2292 or email the office at clerk@pibtownship.com.
Back to the Wild
Back to the Wild will be on the island on Monday, May 4th, at 3:15 p.m., at the Put-in-Bay Town Hall, to have a program for the public with critters from their Wildlife Rehabilitation Center. Located in Castalia, Ohio. This program is sponsored by the Put-in-Bay Recreation Committee, Lake Erie Islands Nature and Wildlife Center, Lake Erie Islands Conservancy, and the Miller Boat Line. Come on out and learn more about Ohio’s wildlife!
Island Publicity
Here’s some great coverage that the island got this winter. This group of articles may be one of our favorite – winter fun from our “pet” gull to a frozen wedding and Lake Erie ice adventures. Please enjoy and feel free to share.
Couple Gets Married on Top of Frozen Lake Erie in ‘Jaw-Dropping’ Wedding People Magazine
Lake Erie ice fishers take advantage of frozen lake Spectrum News 1
Major Put-in-Bay ferry upgrades will also improve emissions MSN
Adventures on ice: Meet a woman snowmobiling, ice skating, and cooking out on Lake Erie News 5 Cleveland
Miller Ferries’ Feathered Regular Lake Erie Living
Spring Play May 1st through 3rd
The Put-in-Bay Arts Council presents their production of The Day the Internet Died on Friday, May 1 and Saturday, May 2 at 7 p.m. and Sunday, May 3 at 2 p.m. Located at the Patrick Myers Community Stage upstairs at the Town Hall. Tickets are only available at the door – cash or check.
On a sunny day in a small town, a devastating occurrence happens. No, it’s not famine, or floods, or loss of your basic rights. It’s…the internet. It has gone down! And it will continue to be down! Pandemonium and hilarity ensues. In a world that is so dependent on technology, how will society function in this simple town? Apparently, not very well.
Directed by Katherine Woischke and Michelle O’Donnell with scenic design and construction by Renee Market. The cast includes 12 Put-in-Bay school students in grades 4th through 11th grade: Aaron Hill, Braylee Dobos, Brooklyn Williams, Erin Stapleton, Isla Koch, Liam Market, Melody O’Donnell, Meredith Cooper, Norah Blumensaadt, Olivia Christensen, Piper Koehler, and Rachel Cooper.
Push For Better Safety Service Interaction
It has come to PIB Police Chief Mike Dillon’s attention that there is a police commission that was formed prior to his hiring and consisted of representatives from the village, township and the two police agencies on the island. In an effort to establish better communication and training opportunities between the safety forces on the island he would like to rebrand this commission as a Public Safety Commission instead of just a police commission. He has already spoken to Fire Chief Jon Scarpelli and EMS Chief Darrell Long who are both in favor of this change. Dillon says he will be reaching out to the Township trustees about this as well. If you have thoughts on this matter, please share the with the island’s elected officials.
On The Ballot On May 5th
Island voters will go to the polls on May 5th to decide whether or not the Resort Tax should be increased to 2% from the current 1.5% paid on sales on the island. What the residents of the islands pay pales compared to what tourists pay. It amounts to 25$ for $50 spent on the island. The issue is on the ballot for both the Village and the Township voters. Please vote yes so it can benefit everyone.
To Our Readers
At the Put-in-Bay Gazette, we strive to provide accurate, up-to-date and reliable reporting. If you spot an error, omission or have information that may need updating, please don’t bother us with emails to pibgazette@frontier.com. As a community-driven newspaper, we appreciate your trying to help, but once an issue is put to bed, there is no way to make corrections to our authentic reporting. – Thank you, the Editor
The previous piece is published in this month’s Put-in-Bay Gazette. The Gazette has been producing incredible independent Put-in-Bay island news for over 40 years. If you have any interest at all in what is happening on South Bass Island, we urge you strongly to subscribe to the Put-in-Bay Gazette. One-year online subscriptions are only $15, and print subscriptions are available as well. To subscribe please visit the Put-in-Bay Gazette subscription form. This piece of Put-in-Bay journalism has been provided to putinbayohio.com courtesy of the Put-in-Bay Gazette, Put-in-Bay’s only local newspaper. Visit their website putinbay.news for more information and to subscribe!