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Island Diary October 2023
Wed., Nov. 1st – Workers are beginning to take the cellphone equipment off the temporary tower and put it back on the newly painted water tower.
Thu., Nov. 2nd – Parent/teacher conferences take place at PIB School in the afternoon. Students only have school in the morning.
Fri., Nov. 3rd – St. Hazard’s on Middle Bass announces it is closed for the season on social media. Also posted is that the Monument elevator, down since a storm at the end of July, is finally working. Ty Winchester getting his boat prepared for the winter.
Sat., Nov. 4th – Amanda Goaziou from the Candy Bar is turning off the freezer and giving away ice creams and frozen treats to whomever will come and get them. Just come and take it. A group of paranormal investigators called the Ohio Researchers of Banded Spirits is doing an overnight lock down at the Historic Lonz Winery on the island and hoping to find any evidence of spirits that might haunt the property. They also investigate the first house on the island with an underground railroad history. They later posted, “Talk about haunted, that place was amazing!”
Sun., Nov. 5th – Joan Rhoad and Lorraine Zimmerman are in the Big Apple to cheer on Laura Fogg, Kelli Krassow, Katie Stitak and Taylor Hanes who are running the New York City Marathon. The Lake Erie Islands Browns Backers is at Topsy Turvey’s to vote on officers and donations. The sun is out, but fog rolls in the afternoon.
Mon., Nov. 6th – Put-in-Bay’s Volunteer Firemen meet at the fire station in the evening. If you want to find out about joining them, please call Greg Dobos at (419) 960-9886.
Tue., Nov. 7th – At the zoning meeting there is discussion about renewing the zoning variance for McCann field where the Monument contractor ES Wagner has been making concrete for the seawall project. All the big sections of the seawall are now in place and most of the heavy work is complete.
Wed., Nov. 8th – The Nature Center has been turned into a Clothing Swap Shop for the winter on Wednesdays from 3 to 5 p.m. You don’t have to bring clothes, you can just come and shop. It’s free to shop, although donations are encouraged! There’s a water shut off and boil advisory east of the Monument because of waterline work along the seawall project at the Monument.
Thu., Nov. 9th – An Ohio Edison crew is replacing poles on Langram Rd., and the hardware store experiences a short electrical outage in the morning. Michael Catey and Marie Schroeder are hosting one of their soup parties on Catawba Ave. between the churches and the Goat. Marie is serving up chicken paprikash with spaetzle and sausage tortellini soups. Plus you she’s got her famous pineapple habanero jam!
Fri., Nov. 10th – Young Rocco Scarpelli has his mother Roberta bring his infant sister to school so she can be his “show and tell.” There’s a good turnout for the Legion’s Feather Party at the Town Hall. Five Middle Bass veterans are honored at a Veterans Day Assembly at PIB School.
Sat., Nov. 11th – The PIB Vol. Fire Dept.’s first Chili Cookoff takes place at the fire station. Proceeds will be put towards a much-needed fire department vehicle. The American Legion’s annual Veterans Day dinner takes place at the Town Hall.
Sun., Nov. 12th – Middle Bass General Store closes for the season with a fish fry.
Mon., Nov. 13th – Caroline Jackson is refinishing the tables used in the Biergarten at the Goat. Put-in-Bay Council’s Finance and Audit Committee meets to discuss the Village’s budget for 2024. The Village Council meets a day earlier than normal.
Tue., Nov. 14th – Terry Jenkins videos a very large buck in Victory Woods. Emmett Woischke, the son of Brian and Katherine Woischke, celebrates his birthday with a party attended by some of his island little people friends.
Wed., Nov. 15th – Amish roofers are busy at the Lake Erie Islands Historical Society Museum’s Resale Shop putting on new shingles, while director Dan Savage is putting together a new display together in the museum. Put-in-Bay Yacht Club opens for the winter. The Words and Wine Book Club meets there, plus there’s Euchre later. Chef Ken is serving Italian wedding soup, braised short ribs with wild mushroom risotto. Dona Mitchell, the club’s new manager is on hand to greet everyone.
Thu., Nov. 16th – The Town Hall’s downstairs is packed with local vendors and customers who are there for the annual Holiday Bazaar sponsored by the Lake Erie Islands Conservancy and the Lake Erie Islands Nature & Wildlife Center.
Fri., Nov.17th – The Gustav Heineman Scholarship Fundraiser Dinner is held at the yacht club. After a roast beef dinner, the basket raffle tickets were pulled. Among those who won multiple times is the champion Kendra Koehler who wins four baskets.
Sat., Nov. 18th – The temperature drops into the high 30-degree range before sunrise. The PIB High School basketball season opens and the varsity team beats the guest team from Harvest Temple Christian Academy 56 to 52. The junior varsity teams loses its very close game. There is no girls team this year. The winter EMT class starts with nine participants.
Sun., Nov. 19th – In the morning you can hear the gun fire from the duck hunters. In the afternoon, some of the young people are in the taekwondo class at the Town Hall.
Mon., Nov. 20th – In the evening the baton group has a potluck for the kids and their families at the Town Hall. At St. Paul’s there’s an Ecumenical Thanksgiving Service followed by a dessert reception. Guests also bring something for the food pantry.
Tue., Nov. 21st – It’s a gloomy and rainy day. The School Board and Administration recognize Brian Cultice and Jeff Koehler from the Put-in-Bay Gazette and Bernie Steinbach from Put-in-Bay Daily with a Media Honor Roll certificate from the Ohio School Board Association.
Wed., Nov. 22nd – There’s no school as many families leave the island for Thanksgiving. More importantly, there is Euchre at the yacht club.
Thu., Nov. 23rd – Terry Jenkins from Ohio Edison is called out for an electrical outage in the morning. It reminded us of an outage many years ago on Christmas that lasted 33 hours. Fortunately, the outage is quickly over. There’s nothing worse than having the power go off while the Thanksgiving turkey is in the oven. Heidi Ladd suggests that next year islanders stagger their “start time” for their turkeys.
Fri., Nov. 24th – Miller Ferry’s extended season ferry schedule kicks in with only three trips in the morning and three trips in the afternoon. Peanut, Rob and Maria Hard’s beautiful black cat, returns home to the Black Squirrel Inn after missing in action for three weeks. Temperatures dip below freezing at the lighthouse weather station.
Sat., Nov. 25th – The bubblers have been installed on the Crew’s Nest docks and the Christmas lights are up in DeRivera Park, and now the few people on the island for this very quiet day can suffer watching the Ohio State/Michigan game. Newton, Gibraltar Island’s resident dog, is celebrating his 12th birthday today!
Sun., Nov. 26th – It’s the last day to use your season passes on the ferry. Billy Market is on social media giving a heads up about the weather turning on the morrow with winds predicted to be 30 to 35 mph out of the southwest.
Mon., Nov. 27th – The winds are a few miles per hour less than expected, so Miller Boat Line runs on schedule. By afternoon the low temp and wind make for a windchill in the lower teens.
Tue., Nov. 28th – Islanders awake to see their grass peaking out of the snow that fell in the early morning hours. Temperatures in the 20s, plus stiff winds out of the northwest delay ferry service. This is the first day that temperatures never get out of the 20s since last winter.
Wed., Nov. 29th – The official ceremony turning on the Christmas lights in DeRivera Park takes place. Islanders are going to have to start learning Italian. The dinner menu at the yacht club features Pasta Fagioli and Chicken Parmesan ala Vodka over Cavatappi. The PIB High School’s varsity basketball team (aka Panthers) have a game against Horizon Science Academy Toledo.
Thu., Nov. 30th – The Put-in-Bay Gazette Vol. 43, Issue 12 is printed at DCI in Sandusky. The Cultice, Rhoad, Koch and Stoiber families leave the island for a weekend getaway at Pokagon State Park in Indiana.
Putinbay.com is proud to present the Put-in-Bay Gazette’s Island Diary for November 2023, in the December 2023 issue of the Gazette.
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