Downtown Dave's First Column of 2026
Hello Everybody!
Here goes another year of your weekly Downtown Dave entertainment updates. So as 2026 gets started on Put in Bay I am going to expand a bit and talk also about food options also on the island. This will be a first hand account of some of the places that I check out on Put in Bay. Now many of you that know me are aware that I am a picky eater so I am going to have the guests of Ashley’s Island House help me with the reviews. I usually ask everybody at breakfast where they went for dinner and what they had anyways so this will be easy. I will still post live videos of music and give my comments on bands also. I will do my best to review every band. I try to stop everywhere and see all of the bands even if it is just for a few songs. That way I can give the visitors an idea of where to go.
Put-in-Bay Live Music Schedule (4/24-5/3)
Mr. Ed’s Bar
Friday April 24th: Wasted Neon 9pm
Saturday April 25th: Wasted Neon 9pm
Sunday April 26th: Casper Acoustic 8pm
Friday May 1st: Southern Summer 9:30pm
Saturday May 2nd: Southern Summer 9:30pm
Sunday May 3rd: Matt Dalton 8pm
The Round House Bar
Saturday April 25th: Distractions 2pm Not Fast Enough 8:30pm
Sunday April 26th: Ray Fogg the turning on of the Whiskey Light 2pm
Friday May 1st: Letter Rip 8:30pm
Saturday May 2nd: Sellouts 2pm Letter Rip 8:30pm
Sunday May 3rd: Zak Ward 2pm
Beer Barrel
Friday May 1st: Guy Lucas 4:30pm Kyle Smithers 8pm
Saturday May 2nd: Guy Lucas 3:30pm Kyle Smithers 7:30pm
Pair These Links With The Live Music Schedule To Plan A Trip!
- Put-in-Bay Attractions
- Put-in-Bay Event Calendar For 2026
- The Best Put-in-Bay Bars and Dining
- How To Get To Put-in-Bay
A Blast From The Past
Speaking of bands. Mr. Eds had a band that played Friday and Saturday last weekend. They played a song that I knew but I asked 4 other people who played that song and nobody knew. I knew who played it and that band was UFO. I remember seeing them in 1975 at The Ohio State University. I still have the ticket stub from that concert. That is why I will try and do reviews. That way everybody knows what to expect.
What I've Been Up To Since The Last Column
But to start the season let’s recap what Downtown Dave has been doing since the last Downtown Dave post in the fall. Well first thing is that I got elected to the City Council of Put in Bay. I felt it was important for me to run so I could give back to the community that I call home. Also the community that embraced me when I first arrived 25 years ago. Then they accepted me when I decided to buy Ashley’s Island House 10 years ago. I am going to do my best in city government to make Put in Bay a place that you want to come to every year. Like every small resort town we have issues and things that can be better and I will rely on everybody’s input to help make this a better place to visit every year.
Downtown Dave's Winter Travels
So after getting elected I set off on my winter travels. So I did 6 cruises for a total of 43 days at sea. Then a trip to the Daytona 500, then Vegas, Phoenix, Ft Meyers, Miami, Nashville, Atlanta, Disney World, Sea World, Orlando, Denver,Wyoming and even a few weeks in Put in Bay in January. In my travels I saw a lot of cool things and other things that made me Thankful that I live where I do. The way that some people have to live on remote islands and even in the USA amazes me.
See A Show, And Then Stay Over At Our Top Picks!
- 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
- Ashley’s Island House (ashelysislandhouse.com) – 419-285-2844
Downtown Dave's Thoughts of the Week
People are creatures of habit. What is normal for some is not normal for others. Lets use ipads as an example. Today’s kids are raised on ipads. On my travels I would see 5 year olds in front of ipads at airports and even at Disney world. The I phones are worse. You see kids on their phones instead of having real conversations with people. The best example is just the other day. I saw a video of Lebron James after his first round game greeting his family after a game 1 win. What was cool is that he hugged his daughter and before he did he wrapped a towel in front of him because he was sweaty after the game. That was classy. Now he gave his son a hug or maybe a fancy handshake but as soon as he did that his son was right back on his phone either texting or emailing somebody. What I saw was that the person on the phone was more important than dad. That is today’s society.
It's Good To Be Back!
Okay enough of my soap box for this week. I will do my best every week to give you updates on island happenings. I want to make you smile and I also want to make you think and realize how fortunate you are to be alive in America. But the most important thing is I want you to come to Put in Bay this year. You will be amazed at how good you feel after a few days on the island. Then you will understand why Put-in-Bay is my Happy Place.
Watch for my weekly posts on putinbayohio.com!