February 2026 Gazette - Moss on the Rock

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February 2026 Gazette – Moss on the Rock

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Moss On The Rock

Magruder Hospital Offers Lab Draws At PIB

The Magruder Hospital Laboratory offers lab draws at Put-in-Bay for those who have a doctor’s order for lab work. These hours are at the Put-in-Bay Fire Department the first Friday of the month from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m

Thank You

We would like to thank everyone that has reached out to us via phone calls, texts and messenger on the passing of our beloved brother and uncle, Walter Lee Wilhelm. The beautiful floral arrangements and cards have touched us more than you know. As devastated as we are at the untimely passing of Walter Lee, we carry on in his memory of helping others and being there for our community. We are thankful for the many memories that we hold close to our hearts. -Janis Wilhelm Allard, Gary Wilhelm and Laura Allard

putinbayohio.com Quick Picks

Put-in-Bay Days In Key West

Don’t forget to take your trip to Key West for Put-in-Bay Days 2026 from February 11th to 15th. Entertainers who play Put-in-Bay in the Summer will have 70+ hours of live performances over five days! Ray Fogg (from Reel Bar and Round House Bar) Reese Dailey (from Boathouse), Pat Shepard (from Frosty’s), Nick Brownell (from Reel Bar), Kari Wolf (from Reel Bar), Jack Wolf Music (from Reel Bar), Pete Jarvis (from Reel Bar), Ross Brown (from Mojito Bay), Sloppy Seconds (from Reel Bar), LauraLea & TrippFabulous (from Round House Bar), Kyle Smithers (from Beer Barrel) and others will perform at venues such as Rick’s Key West, Durty Harry’s, Sloppy Joe’s Bar, General Horseplay, Willie T’s, Schooner Wharf and Key West Theater. And, yes, there will be a Tribute to the Songs of Pat Dailey.

New Chamber Event Sponsorship Form Now Available

The Put-in-Bay Chamber of Commerce has launched a new Event Sponsorship Form to streamline how members can support Chamber-hosted events throughout the season.

This new form allows members to sponsor individual events — including Put-in-Bay Dog Bowl, Pyrate Fest, and Big Day at the Bay — or choose a new All-Event Sponsorship option for broader visibility across multiple events.

The goal of this update is to create a clearer, more centralized process for event sponsorships, make opportunities easier to access, and encourage earlier planning for the upcoming season. Additional details outlining specific sponsorship benefits will be shared in the coming weeks. Members interested in sponsoring an event can get started by completing the form at visitputinbay.com/eventsponsorship/.

2026 putinbayohio.com’s Best Places To Stay!

Drop Off At PIB School

Per the Ohio Department of Transportation, all PIB School students (PK-12) are to be dropped off and picked up on Catawba Avenue. Please use the lane closest to the school and pull forward, when possible, to continue the flow of drop-offs and pick-ups. Any drop-offs or pick-ups that are on Concord Ave. or cause students to cross the street, are not permitted and are subject to law enforcement.

A New Aquatic Visitors Center Website

Steve Norton and Kristin Stanford at the Aquatic Visitor Center are excited to share that they’ve launched a refreshed web presence for the beautifully renovated center. The new site highlights its exhibits, programs, hours, and — most importantly — includes an online form to request field trips and group tours. You can Google Put-In-Bay Aquatic Visitor Center | Ohio Department of Natural Resources.

Did You Know?

Microplastics (tiny fragments no bigger than a pencil eraser) are entering our waterways at staggering levels. An estimated 22 million pounds of plastic flow into the Great Lakes each year. Lake Erie alone provides drinking water to 11 million people, and some microplastics are small enough to slip through filtration systems and into our bodies and food chain.

Cabents Getting Facelift

South Bass Island State Park’s Cabents, which were originally built in the 1970s, will be getting some much-needed love and upgrades this year. For starters, their name will change from “Cabents” (uniquely named from the state for their cabin-like walls/floor and tent-like roof… cabin + tent = cabent) to “Cabins”, as there will no longer be a fabric roof. The roofs will be replaced and updated along with new siding and doors, remodeling the units’ bathrooms, replacing mattresses, and most importantly installing HVAC units in them. These upgrades allow the state park to save the units, as their current roofs and siding allowed for water intrusion. These updates will also allow the cabins to be rented earlier in the year and keep them open later in the season. Siding and roofing work will begin as soon as the boats start running.

Changes In Recycling

Due to increasing costs associated with trash and recycling services, Commercial cardboard recycling tickets for Put-in-Bay have increased from $20 per load to $25 per load. Unfortunately, the rising costs of both trash removal and recycling on Middle Bass have exceeded what the MBI trash levy brings in, so the recycling program will be discontinued.

Victory Station Changes Hands

Steve and Jennifer (Fitzgerald) Firman recently announced that they are now the proud owners of the Put in Bay Victory Station Hotel next to the Reel Bar on Catawba Ave. They would like to thank Ed Fitzgerald for his invaluable help, guidance, and support throughout their journey.

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!