November 2025 Gazette: Put-in-Bay Island Diary October ’25

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Island Diary October 2025

Wed., Oct. 1st – Miller Boat Lines cancels its last trip due to wind. It’s Stephanie Landreth’s 80th birthday. Lots of free life jackets are available on the porch of AB Carts on Toledo Ave. On this date in 1912, ground was broken for Perry’s Monument.

Thu., Oct. 2nd – The garden club holds a potluck at Heineman Winery in the afternoon. In DeRivera Park, they are repairing leaks in the sprinkler system. The Monument is closed due to the Government shutdown. The Put-in-Bay Village Council and the PIB Township Trustees meet at the Town Hall in a joint public meeting. Multiple topics of island interest are discussed. The Reel Bar hosts a bourbon tasting with gourmet food pairings prepared by Northern Haserot’s corporate chef!.

Fri., Oct. 3rd – Village Council meets in the morning. PIB School’s elementary students head to the mainland for a visit to a corn maze. The Fall Ball starts at the Island Club with J.D. Owen provides live entertainment. Over on Middle Bass, Carl and Jessie Johnson are celebrating their 72nd wedding anniversary.

Sat., Oct. 4th – There are no big events, just a perfect day to visit the island. There are lots of boats at docks and in the anchorage. One of Miller’s ferries transports the family and close friends of Chef John Wrobbel out into the lake where his ashes are scattered. PIBYC Trivia Night over on Middle Bass, Hazards hosts an Island Appreciation Party.

Sun., Oct. 5th – Cameo is serving a breakfast pizza to the Browns fans who are at Mr. Ed’s Bar and Grille watching their favorite team play the Vikings in London. The Middle Bass General Store is also packed in the morning for the Browns game in London. Brunch is on the menu. Three guys in a small EPA boat are in the harbor netting fish. Woody’s Harvest Fest takes place at Das Lokal, the Biergarten at the Goat, in the afternoon.

Mon., Oct. 6th – It’s another gorgeous day at the Bay. It’s too bad we don’t have every day like this during the summer.

Tue., Oct. 7th – There’s a nice rain, the most in a long time. Some new appliances are delivered to Ballast Island. Congratulations to Team “Winos” (Bridget Wise, John Dodge, Michelle Dodge, Patty and Dave Nuttall, Ava Heineman, Elias Wright and Terry Baker) on their crushing victory in PIBYC’s evening of trivia. C.C. Wisniewski is the host. They prove that, collectively, they have more useless information in their heads than the other 6 teams!

Wed., Oct. 8th – The PIB Village Council meets in a special session. Among other business, there is a presentation concerning the design of changes scheduled for the Bayview Ave. waterfrontage between the Boardwalk and the Jet Dock. Laura Fogg says she’s jumping up and down with excitement as she anticipates running in the NYC marathon on November 2nd. She’s been training for the last four months and has run approximately 450 miles, much of it on South Bass Island. American Legion members and their wives and significant others are treated to dinner at the Goat. The movie “Casper” is shown at the South Bass Island State Park’s end-of-season Halloween Movie Night! There’s also a chili cook-off there.

Thu., Oct. 9th – Guest bartenders at Joe’s Bar are PIB Twp. Trustee and Miller Boat Line Captain Eric Engel and former island resident and Joe’s Bar namesake Joe Suttmann. Their tips totaling $1,878.76 are donated to the Put-in-Bay Volunteer Fire Dept. The last “Dick’s Burger Night” of the season takes place at the yacht club.

Fri., Oct. 10th – The Village Council meets with Chari Mullen, the grant writer who is working with Tiffin University and the Village, who gives them a progress report on police issues. There’s a PIB Preschool thru Grade 6 field trip day to a pumpkin patch and apple orchard on the mainland.

Sat., Oct. 11th – It’s the first day of the 2-day Octoberfest in the Village Park. There’s a celebration of life for Jeff Bykowski at his home on East Point. John Dodge, who repaired outboards on the island for many years, is having decades of outboard motors removed from his property on Thompson Rd. Richard and Joan French from Fox’s Den are celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary.

Put-in-Bay Quick Links

• Things To Do At Put-in-Bay
• 2026 Put-in-Bay Event Calendar
• Our Favorite Places To Eat At PIB
• Put-in-Bay Ferry Service

Sun., Oct. 12th – Annie Parker mans the scissors at the ribbon cutting ceremony at the Alfred Parker Park Dedication. The park has been undergoing a revamping. Pumpkin Bowl Octoberfest. Now, because of her qualifications she will accept ribbon invitations for construction zones and crime scenes. Laura Booker Coviello celebrates 60th birthday going to the Octoberfest where she wins one of the raffle prizes. She then celebrates with her island dinner at the Upper Deck with her family. The Boardwalk’s Upper Deck closes with a fundraiser for the Patrick Myers Scholarship Fund and PIB Fire Department. 50% of every dollar taken in is split between the two. It’s the last day of gas sales at Middle Bass State Park.

Mon., Oct. 13th – The Middle Bass Island ferry schedule changes, and there are no more Wednesday trips. effective Monday, October 13th. Traffic delays begin as the repaving work on Langram Rd. begins.

Tue., Oct. 14th – The lake water is really clear around docks in the harbor. A Boardwalk crew is lifting mooring buoys out of the harbor while listening to very loud hip music. Dustin Heineman and crew clean up around the museum’s resale shop. The Chamber of Commerce’s Reverse Raffle takes place in the Octoberfest tent across the street from the Boathouse. Katie Stitak from Middle Bass experiences the highs and lows of winning and losing that can be had by attending the annual event. Jen and Eric Booker celebrate their 30th wedding anniversary at the Reverse Raffle. Brad Ohlemacher from the Bird’s Nest and Brendin Morris from the Crew’s Nest split the final pot. Brad donates his winnings to The Scott Pugh Foundation.

Wed., Oct. 15th – Paid parking ends for the season (and possibly forever). The water in Lake Erie has an average surface temperature of 66.6°F, 3.8°F warmer than the 30-year average. The record 67.2°F, was set back in 2021.

Thu., Oct. 16th – At the PIB Senior Center there’s a lunch and pinning ceremony to recognize 12 military veterans from the Army, Marines, Coast Guard, Air Force and Navy. Honored are Tom Cooper, Jim Dunfee, Walt Duff, Bob Hilt, John Mitchell, Tim Luecke, Ed Hubner, Jerry Plenzler, Rich Roberts, Bill Slough, Dave Warga and Dave Petro. At the Town Hall in the evening, candidates for the Village Council and PIB Township Trustee seats that are up for election tell a little about themselves and answer voter questions.

Fri., Oct. 17th – A sheriff department SWAT team arrives on the island to do active-incident training at School, Mother of Sorrows and PIB Resort. There’s a special Village Council meeting to deal with bond issues. The Mayor discusses a possible upcoming ordinance to increase the Village’s zoning inspector wages. A new job description will increase the inspectors duties. Tom Thanasiu takes his sailboat “Timeless” back to the mainland for the winter.

Sat., Oct. 18th – A family-friendly adventure, the Put-in-Bay Skelly Scavenger Hunt, has participants searching for spooky skeletons hidden around the island’s homes and businesses.At St. Paul’s in the afternoon, there’s a Dedication of the Caldwell Memorial Pavilion in the yard behind the church. Volunteer and new museum board member June Stoiber is at the Heritage Resale Shop accepting donations. The resale shop continues its 50% off sale to make way for new items in the spring! The weather causes Miller Boat Line to have their last trip of the day leaving Catawba at 5:30 p.m. At the Island Hardware and Market, the Cooper brothers are celebrating their 20th anniversary with an appreciation party.

Sun., Oct. 19th – There’s pumpkin carving at Hooligans with all donations going to PIB Volunteer Fire Dept. The Browns Backers watch their favorite team beat the Miami Dolphins, 31 to 6, at Put-in-Bay Brewery.
Karen Wilhelm from the Erie Islands Branch of Ida Rupp Library and volunteer Lance Saunders install a new book “Creepy Carrots” by Peter Reynolds at the Dodge Woods Preserve.

Mon., Oct. 20th – The Put-in-Bay Chamber of Commerce holds its annual fall member meeting at Frosty’s Bar & Family Pizza. The gathering brings together local business owners, board members and community partners to review the 2025 season, reflect on progress since the Chamber’s rebrand, and look ahead to 2026. Over on Middle Bass there’s a meeting at the Town Hall about a visit by the LeRoy Brooks steamer next summer! The LeRoy Brooks was owned by MBI pioneer Count William Rehberg.

Tue., Oct. 21st – Burns Pierce and Al Duff are trimming limbs off trees at the island museum.

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Wed., Oct. 22nd – Due to wind and low water, there are only two ferry trips for the day. The same high wind and low water makes Allegator Reef that runs from Oak Point to Gibraltar Island partially visible.

Thu., Oct. 23rd – The museum has all its gutters cleaned. Hooligans has its annual Thanksgiving dinner.

Fri., Oct. 24th – Teddy McCann is at the museum changing the lightbulbs and cleaning the globes on each side of the front door. In the evening, talented volunteer actors from the museum put on a Cemetery Walk at Crown Hill where they portray and tell stories of notable pioneer residents buried there. Businesses are ready to begin the Halloween at the Bay weekend, the last weekend season.

Sat., Oct, 25th – About 50 island youngsters dress up in costumes and walk from the Candy Bar to the Round House where judges pick their favorites. Afterwards, there are treats and games in DeRivera Park. There are quite a few boats at the public docks, plus enough visitors and golf carts to remind us that the season isn’t quite over. Volunteer Linda Parker is at the resale shop sorting and pricing donated items. Rita’s Cantina at the Boardwalk is open for lobster bisque. There is a Member Appreciation Party and a Halloween Party at the yacht club. Out at Crown Hill Cemetery, there’s a second round of the volunteer reenactors walk. Bob Gatewood is playing at the Reel Bar for its last open day of the season. It’s also the last day of dinner service at the Goat. There are Halloween parties at J.F. Walleye’s and Hazard’s on Middle Bass.

Sun., Oct. 26th – There are “Buy one, get one!” sales for last day season at Sous le Chevre, the cafe under the goat, and Mossbacks. The Browns Backers are at Mr. Ed’s for the New England Patriots game. A good crowd shows up at the Whiskey Light Celebration at the Round House. The yacht club is closed until it reopens with its winter hours in a few weeks. Scott Jackson hosts the unofficial antique car post parade party at the Goat Biergarten. There are only six cars in the parade. The send off for the last Jet Express leaving the island is complete with fireworks shot off the end of Fox’s Dock. At 7 p.m. there several of the bars on Delaware and Catawba Avenues and Lovella still open for the lingering few who still are clinging to the 2025 season.

Mon., Oct. 27th – It’s a beautiful fall day with work beginning on the dismantling of DeRivera Park’s B-Dock. The dock will be undergoing a major revamping. The ferry schedule changes, and the last trip leaving the mainland for Put-in-Bay is now 5:30 p.m.

Tue., Oct. 28th – If you drive by the DeRivera Park Dock, you’ll notice the bare look it has with no uprights and electric poles.

Wed., Oct. 29th – Speaking of electricity, a barge is out between East Point and Middle Bass working on replacing an electric line. There’s a short service outage that affects Middle Bass, North Bass, Sugar and Ballast Islands. Although the yacht club is officially closed, there’s Euchre in the evening. Oh! And lest we not forget, a mention of Marty Faris celebrating her 80th birthday is in order.

Thu., Oct. 30th – It’s a nasty rainy day with northeast winds that halt ferry traffic to and from the islands. Islanders are grateful the storm is on a Thursday rather than on the Friday of the last weekend of the season. Work stops on replacing the underwater backup electric line from South Bass to Middle Bass.

Fri., Oct. 31st – Rain, wind and cool temperatures make for a gray day. Today is the deadline to buy gasoline through Erie Islands Petroleum’s winter Prepaid Gas Card program. The pre-buy price is $4.39 per gallon! This is trick or treat night on both South and Middle Bass Islands, plus it’s Ryte Spyder Nyte at the Goat where they’re making “Tom & Scary’s,” Scotty’s Halloween version of “Tom & Jerry’s,” the once-popular Christmas cocktail. Nate & Ashley Mann Jones decorated the downstairs room in their house, the former Engel and Alfred Parker home), Halloween-style for a late night party.

Putinbay.com is proud to present the Put-in-Bay Gazette’s Island Diary for October 2025, in the November 2025 issue of the Gazette.

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