June 2021 Gazette - The New Season Begins

Posted on 06/15/2020 in Local Events.

The New Season Begins

There's always something going on on the Lake Erie Islands, and this past month, May 2021, had plenty of things to report about or comment on. We've all been saying 2021 is going to be a gangbuster season. May certainly fit the bill. The weekends were really busy as people started emerging from their Covid caves. The island was slammed with the normal boaters and visitors, plus summer cottagers and homeowners opening for the season. Some days reminded us of busy summer days, nothing like the typical pre-Covid May ones. The nationwide problem of finding help is not a stranger to the island businesses. We've never seen so many help wanted notices on social media. One d business closed for a few days before Memorial Day because of lack of help and was offering a $500 sign on bonus, a first ever in our recollection. For the last couple of decades, the islands have come to depend on foreign student workers to fill their employee needs. Even before Covid, Washington began limiting summer work visas for foreign students, but the Covid travel restrictions put the icing on the cake for that help pool. Things have not returned to normal as Covid concerns continue to linger. Many island businesses continue to scramble to find the help they'll need. Just because the islands were busy for May doesn't mean everything is peachy keen when it comes to getting back to normal. At the end of the month only 40 percent of Ohio's population had been vaccinated which means a fair portion of visitors to the islands can still be contagious or become sick themselves. So please play it safe if you haven't been vaccinated and wear your mask when appropriate. If you boat on Lake Erie or are a cottage owner on Pelee Island, you'll be happy to know that there are talks between Biden administration officials and their counterparts in Canada to discuss the criteria for opening the border between our two countries. For more than a year, the border has been closed to non-essential travel. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau recently flagged a 75% vaccination rate as the key threshold when asked about potentially reopening the border. The inoculation rate in both countries is well below this, but let's keep our fingers crossed and hope the border will at least be opened to those who are vaccinated. We don't want to be remiss in reminding everyone AGAIN about golf cart safety. We've already had one golf cart miss the sharp turn going to East Point and go off the bank into the lake. Several people witnessed a golf cart driver going down Bayview Ave. a little too fast who turned sharply into the driveway of the winery's driveway. The woman in the front seat next to him flew off the cart like a rag doll smashing her head on the sidewalk. One witness thought she was killed, but fortunately she got up and drove away without getting help. We're betting her visit to the Bay was ruined. On the lighter side, there were two big trees by the seawall on the bend just east of the Monument on Bayview Ave. For those who love taking photos of the Monument, there's a new unobstructed view of Put-in-Bay's premier landmark for picturing taking pleasure.

What's New This Year?

Every year there are new things going on on the islands. This year is no exception. Here are some of the things we can report on. One the most exciting new things this season is the Put-in-Bay Floating Tiki owned and operated by Captain Miranda Krueger. Departing from The Boardwalk Dock, The Floating Tiki offers up to six people the opportunity to float on open water, listen to favorite tunes, enjoy the sights and sit back and relax with their favorite beverages. Sunset cruises are also available. Check out the Floating Tiki at www.pibfloatingtiki.com At the Lake Erie Islands Nature and Wildlife Center the new addition is open. Some of the exhibits have been changed, plus there's a beautiful inside turtle pond exhibit with a waterfall built by the renowned Greg Wittstock the Pond Guy, Ed Beaulieu the Pond Professor, Coyote Peterson and Team Aquascapes. Cameo Pizza has a new delivery car. You can't miss the pizza graphics on the side! If you enjoy gemstone mining at the Perry's Cave Family Fun Center, you're going to love the new huge bags of gems. We couldn't believe what we came up with after emptying the bag in the slurry. The Put-in-Bay Golf Cart Depot is expanding. Customers will now be able to rent golf carts at their Delaware Avenue location in front of The Tree Bar, next to Lovella. At Bay Lodging Resort, the former poolside Buckeye Bar is now SJ's Hideaway. PIBYC bartender Sean Koltiska is the bar manager and tending bar there. Rob and Maria from the Black Squirrel and the Bike Shop have taken over the food service operation at the South Bass Island State Park. The Nut Shack will be serving breakfast and lunch. Smoked meats will be available while supplies last. Put-in-Bay Yacht Club is hosting a new event, the "Mayfly Fest," on June 26th. There will be music accompanying the special "Mayfly Stew" (also known as Abbie and Ed Skoch's Onion Soup). Speaking of the Yacht Club, it has a new cooler by the bar that allows all the beer and wine selections to be on display. Outside, there's a new firepit for the cool evenings. The PIB Volunteer Fire Dept. has a new quality used high pressure compressor and fill station to compliment their self contained breathing apparatus units. There's a new home going in at the corner of Concord and Langram in the Village. June Stoiber has a new car. Subway at the Bay is opening 24 hours a day from Memorial Day to Labor Day. That might be a first for an island restaurant. Pasquale's has changed directions at their cafe. Customers now order at the counter and can take their meals to go or find a table for themselves. There's a new addition to the Boathouse block, the Picnic Basket. They will sell to go beverages, fine wine, cheese and tobacco products. You'll notice the face of Edgewater Hotel looks a bit different. After Mama Maria's moved out, Lester Lopez leased the kitchen for Lester's Tacos and Pizzeria. Susie Metzner Gazdick has started a new flower business on the island called Blüte Farm. She is growing a field of flowers on East Point that will be for sale in just a few weeks. Contact her by calling (216) 337-5535 or getting in touch with her via Instragram.

Fred Cerny Named Newest Council Member

Fred Cerny was sworn as a Put-in-Bay Village Councilman at the Council's May meeting. Fred takes the seat formerly held by Kelly Faris who resigned earlier this spring after 40 years of public service to the island. Fred says of himself that he's a professional individual with talent and integrity who is looking to utilize his skills, experience and expertise in service to the island community. Fred, who originally from from Parma, Ohio, owns Transport Assistance, Inc., a non-profit organization serving the elderly and disabled of Northeast Ohio. He is also owner of Fleet Auto Repair Company. For the last four years, he has held the position of Banyan Cove association president.   The following 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 click here. This piece of Put-in-Bay journalism has been provided to islandclub.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!