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Moss on the Rock
East Point Peacocks
We’re sad to report that after nearly 40 years, there are no longer peacocks on East Point. Bill and Patty Sulesky have had peacocks on their East Point property since the mid-80s but the last two, a male and a female, both disappeared in late October and never returned home.
Mother of Sorrows Church Happenings
Our new Allen organ has arrived and sounds beautiful. Thank you to the Smith family for the most generous donation in memory of Dr. Robert Smith.
Parish School of Religion (PSR) for children continues this winter. The children are learning about the Parables of Jesus. First through sixth grade.
Fasnacht Bingo is Tuesday evening, February 13th in the Town Hall.
Lent begins on Wednesday February 14th, Ash Wednesday, which is also Valentine’s Day. Mass will be at 4:30 p.m
Stations of the Cross will begin on Friday’s during lent. Times to be announced.
Paid Parking Downtown
At the January 16th meeting of the Village Council, it was voted to authorize the mayor to execute a contract with T2 Parking System subject to review of the Village Solicitor. Before voting there was a discussion about paid parking downtown including the cost, equipment, location, signage and training for auxiliary officers who would issue parking tickets during the season. A $15 per hour potential pay rate was discussed for six auxiliary officers. Parking fees would be collected on Delaware, Hartford and Catawba Avenues, plus in the lot behind the Town Hall.
Ohio Sea Grant Workshop for Teachers
Explore Lake Erie with the Shipboard Science Workshop from July 7th to 13th, 2024! This research voyage welcomes formal and nonformal 5th-12th grade educators from across the Great Lakes’ states. Application began in early January with application deadline on February 19th. For more information, go to https://www.cgll.org/education/professional-learning/r-v-lake-guardian/ for details to come in early 2024.
2023 Year End Publicity About the Lake Erie Islands
Katrina M. Reed Spatafore from Miller Boat Line let us know again about some of the publicity the island had as last year ended. Here are a few great articles:
• 10 Unforgettable Small Towns To Visit – Ohio World Atlas
• Lake Erie islands are hub for Great Lakes science – M Live
• Small Town Charm: 10 Quaint Fall Getaways In The Midwest To Book For A Colorful Trip – The Travel
• 9 Most Scenic Northern United States Towns – World Atlas
Win A Free Membership!
Alec Lydon from Muscle Bay announced in early January he would like to give some additional incentive to stick to that New Year’s Resolution with your fitness journey. Starting from January 1st through the end of April, he will be giving five summer memberships away to the top 5 people who sign in the most. The rules are simple: 1) Sign name and date on the sign in sheet each time you visit the gym. One sign in per day will be counted. Winner will be announced in May once all the names are recorded and counted. Alec also wants to thank everyone who have helped make the gym be open in the winter possible and a big thank you to all those who have been coming and helping keep the gym a clean and friendly environment.
Grocery Delivery to the Islands
Griffing Flying Service, Inc. is happy to announce their grocery delivery service to the Lake Erie Islands is back for the winter season! Please email info@flygriffing.com to sign up, or call their office with any questions. For all returning customers, you must re-sign even if you had an account last year.
How soon we forget! 122 Years Ago this Month….
Another day (Feb. 15th, 1902), another ice mishap. Nelson Dwelle and Charles Stokes, two young Kelleys Island men, took an ice boat to Pelee Island. The return trip didn’t go so well and they got stuck in a snow storm. They managed to find their way to Middle Island which was abandoned. They broke into the lighthouse for shelter.
Volunteer Fire Department Class
On January 15th at the PIBVFD station, nine residents from Put-in-Bay and two residents from Middle Bass embarked on the journey to become volunteer firefighters. Two EHOVE instructors were at the PIB Fire Station to guide the students through four days of hands-on training with one day of physical testing. After these men and women finished the class the volunteer roster is now close to 50 members, 25 which have joined in the last two years.
Attend Stone Laboratory This Summer
Looking to attend classes at Stone Laboratory this summer? Our scholarships can help you get there! High school and college students can apply now for scholarship support to attend classes at Stone Lab, The Ohio State University’s island campus on Gibraltar island. Stone Lab offers more than 20 college credit courses and workshops each summer on topics ranging from algae identification to ecology. The deadline for college students to apply for scholarships is February 15th, 2024. Anyone taking a for-credit class (as well as certain workshops) is eligible to apply for a Stone Lab scholarship. Awards are based on financial need. Learn more and apply at go.osu.edu/scholarship_app_2024.
ODNR Happenings for 2024
The Ohio Department of Natural Resources has a couple of projects planned for 2024 that will impact Put-in-Bay and the Western Basin of Lake Erie. Construction will begin on a new Lake Erie fisheries research vessel. The new 55-foot boat will be used to conduct fisheries surveys in the western basin. The second thing is to begin construction on a new visitors center at Put-in-Bay. The Aquatic Visitor Center at the hatchery at the west end of Put-in-Bay Harbor will get a new look and bring focus to Lake Erie’s world-class fisheries. The project will be completed in 2025.
Membership Reminder
Thank you to all the members who have renewed their Put-in-Bay Yacht Club memberships for 2024. Second notices have gone out in the mail. The club has a sizable waiting list. Anyone who has not paid their dues by Thursday, March 1st, will be considered as having resigned. Contact membership@pibyc.org with any questions. You can pay your dues through our online portal: https://www.pibyc.org/membership-renewal. Password is PIBYC2024.
Happy New Year from Perry’s Monument
The staff at Perry’s Victory and International Peace Memorial are anxiously awaiting the 2024 season. Here are some highlights for the upcoming year: The seawall project will be completed in 2024, which means reopened access to the seawalls and a clear view; There will be The Don’t Give Up The Arts special program where people of all ages are welcome to create artworks from materials found around the park; Kayaking tours will be debuting in 2024, taking short, guided trips to East Point from the park. Stay tuned for more details; and the observation deck will be reopened after the unfortunate lightning strike at the end of July 2023! To learn more about special events held at PEVI, check out their website at https://www.nps.gov/pevi/planyourvisit/special-events.htm.
Interesting Numbers
It was a busy season on all the Bass Island State Parks last year. In total, they had 11,666 nights camped and 3,456 marina slips rented.
Busy Travelling
St. Croix in the Virgin Islands saw several people from Put-in-Bay coming and going this past month. Tali Steidl (PIBHS Class of 2021) arrived mid month from Colorado to start working at the Goat Soup & Whiskey, Roger and Mary Parker from Mitchell Rd. spent a week, Sue and George Gazdick and Bev and Ron Ruden from Rabbit Run on East Point, Adam and Acka Riley and their son Dylan left mid-month after several weeks there, plus Jeff and Kendra Koehler from the Put-in-Bay Gazette were there, as were Peter and Amy Huston.
Skip and Kim Stoiber Morrisson from Frosty’s celebrated their anniversary with Joan and Roger Rhoad from East Point on Saint Martin. And then a few days later, Joan and Roger showed up in the British Virgin Islands, on Jost Van Dyke, with an interesting group that got together for dinner. Included were Ray and Laura Fogg from the Reel Bar, Jack and Lorraine Zimmerman from the airport, Mike and Peggy Russell from Bath St., Jill Luttrell and former Pheasant Tail owners Shawn and Jessica Chaney.
Skiing in Park City, Utah was the thing to do for the Miyo Hristovski family. Others skiing out west in Vail were Dave Washtock and his bride Margaret and his nephew Alec Lydon from Muscle Bay Fitness.
Ryan and Jenni Stoiber, Billy and Allie Market and Bret and Meredith Klun were in Cancun, Mexico.
Dave Schafer from Ashley’s House visited the Old Forester Distilling Co. in Louisville, KY, before heading out on a Caribbean cruise. Also cruising were Joan and Roger Rhoad from East Point, along with family members Justine Cultice from Cameo Pizza with her hubby Brian and daughter Evie, and Jill and Mike Koch from the Brewery with their kids Isla, Leila and Grayson. After the Riley family left St. Croix, they also took a week-long cruise before returning to the island.
We hear a group of folks from Middle Bass were in Key West at the beginning of January. We hear Eddie Sheller from the Middle Bass General Store and Mary Roesch were setting the pace for the group.
PIBVFD Meat Raffle
It’s wintertime on the island and that can only mean one thing, time to stock up on some meat! To help prepare for winter, the PIBVFD is raffling off a $200 gift card for a freezer and a $500 gift card to Tanks Meats. Tickets will be $20 each and you get to pick which number, 1-100, that you would like to purchase. Only 100 raffle tickets will be sold and numbers are first come first serve! Cash, check and Venmo are accepted. Once all of the tickets are sold, a Facebook live stream drawing will be held and the winner announced! Be sure to get your ticket early so you can pick out your lucky number! Contact Chief Dobos to buy your tickets at (419) 960-9886.
Monument Superintendent Position
The National Park Service is taking applications for the full-time Superintendent position at Perry’s Victory and International Peace Memorial. The position pays $103,409 per year. If you have any questions regarding the area or duties of the position , contact Lisa_Petit@nps.gov or (440) 343-7151. Qualifications: All qualifications must be met by the closing date of February 16th, 2024 unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement.
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!
