Downtown Dave’s 2025 Season Wrap-Up

putinbay.com is happy to welcome back Downtown Dave! A short column by Dave Schafer, owner of Ashley’s Island House and friend of the site, Downtown Dave will share this week’s live music schedule at the Bay, as well as his thoughts on what’s what at PIB!

Downtown Dave is going to make you want to come to the Bay in 2026. Here’s where we think you should stay!

Island Club Rentals (islandclub.com) – 216-898-9951
Commodore Resort (commodoreresort.com) – 419-285-3101
Bird’s Nest Resort (birdsnestresort.com) – 419-285-6119

2025 Was A Great Year At The Bay!

Time for a wrap up of 2025 and things to look forward to in 2026. It has been really enjoyable for me to share my thoughts on life and events on Put in Bay all year. 2025 was a great year on the island. Many new friendships were made but most important was all of the memories that we created for all of our guests.

Now there will always be a few people that complain about paid parking, cost of rooms, cost of beverages and even the cost of food. But that is really the minority because it is always easier to complain than it is to praise. If you had a chance to talk to 98% of the people that visited Put in Bay this season they all would say that they had a great time and are planning to come back in the near future. Most of them will be back next year and have already made reservations.

Use These Quick Links To Plan A PIB Trip!

That is where social media comes in. It is really easy to talk about bad things because you can hide behind a computer screen. There are no consequences for saying something bad. Now social media can also be good to promote events and make people aware of things to do. That is why I try to speak positively about life and everything else.

You will notice that in my reviews of the bands I will never call a band out for not being good. I could never do what they do on stage but the main reason is negativity just is not something that is in my DNA. I will compliment on my favorites but of course that is my opinion. I feel that it is my job to spend the positive and also make everybody think about life and what is really important. I also want to make you smile. When I do that, I have done my job.

Looking Ahead To A Big 2026!

For a great list of the events already announced so far in 2026, you can check out the 2026 Put-in-Bay event calendar right here on putinbay.com!

August 1st and 2nd could be the biggest weekend of the year ever on Put in Bay. Everybody knows the 250th Birthday of the USA is July 4th this year. But do you really know that the Declaration of Independence was not signed till August 2nd. On Put in Bay that weekend we will re-sign The Declaration of Independence. Plus we will have a Military band, The Ohio State University Marching band plus the largest college bands around Bowling Green University. I am sure many more events will happen that weekend.

I have talked to many of the bar owners and a lot of your favorite entertainers will be back for 2026. The Fulcos, Bob Gatewood,Ray Fogg, Mike Mad Dog Adams, Tobi Lee, Paradise Island, Calabash Paul Franks,Killer Flamingos, Kyle Smithers and Allie Market. Plus I am sure that hopefully Island staples like Emilys Toy Box,Benderz, Mustang Sally, Velcro Pygmies, will also be returning for the 2026 season. I know of a possible island favorite also coming back but I have been sworn to secrecy!

When all of the bars release the schedule I will post my highlights of the must sees as they come out. I will still do my weekly post to keep everybody updated. But the real reason to take a quick boat ride is to leave all of your problems of the real world behind and make new memories.

Downtown Dave’s Offseason Plans

Sunday I start my travel adventures hoping to hit the 30000 mile mark again this year in travels. You can always friend me on Facebook at Dave Schafer to watch my travels. Plus I do bi weekly thoughts of the week on my Facebook page during the off season. Also make sure that even during the off season you check out the webcams that are live on putinbay.com to see what your favorite place looks like in the off season.

Once again Thank You for reading and I hope that at the end of the last Downtown Dave post of the year that you make plans to visit us in 2026. Make your reservations now. I will see you on Put in Bay in 2026. Have a safe and great upcoming Holiday season. SMILE