News from Other Islands
Middle Bass Island
The Johnson Pumpkin Patch
Carl and Jessie Johnson of Middle Bass Island planted a large pumpkin patch near their Burgundy Bay home last May. This fall their efforts turned into a beautiful field of those orange reminders of Fall. Instead of hoping for a meager profit for themselves, they opened their hearts and offered their patch to the children of Middle Bass. The price for any pumpkin was just a donation which they graciously presented to the Middle Bass Island Historical Society (MBIHS).
Carl hoped this field would yield enough to let the children pick pumpkins for two weekends, but it was empty on just one Saturday. The donations amounted to over $500 for the future creation of the Historical Museum. This was such an unselfish gesture by Carl and Jessie and greatly appreciated by the current board of the MBIHS.
This sharing effort is not new to the Johnson’s. They have established a garden for the past 15 years on Middle Bass which always yields more than they need. In turn they have packed their car, hopped on the ferry with boxes of vegetables and driven to Mansfield, Ohio. In Mansfield they contributed their bounty to a women’s shelter and The Salvation Army.
Carl and Jessie hope opening the patch can become an activity every Fall for the children to enjoy. Middle Bass Island feels very fortunate to be blessed with such kind and generous people like Carl and Jessie.
Museum Update
The Middle Bass Museum Implementation Team has been busy. After being formed, the team of like-minded volunteers committed to the goal of seeing a history museum become a reality set about creating a list of immediate and longer term tasks to be accomplished and allocated various individual’s talents to each ranging from curator preparation; inventory systems; launching a website and initial business matters.
In mid-October, a business entity was formed in accordance with the Nonprofit Corporation Laws of the State of Ohio under the name “Middle Bass Island Historical Society.” The initial members of the Board of Directors were appointed by the Incorporator and include Dave Bugosi, Dave Hostrant and Jim Roesch. The next steps are to tend to basic corporate housing keeping which come with stating a new corporation followed by the filing of the Section 501(c)(3) Application for Exemption with the IRS.
The Implementation Team is in the throes of searching for initial temporary space for the Museum and longer term options. The Board of Directors is actively pursuing both options with the ODNR on State Park property. The Curator Subgroup is researching various requirements for housing and maintaining artifacts and is collaborating with other area museums regarding a variety of subjects.
Town Hall Thank You
Many thanks to the crew who formed the work party on Saturday, October 16th. Lyndell Bartels, Brian Beal, Dave Bugoci, Linda Bugoci, Bob Cummings, Ron Didion, Barb Nostrant, Dave Nostrant, Mary Ann Plewacki, Rich Plewacki, and Jim Roesch. Your help is greatly appreciated!
Governor DeWine Visits
Governor Mike DeWine and ODNR officials were on Middle Bass Island on Monday, October 18th, to take a look at the State Park there. After boating over from North Bass on an ODNR boat, he and his wife stopped by the Island Grind shop at Lonz Winery.
Interesting Sighting in Lake Erie
Courtney Dobrovich and her brother Chris Cullen walked down towards the beach through the back property of J.F. Walleyes to enjoy the sun setting and the beautiful twilight colors over the flat calm waters of Lake Erie on Monday evening, October 18th. Within ten seconds of snapping two photographs she saw a dark large creature/object come up out of the water. She quickly grabbed her phone and took a video and a couple of stills. Both of them were saying out loud, “What is that?!”
They got closer and looked out on the water, but there were no boats in sight. After she took the short video clip she just stood there for upwards of ten minutes, watching the image moving in a northwesterly motion traveling between Rattlesnake Island and MBI’s West End. They just kept watching, saying to each other, “Look, it’s still going!” as it maintained its shape and motion.
Regardless of what others might think, she and her brother say they are certain that they saw a living creature in what they estimate to be upwards of 40-feet long and that their memories of this evening will forever stay vivid.
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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