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Island Diary April 2026
Wed., Apr. 1st – The E-version of the April Fools PIB Gazette comes out, Paul Jeris puts it on Put-in-Bay’s Island Guide social media page and it ends up with 148-plus-thousand views and 12,500 engagements of the front page story about Mouse Island. Reservations open for dockage at Put-in-Bay Yacht Club.
Thu., Apr. 2nd – The PIB Village Council meets and Bill Sulesky takes the seat vacated by Jake Market. Among items discussed are various options for paid parking, what needs to be done to renovate the Town Hall and Village employee holiday pay.
Fri., Apr. 3rd – Julene Market posts good morning wishes from a space of peace in Duff Woods Nature Preserve where she spots Mallards, redwinged blackbirds, field sparrows, Wood ducks, a Bald Eagle, turkey vultures, a woodpecker, flickers, robins and tree swallows. Joe’s Bar and the Reel Bar officially open for the 2026 season! The Put-in-Bay Investments crew is placing steel cribs for a new dock at the bend in Chapman Rd. There’s a Fish Fry fundraiser dinner at the Fire Station.
Sat., Apr. 4th – The annual Easter Egg Hunt takes place at Perry’s Cave. The kids have about 2,700 filled with treats and prizes to find.
Sun., Apr. 5th – Easter Sunrise Service service takes place at beautiful Oak Point State Park overlooking PIB’s harbor.
Mon., Apr. 6th – Dave Zilch and his crew from Roger Miller Builders are busy with the remodeling at the Resale Shop at the museum. When complete, the shop will have a new fresh look.
Tue., Apr. 7th – The temperature hovers around freezing all day, and actually dip into the high 20s at dinner time.
Wed., Apr. 8th – Roger Parker is volunteering at the museum cleaning up stuff around the outside. Police Chief interviews an island resident for the dispatcher position at the PIBPD.
Thu., Apr. 9th – The Village Council meets and discusses sealing and coating Toledo Ave. as was done to Delaware and Catawba Avenues. Paid parking is not going away for now. There is a discussion about purchasing new bodycams for Village police officers and high tech license plate reader cameras. AI is gradually coming to Put-in-Bay. Staff from Griffing Flying Service comes over to Middle Bass for an island tour and lunch at the General Store. They thank Maddy Hart for inviting them and showing them around.
Fri., Apr. 10th – Cameo Pizza opens for the season. Mark and Holly Kirsch attend a birthday party for Barry Koehler at the Koehler residence on Chapman Rd. Mark regales all with tales of the good old days at the Bay.
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Sat., Apr. 11th – It’s a cool day, but perfect for Sara Booker who is showing her “Pop-Up Gallery” art work to island friends and family.
Sun., Apr. 12th – It’s a lovely day and people coming over on the ferry and renting a cart are having difficulty finding much open. The Fire Engine Bar opens for this beautiful day. A cardboard box fire in the alley between the Town Hall and the Brewery has a few people scurrying for a few minutes. The first antique car parade of the season rolls over the downtown’s pavement. Happy birthday wishes go out to Dolores Kowalski from Saunders Resort who is celebrating 93 years.
Mon., Apr. 13th – Nick Kujala, Mariah Loud, Scott and Caroline Jackson, Bret Klun and Eva Rence attend a food show in Independence, OH.
Tues., Apr. 14th – Paula Ziebarth and Olive Scherf are checking purple martin rigs in Duff Vineyard. Susan Byrnes, Asni Root and Lisa Brohl are tackling projects at the Duff Homestead. Dave Zilch’s crew is working on the new drop ceiling at the Resale Shop. For unknown reasons, the Canada geese are honking up a storm in the harbor.
Wed., Apr. 15th – The Yummy Pita Food Truck is open at the airport. In the late afternoon, Amish roofers finish up a garage on Bayview Ave. just as a thunder bumper moves through islands. There’s a late night Miller ferry. A group from Middle Bassers comes over to enjoy a night on the town at Put-in-Bay.
Thu., Apr. 16th – St. Paul’s Vestry meets in the church office. Members of the Scheible Downing Post of the American Legion hold their meeting at the Lake Erie Islands Historical museum. They are provided a buffet lunch compliments of Marcia Ashley and Dona Mitchell, and then listen to Amy Huston tell a bit about the two soldiers who died in World War I who the island post is named after. Pat Thwaite, Jason Paquet, Craig Ericksen, Mark and Mary Meyers, Lisa and Russ Brohl and Jeff and Kendra Koehler enjoy a dinner at the Brewery to celebrate. Annemarie Ericksen’s birthday at Brewery.
Fri., Apr. 17th – A thick fog blankets the flat lake and our islands. You can’t see Gibraltar from the Boardwalk. Julene Market is back to Nature in Cooper’s Woods taking photos of large spider webs. At DeRivera Park’s B-Dock, the bend is in place, aligned and leveled. Workers are busy setting one of the last three cribs that need to be installed. The township posts that its fish gut dumpster is full and won’t be emptied until Monday, the 20th. At the library there’s preschool story time. The Middle Bass Island ferry schedule changes Trips are now running daily (weather permitting) to Middle Bass. Passengers are welcome aboard, vehicle reservations are necessary. Fr. Bob Solon begins his vacation. On this date in 1900, the famous PerryWillow Tree in DeRivera Park collapsed. The tree was where the cannonball monument is located today. The tree was where six American and British officers were buried together after the Battle of Lake Erie in the War of 1812. The remains were later interred in a crypt beneath Perry’s Monument.
Sat., Apr. 18th – The PIB Twp. Port Authority meeting is the place to be if you want to see local government in action. There are discussions about a potential property tax levy, a land swap that would trade lake frontage for tree removal at the south end of the runway, helicopter noise complaints and naming the new terminal building at the airport. The Ohio Fire Academy comes to the island to help the PIB Vol. FD train on its ladder truck. During this six-hour training, volunteers review basic mechanics, operations, thinking outside the box, and how to better utilize the equipment. Then they travel around the island and practice positioning the ladder in difficult to reach areas, as well as the best ways to set up the ladder truck in tight space. The baton twirlers are practicing at the school gym. At Mr. Ed’s, costume-wearing partygoers are celebrating Halfway to Halloween.Volunteers are on Gibraltar Island for the Friends of Stone Laboratory Spring Work Weekend.
Sun., Apr. 19th – Volunteers head to the newly remodeled Resale Shop with tubs, boxes and bags to take home items covered with the dust of construction to be washed in their dishwashers. Thanks to all those who came down to help out the Museum. Braylee Dobos does a “toss cartwheel” for the first time. As part of Earth Week celebrations there’s a spring clean up at the Nature & Wildlife Center.
Mon., Apr. 20th – Fr. Bob Solon from St. Paul’s starts training for his first ever 5k. Please send hugs, good wishes, prayers, etc. It’s the last day to get in orders for the PIBHS Class of 2027 pizza fundraiser. Seventeen Upscale Wine Clubbers meet at Heineman Winery and begin to begin the season. Tom Bartlett and his helpers catch and band over 50 birds. Three people are hospitalized after two boats crash in fog on Lake Erie near Kelleys Island.
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Tue., Apr. 21st – There’s an important meeting at the Town Hall to explain the benefits of voting for the .5% increase in the Resort Tax. There are only 14 people in attendance, plus the four moderators conducting the meeting.
Wed., Apr. 22nd – PIB Twp. Trustee Chris Cooper is celebrating his 50th birthday. Susan Byrnes, Lisa Brohl, Renee Fultz and Karly Steinberg are at Cooper’s Woods in the afternoon putting on an Earth Day Scavenger Hunt. PIB’s younger students head en masse to the event after school for a little fun, some invasive garlic-mustard weed pulling, prizes and cookies baked by Sandy Funtal. Mariah Loud and Nick Kujala are the Resale Shop cleaning the concrete floor so shelves can be moved back into place.
Thu., Apr. 23rd – If you listen closely, you can hear the motor sounds of a carpet cleaning truck at the Crew’s Nest, a refrigeration truck dropping off inventory at Topsy Turvey’s and OSU Bio Lab boat leaving Gibraltar Island. Mixed in are the sounds of Canada Geese honking and seagulls screeching in the harbor. Things are starting up as Fox’s Den begins to open for the season.
Fri., Apr. 24th – Rain wets the island shortly after lunch and again just before dinner and into the evening. Volunteer Pat Thwaite spent Friday pricing items and working on three displays she is setting up in the Heritage Resale Shop at the Museum. Kendra was gathering several non-working pricing guns to take to Jennette Luecke to fix. LEIHS’s Treasurer Susie Cooper and Board Member Maggie Beckford visit the Museum on to see the recent renovations of the Heritage Resale Shop and then have lunch with Vice President and Museum Manager Kendra Koehler, Secretary Barb Hunter, and Volunteer Historian Amy Huston.The Red Moon bar at the Park Hotel opens. Frosty Bar opens for the season with its half off all food customer appreciation day. The island celebrates Arbor Day with tree plantings in DeRivera Park and at the Duff Homestead/Vineyard. The Park Place Boat Club opens for the season.
Sat., Apr. 25th – There’s a baby shower for Oliver (PIBHS Class of 2008) and Ashley Thwaite at the Red Moon at the Park Hotel. The Round House opens for the season at noon. The Boardwalk Lobster Bisque Trailer is at the Catawba Island Boat Show. The PIB High Schoolers have their prom in the decorated dining room at the Goat.
Sun., Apr. 26th – The Draft Day 5K takes place in the morning and the Lighting of the Whiskey Light at the Round House. Proceeds from the 5K event support charitable efforts led by the Lake Erie Islands Browns Backers.Taylor’s Tae Kwon Do Tumbling & Dance holds their annual recital at PIB School gym in the afternoon to showcase what all the hard work the island kids have been putting in. They are done painting the inside of the Heritage Resale Shop, and Kendra Koehler is now rallying the troops to get display furniture set up so inventory can be moved out of the Museum.
Mon., Apr. 27th – Workers from the mainland are patching the curbs near the corner of Catawba and Delaware. Langram Rd. is also being striped with bike lanes and center road markings after it was resurfaced in the fall. Jen Booker is planting in the planter at the entrance to the Boardwalk as “stand-arounders” Eric and Sara Booker watch her. They’re in the middle of putting a new windbreak up at the entrance to the Island General Store.
Tue., Apr. 28th – At the Pit Stop they’re celebrating Erie Island Petroleum’s 35th birthday. Put-in-Bay Cameo Pizza is helping the PIBHS Class of 2027 with a pizza fundraiser for its class trip. It’s LEGO® Night at the library.
Wed., Apr. 29th – Crews are continuing to sand blast the old yellow paint off the curbs on Delaware Ave. Mr. Ed’s opens for the Cleveland Cavs playoff game against the Toronto Raptors.
Thurs., Apr. 30th – This is the last day ATVs can be driven on island roads until November 1st. The average precipitation for the islands is just above 3 inches, but this April finishes with just above 5 inches. The May issue of the Put-in-Bay Gazette is printed in Sandusky.