Kelleys Island News
The Mayflies have arrived, along with the tour–ists. The KI Brewery is becoming an event venue and closing its restaurant and pub. The ferry shut down Friday and Saturday Memorial Day weekend. High winds and 7-10 ft. waves stranded a few people on both sides of the lake. Sunday, there was a three-hour backup first thing in the morning with lines stretching out to the road. The Kelleys Island 5 and 10K run had 424 participants. The Park Board held a big cleanup of the various preserve areas, and the Monarch Winery showed its support with a few truly delicious bottles of wine for the participants. Just as mysteriously as the hot tub appeared on a dock on the west side, it disap-peared a couple of weeks later. Really, who dumps a big hot tub on the lake shore? Saturday, June 19th, was a big day up here. The Razzles basketball tournament was held at Seaway Marina. The open areas were packed with nets, competitors, tents and cars. No estimate on how many people attended, but there were a lot. And let’s not forget the greasy pole competition at the Casino. Lots of fun and prob-ably more than a few black and blue marks resulted. The Audubon Club held its first pot luck since 2019 with Alexi Panehal doing a presentation on the Birds of Ecuador. EVENTS for JULY include 7/8-Council at 7 p.m., 7/10-KIs Got Talent, 7/15 KI Audubon pot luck, 7/16-18 Celebrate Kelleys Island (replacing Islandfest this year), and a whole bunch more; check the Chamber website for a complete list.FRONTIER – Well, this has been a year of complaints for Frontier. Broken promises, no return calls, no refunds, and a recent two-week outage on the west side is still not resolved. Bruce Orshoski sent a letter to the Village Council advis-ing them that he has filed complaints against Frontier Communications with the FCC, FTC, BBB and the Ohio Attorney General’s office. The Better Business Bu–reau informed him that Frontier has an F business rating. He encourages everyone to file similar complaints.COUNCIL NOTES – The FIRE DEPT. responded to three alarms: an electric fire on a pole, one false alarm and a small fire at the West Bay Inn, outside in a service station. The parking area in front of the Caddy Shack building was cor–doned off recently. Because it is in the Historic District, the action came before the Design Review Board. Safety issues weighed in and it was noted that several required parking spots were being eliminated. The matter is being looked into and the blockade has been removed. The PARK BOARD has officially named the Addison Rd. park the Kelleys Island Community Park. Council passed legislation to update the personnel policy manual and to amend the POLICE CHIEF’S com-pensation and duties. Sound familiar? It seems that they passed these pieces last month; however, they were the old versions that had not been updated. Doesn’t anyone read before voting? The POLICE DEPT. fielded 201 phone calls. There were three arrests (disorderly conduct, intoxication and obstruc-tion). They issued 13 warnings (speeding, stop sign, riding on the outside of a vehicle and allowing a minor to drive) and issued 12 tickets (parking, camping permit violations and possession of Marijuana). There were two accidents and 10 lockouts. The EMS Assoc. is selling tickets for a gun raffle that will be drawn in August. Proceeds will be donated to the Village to offset the pur–chase price of a new Zoll Monitor. Training continues with the latest topic of trauma assessment and next month will be cardiac monitor operations.
Middle Bass Island
4th of July Parade
There will be a 4th of July parade on Saturday, July 3rd at 2 p.m. If you would like to join, come decorate your golf cart/jeep and line up at the boat dock at 1:30 p.m. Plans call for parading through Hazards and Burgundy Day, ending at the General Store. Hopefully this can be a yearly tradition. See you all there!
Middle Bass Music Festival
Bass Island State Park and Lonz Winery Patio and Pavilion will be rock’n’ and a rollin’, jumpin’ and a jiving, and generally a fun place to be on July 17, 2021, when the Middle Bass Music Festival rolls into town. It’s going to be a great time with live music, artist demonstrations, food trucks, beer, wine and lots of people hanging out and enjoying some Middle Bass Island charm.
Middle Bass Historical Society Auction
The big Middle Bass Historical Society Auction will take place on Saturday, July 24th, at the Town Hall. It has been the talk of the island this past year! Many generous residents have already committed to helping with donations, and it is not too late if you haven’t yet. Call Mary Roesch if you have donations or would like to help with the event. The Silent Auction will begin at 12:30 p.m. and Live Auctions at 2 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. Funds raised will help move the original “My Aunt Irma’s” to the Town Hall grounds to make a future home of the Museum. There will be an extra 7 p.m. ferry from MBI the night of the auction.
Donations
A donation in memory of your loved one to the MBI Historical Museum is a fitting gift.Donation checks should be made out to the Middle Bass Town Hall and specified in the memo for MBI Historical Museum. Send your donations to Mary Roesch Box 8, Middle Bass 43446. Thanks!
New Bench at Township Park
There’s new bench dedicated to the late Karl Schmidlin at the East Point Park. Karl was the owner of Schmidlin General Construction LLC and an islander involved in many island activities over five decades.
A Tough Summer for Help
Due to lack of help, J.F. Walleye’s was closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays in June.
North Bass Island
North Bass Island Bird Banding
It was a beautiful spring of bird migration. Tom and Paula Bartlett and team took time in early June to visit North Bass and band birds. During the banding, the Bartletts banded their 15,000th bird, an indigo bunting, on the Bass Islands. Thanks to Andrea Tibbels with the North Bass Island State Park and Heineman’s Winery for access to banding sites at North Bass, and thanks to all the volunteers who supported and participated in Tom’s efforts there. Dr. James Marshall of Rockford University usually banded on North Bass each summer as part of the REU program at the OSU Stone Laboratory. Due to Covid restrictions this work had not been done in two years so it was great to get some data.
An Interesting Beach Find
A sturgeon was found washed up on the SE shore of North Bass. This is a rare and pretty cool find!
Beekeeping on North Bass
Beekeepers made it out to North Bass Island this spring and opened up and cleaned a bee hive that hasn’t been touched in about three years. The beekeeper who kept the hive passed away a few years ago. They pulled the inner cover off and scraped out about an inch of wax moth larva, expecting the colony was no longer good. The bees must have been pretty happy because when beekeepers returned, the colony was very strong, and the hive had lots of honey.
Kelleys Island
Fireworks on Kelleys Island
Fireworks will be shot off at West Bay on the west shore of Kelleys Island Sunday, July 4th! Folks on some of the other islands and the mainland should be able to see them is the weather cooperates,
The Ray Fogg Show at Kelleys Island
Ray Fogg, one of Put-in-Bay’s most popular entertainers, will be bringing his Ray Fogg Show to Kelleys Island on Sunday, July 11th, from 2 to 4:30 p.m. at the West Bay Inn.
Arts & Craft Show
For those of you who are interested in arts and crafts, there will be an Arts & Craft Show on Saturday, August 7th, starting at 10 a.m. at the Kelleys Island Historical Society Museum at 224 Division St. Local artists get to show off their creative talents, whether it is painting, sculpture, jewelry, textiles, writing, or, you know, that something weird that you always wanted.
Kelleys Island Photo Contest
The Kelleys Island Chamber of Commerce and Kelleys Life Newspaper are holding a photo contest now through Aug. 31st.
Categories include: Landscapes (landscapes could include natural scenery, sunrise/sunset, flowers, trees, the shores, etc.), Wildlife (wildlife includes any animals found on or around the island i.e. mammals, birds, fish, etc.), History/Structures (Images of man made structures on the island or images from the past (that you have taken), Life on Kelleys (What does Kelleys Island mean to you and your family? I.e. people, events, vacations, home, etc.)
Prizes will be awarded for grand prize, $500; category winners, $100; and viewers’ choice, $50. Entry and additional information can be found at https://kelleysislandcontest.com/.
Pelee Island
Border Still Closed
Canada announced in June that the border with the U.S. will remain closed at least until July 21st. That’s bad news for those of us on the islands who like to visit across the boundary. There is however a hint of better things to come. Griffing Flying Service based in Port Clinton recently asked Pelee residents and travelers for a passport update for their records. Everyone flying between Pelee and the U.S. must have a passport.
Golf Carts Available on Pelee
A company called Pelee Island Adventures that offers transportation, tours and accommodations for the island is also promoting golf cart and E-Bike rentals. This will certainly help the tourist business on Pelee. Check it out at www.peleeislandadventures.com.
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.
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