A Simple Plan (for the future of Put-in-Bay)

No this is not a stock broker tip, or insurance policy update. This is about our village of Put-in-Bay and what we hope it will resemble years from now as development continues to reshape our community. Over the past years as prosperity revisited the island a repeated concern has been voiced about the look and feel of the Village of Put-in-Bay. Not just the buildings, but also the green spaces, parking lots, signage and color palettes.

We know that visitors come here because of a certain, sometimes hard to describe, charm the island has, but recent development has added many unfamiliar elements to our landscape. We have introduced various styles of modern and “foreign” architectural patterns to the mix. So what is the “look” of Put-in-Bay? Is it Victorian or nautical? Do we like Italianate or Queen Anne styling? Is Gothic board and batten or Cape Cod clapboard more of what we think of when we describe our town? Is the essence of our charm the Victorian era homes and winemaking traditions or Key West style tiki bars and Western motifs or all of the above?

 
Quite often people ask, “What can we do” to help shape our towns future development. We looked into this and quite by accident found the Kent State University Urban Design Collaborative. This group provides a process to help find some of the answers to the questions we ask about what makes us feel good about where we live. Sometimes the simplest things like green space and business signage can help bring together the “signals” of a place we enjoy visiting.

 
So we are very lucky to have professors Terry Schwartz and David Jurca leading a team of 28 students in a design charrette. They will come to the island with the express goal of reflecting our desires and hopes for a future definition of what the “Put-in-Bay” palette is. This is not a set of rules and regulations, but a systematic cataloging of materials, paints, siding choices and patterns we like. Its defining the green space and building designs, patios and public spaces we find appealing and putting it into a comprehensive design resource.

Do you want to get involved, share your likes or dislikes? Now, finally you have the opportunity. Over the weekend of October 19th-22nd the Kent State students will produce a comprehensive report on the patterns and future growth initiatives we want to adopt. Your input is essential to this process. Be involved in the future of the town YOU want to live in. The opening session will be Friday October 19th from 10:30am-noon and subsequent feedback sessions will be held Saturday and Sunday with a final report be presented Monday morning at the village council meeting. It’s time to get involved.

Put-in-Bay’s Slowest Driver

It’s the first holiday weekend of the summer, time to remind ourselves that we need to watch out for kids, mopeds, tour trains & golf carts “on the road again”

Over last summer many folks urged me to write about the traffic problems here on the island. I, in fact, resemble that problem, and perhaps am slightly even responsible for your delayed arrival to some appointed destination this summer. I am sure that not many of you can say that you got stopped this summer for going too slow. I did. But In my own defense I was waiting for passengers to catch up to the train as we left the depot. I could see them in my rear view mirror running to catch up, and I didn’t want to responsible for any heart attacks. But none the less the police informed me that I might be hindering traffic, I think “obstructing” was the term used, but from my point of view, “bringing the island to its knees” might have been closer to correct. That was my plan all along.

One island driver this summer offered me this advice, “ Third world vehicle right of way rules apply here; the bigger the vehicle the more people will get out of your way.” Not bad advice, but until you have spent some quality time sitting in traffic around LA, Boston or New York, you can’t really appreciate the wonderful aspects of driving on this island. I mean, in LA they at least have 24-7 talk radio traffic stations to help you on your way. Here we have loud speakers with live music, wandering pedestrians just trying to get home and no one even thinks to look where they walk. You don’t hear about that during the morning news, no sir.

No, here on the island I’m talking Traffic Jams with a capital T. Nothing in New York compares to the three minutes of total mayhem on Concord and Catawba at lunchtime on a school day. Or how about the first few minutes after the ferry arrives at the Lime-Kiln dock late Friday afternoon? Cabs lined up to the lighthouse, the buses trying to load unsuspecting passengers and pedestrians scattering everywhere, all of them in our way, as we just try to drive home.

And then, how about the lemmings, I mean, visitors, that parade, zombie-like, off the Fox Dock across State Route 357 on a Saturday morning. Hundreds of blank stares following unknowing leaders just looking for coffee or the closest food establishment. They can really bring the downtown to a stop for minutes on end. But, is there any traffic gridlock greater than the Sunday afternoon old car parade? I mean this one rocks. One day, and I am not making this up, there were old cars going into the winery, and out of the Cave in both directions. Half the parade trying to get to the winery while the other half was trying to get to the Goat. I guarantee this would have confounded even the best traffic engineer in the world.

But yet, I am still a bigger slowdown than all of them combined. No one else takes the time to look around, to see the beauty of the island anymore. That’s my job. Go slow, look around, and talk about the past. So many islanders hurry here and there, so busy they don’t even get to stop and look around during the summer months. So it is my job to go very, very, very slowly. Who else will do it? I do it so that the visitors can drink it all in, and see what it is that we like about this place.

Now, I love my car, and think nothing of getting into it and driving from our driveway to the school. Matter of fact, it appears that we all love our cars and we need to drive them even if it is just for 500 yards and back. Don’t get in the way of progress. As I race for the boat with two minutes to departure time, I need room to move, space to park, and no wicked slow drivers in my way.

So the next time you have a chance, stand and watch the traffic on Langram on a summer day. As a traffic lover I recommend you do, because it is a thing of beauty. On a busy afternoon, you’ll see the buses weaving to and fro, the 6 and eight passenger golf carts being prodded forward every so slowly in a “Row, row, row, your boat” fashion, and the mopeds darting haphazardly in and out of it all. Look more closely and you’ll see me. I’m the one with all the cars stacked up behind, all desperately hoping to pass. It’s a thing of beauty, a work of traffic art. We own it. I love it. Now drive carefully, please!

Joe’s Opus-Finding Felix

Joe’s Opus- by Peter Huston
“Finding Felix” is brand new original play written by one of South Bass Islands own, Joe Foutts. If you have ever been in the Beer Barrel over the last 12 years here in Put-in-Bay, chances are you have heard and seen Joe’s work. Joe is the stage manager at the Beer Barrel, and oversees the light and sound for the live bands all summer long. Joe’s journey to Put-in-Bay started in East Liverpool, Ohio where he was born in the local hospital. After graduating from high school in 1973, Joe set course for the Navy. He spent three years as an Electrician’s Mate, stationed in exotic places like Orlando, FL and Pearl Harbor, HA.

Turns out Joe’s Navy training would help shape his life’s work. After being honorably discharged in 1976, Joe started working in, or with, several rock bands, got married, had a daughter, and worked day-jobs while performing at night. He was living the “rock and roll” dream. The long hours finally took their toll and in 1989 Joe decided to go back to school. He entered the Art Institute of Pittsburgh’s Music and Video Production and Business School and two years later had his degree in Applied Sciences. Then he went back to school again at ITT Technical Institute. Getting an Electronic Engineering degree while graduating with highest honors (3.994 GPA). After graduation he helped form Stage Left Productions, Inc. and worked as a performer, technician, and sound engineer. In 1999 Joe came to Put-in-Bay to perform his one-man “Joe Show”. He caught island fever and by summer’s end he had decided to move here permanently.

Today Joe is not only a skilled musician, he’s a lighting director, sound engineer, actor and director and now a theatrical writer. Joe will tell you that winter on South Bass can be very quiet. So in the spring of 2002 he acted in his first stage play since high school called “An Evening of Culture”. Smitten by the acting bug, Joe has acted, done lighting and music design for our Dramatic Society every year since. In 2007 he started directing, with the full-length play – “The Face on the Barroom Floor”. His new play was borne out of frustration in trying to find great Community Theater level productions that are fun to act in.

His inspiration for “Finding Felix” is Neil Simon’s classic – “The Odd Couple”. Like many of us, he was a big fan of Felix and Oscar, characters in the play and later in the popular TV sitcom. The setting for “Finding Felix” is a small mid-western town. The story involves a community theatre troupe that enlists the aid of a visiting Broadway director. When the “Broadway legend” takes over he brings on his “favorite Broadway actress”, and the troupe is subjected to a series of insensitive illogical cast changes, tantrums, additional auditions, and on and on…As Joe notes in his press release about the play, “Throw in a mob boss and his henchman, a gold-digger, the town drunk; mix thoroughly, and hilarity ensues.”

As you can imagine Joe is very excited about his new comedy. The Put-in-Bay Arts Council hopes you will join Joe and the our talented Put-in-Bay Dramatic Society for “Finding Felix” at the Put-in-Bay Opera House. The curtain goes up Thursday April 12th at 7:30 and run for three nights, April 12,13,and 14th. Break a leg!

Humankind-December 7th, A Day to Remember for Those Last Among Us

Launching of the USS Arizona

On the morning of December 7th as first light scattered across the picturesque beaches of Honolulu Hawaii, my cousin, Raymond Richar was on watch at his targeting station in gun turret number one aboard the USS Arizona. The Arizona, commissioned in 1916, was the pride of the Brooklyn Navy Yard. The low flying Japanese Zeros flew in nearly undetected that morning catching our fleet napping in snug confines of Pearl Harbor. In mere minutes the Japanese attack had landed a blow that would take 1,177 lives and launch America into a world war. The bomb dropped on the USS Arizona’s forward turret was a direct hit and left it defenseless and sinking.

“Yesterday, December 7, 1941 – a date which will live in infamy – The United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan…with the unbounded determination of our people – we will gain the inevitable triumph – so help us God.”

The grim yet inspiring words of President Roosevelt rallied a shattered America. Able-bodied young men and women across the country rushed to enlist hoping they would have the opportunity to defend our precious freedoms, many came from right here on our Bass islands.

I never knew my cousin Raymond, but Dec 7th has always been a day of keen importance, honor and remembrance for me and my family. This month marks the auspicious 70th anniversary of America’s entry into World War II, first with Japan on December 8th and then with Nazi Germany and Italy on December 12th. As we reflect back on those men and women who served their nation under such difficult circumstances, their sense of duty, honor and service should be touchstones for our generation.

“This generation of Americans has a rendezvous with destiny.”–Franklin Delano Roosevelt
In Tom Brokaw’s book “The Greatest Generation” he comments on this galvanizing moment, “Millions of men and women were involved in this tumultuous journey through adversity and achievement, despair and triumph. Certainly … this generation did have a “rendezvous with destiny” that went well beyond the outsized expectations of President Roosevelt when he first issued that call to duty in 1936.”

Growing up in a suburb outside Columbus, I worked during the summer cutting the lawns of my neighbors. It was a great job for a kid, but often a lesson in learning as well. One of my customers was a fellow named Oscar P Snyder, that’s Major General Oscar P Snyder, Retired! General Snyder was my toughest critic, he made certain that I cut, raked and bagged his grass, pulled the weeds, and neatly trimmed the tall edge grass not gotten by the mower with his rusty hand clippers (there were no gas powered weed-whackers then). My hand still hurts thinking about that rusty clipper.

A decorated soldier and a dentist, General Snyder rose to Assistant Surgeon General of the Army. Often after I was done with his lawn he would sit with me, as we sipped on a cold glass of lemonade, and tell me stories of his time in Europe and the Pacific with the likes of Patton, Eisenhower and MacArthur. He was THE dentist for the high command. I can only imagine the stories he couldn’t tell me as he peered into the depths of Eisenhower or Patton’s cavity prone teeth drill in hand!

Although he was a “tough customer”, General Snyder instilled in me the importance of a job well done. I learned first hand from him the lesson of duty, honor, and pride in my work. So often we live among people like General Snyder and yet may be unaware of their past service and life’s story. But interestingly, when we get to know them, these stalwart members of our community make a lasting impression on us.

Sadly, these humble, duty driven men and women who sacrificed so much for us are disappearing as I write. Let’s take time now to honor the sacrifices of those few remaining veterans among us, especially those here right here in Put-in-Bay. The list (to the best of my ability) of surviving Bass Islands WWII vets that served with distinction includes Bob Engle, Louis Heineman, Bill Massie, Don McIlrath, Bob Ramsbottom, Larry Ripich, Bob Schmidt, Ray Stoney, Ray Traverso, and Jack Whelan.

So on this 70th anniversary I want to especially honor these men among us who are the last of their generation. Let’s take time to listen and learn from them the lifelong lessons of service and honor they bring to our community. As Tom Brokaw so poignantly explained “It is, I believe, the greatest generation any society has ever produced”. (A special thanks to Ted Hiles for suggesting this story idea.)

Humankind- Put-in-Bay, a drinking town with a handgun problem? (a serious thought)

You have probably seen the humorous themed t-shirts and hats that express the notion that Put-in-Bay is “a dinking town with a fishing/boating/sailing problem”. But after this summer’s homicide there is a more important, very serious debate that we should focus on. Do we want to have drinking and handguns mix? In an online forum on “Linked IN” run by Columbus radio station WSNY (Sunny 95) there has been serious debate the last few weeks about the Ohio law that went into effect this past September that requires businesses that serve alcohol to now allow people with permitted concealed handguns into their establishment unless they voluntarily post a “no guns” sign.

Prior to this laws passing, it was not permissible to have a handgun in an establishment that serves alcohol. Now, under this new law, permitted concealed weapons owners can go into any establishment that serves alcohol without disclosing if they are carrying a handgun. The law does state however, that these permitted people with handguns are not allowed to drink while in these bars and restaurants if they are carrying a concealed weapon.

The problem is that in an environment like ours were drinking establishments and a good time comprise a large amount of our island commerce it just may be a very tall order to expect that these tourists with concealed weapons will not be tempted or succumb to having a drink or more while here. Under this new law a restaurant or bar owner that permits concealed weapons in their establishment has no way to take action unless they, or a reliable witness (i.e. employee) actually sees that there is a concealed weapon being carried by a person who is drinking in their establishment. The new law does allow an establishment the right to voluntarily exclude weapons in their bar or restaurant if they post a sign that informs patrons that it is a “no gun” zone.

By doing this the State of Ohio leaves the decision up to the businesses whether to restrict guns in their establishment. If an establishment posts a “no gun” sign the customer is given direct knowledge about the establishment’s decision to exclude weapons thus “ensuring” the rights of a citizen to choose which establishments to patronize.

But enforcement now is more complicated. It is my understanding that under the old law any handgun owner carrying a gun, permitted to carry a concealed weapon or not, was not allowed in a bar or restaurant where alcohol was served. If the police were called to a gun related incident at a drinking establishment they had the ability to enforce the law without regards to whether the person involved had a permit to carry a concealed weapon or not.

Now, under the new law, when a call to the police is made, first the police must determine if the person indicated has a permit to carry (federal and state laws mandate a registry for all people permitted to carry a concealed weapon). Then they must perform a sobriety test before they can consider arresting or removing that person from the establishment for a violation related to the gun owners conduct. So in thinking through your position on this issue, I suggest you ask the police their opinion. Take the time and talk with those tasked with enforcing this law.

As I mentioned, bar and restaurant owner’s do have a choice, they can voluntarily post a “no gun” zone sign on the outside of their bar or restaurant. In a season as short as ours, no one wants to exclude or limit people’s personal liberties, or discourage potential patrons so this may create a dilemma for some of our island business owners. Private businesses are free to allow or restrict whatever activity they feel is appropriate in their own establishments, but I think we must embrace the fact that we are a popular summer destination for many people who imbibe to excess, some come with handguns.

We presently give tacit permission to law enforcement to use concealed weapons to better serve our community needs for public safety. But in my opinion we should not give permission, implied, tacit or otherwise, to individuals with concealed weapons in environments where alcohol is served. If you don’t agree with that point of view, if you believe the 2nd amendment’s “right to bear arms” extends to having concealed weapons in public bars and restaurants then you should continue to assert your opinion by frequenting establishments that do allow concealed weapons.

I am a supporter of the right to bear arms, but having a concealed weapon carry permit and being allowed to take that concealed handgun into bar is not in my estimation a fundamental liberty, it is a privilege. For me, the simple answer is to encourage our local business owners to post a “no gun” zone. It’s complicated, but I would prefer to assert my right to “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” by frequenting establishments that post “no gun” zones.

Humankind-Amazing Local Music

Eden Brent wowed the crowd!

 

As a kid I used to love to fool around on the piano for countless hours. I did not have a clue about what I was doing, but I had a great time. Then I took about 7 years of keyboard lessons trying to learn how to play the Organ. At the “pinnacle” of my ability I was able to eek out a passable version of Bach’s Toccata and Fugue in D Minor (The Phantom of the Opera theme).Even though I learned how to play, I really don’t know my A chord from a G these days but I still love music. I can’t seem to get enough records, cds, mp3s, (just ask my wife), of great music from just about any musical genre.

I love live music, especially when it is done well. Here in Put-in-Bay we have some great music choices. The perennial favorites like Pat Daily, JD Owen, Mad Dog Adams, Bob Gatewood, Ray Fogg, and West Side Steve keep their fans coming back to the island year after year. Popular regional bands like Mustang Sally, The Menus, The Maxx Band, The Paradise Band, Wally and the Beaves “pack the house” which is great for business. I live in the village, but not right downtown, and I know you can hear a live band just about every day of the summer somewhere. The list of bands coming to the island every summer is long, but I long for more, more bands, more choices, and more styles of music too (especially when it is free!)

This summer there are some great bands coming to Put-in-Bay that are, to use a cliché, outside the box of what we normally get. On July 6th a group from Detroit called Terrie Lea and the Mustangs came and opened the Twilight Music Series at the monument to rave reviews. A little country, a little rockabilly, with a nice tribute to Johnny Cash, Terrie provided a great sound for the Put-in-Bay Arts Council’s “American Originals” concert series. They have won the Detroit Music awards for best country a dozen times.

I search for good music, and last summer I went with friends to Cleveland Metroparks to a blue grass festival and heard Missy Raines and the New Hip from Tennessee. Her band tours the country doing festivals and concerts all year long. Missy is an amazing award winning bass player and the band plays Blue Grass jazz. I hope you didn’t miss Missy Raines and the New Hip on July 21st.

I got a phone call one day; a person from Columbus had heard that we have Eden Brent coming to the island. They wanted to get tickets. I told them the concert was free! On August 4th we are pleased and amazed to get Eden Brent, a blues piano player, from Mississippi. Eden has a sultry voice and is the real deal when it comes to authentic Mississippi blues music. Last winter she came through Cleveland, playing at the Winchester in Lakewood. You could not get a seat.
The final concert of our Twilight Music Series on August 18th is Mo’ Mojo. They are smokin’ hot and play Cajun Zydeco. I don’t remember a real Zydeco band ever coming to the island. If you are a music lover and want to dance too, bring your sweetheart. I promise you that you can’t escape the infectious sounds of Zydeco and that toe tapping feeling will certainly come over you.

One last note on local music, there is a band of real Put-in-Bay Island guys that have been seen playing at Walleyes, Tippers and the Fish Bowl. They go by the low-key name of “The Island Band” to blend in. I guarantee you will enjoy their show and may even be asked to come on stage and play tambourine.

Hollywood and Wine

Last summer we made the trek to Hollywood California in search of Put-in-Bay’s most famous movie star Ann Harding (who has not one but two stars on the boulevard). We saw Grumman’s Chinese Theater, the Hollywood “walk of fame” and took the prerequisite “tour of the stars”. It was horrible, the tour I mean, the guide was a really bad comedian and we did not see one star. That’s because smart stars (though perhaps not Charlie Sheen) would not be seen in the daylight at most of those “so last year” hot spots on the tour. But America continues to flock to Hollywood because we are truly star struck. We are always optimistic that the stars will come out and we will be the lucky ones to spot a famous emerging star like Robert Pattinson (Water for Elephants, Twilight).
I have to believe that every summer when folks come to Put-in-Bay they probably think they might see a star or two as well. Why not, we are a popular summer destination and it’s a fun place to visit. Back in the 40’s and 50’s sport and movies stars would go on bus tours across the country. The route was often along Route 6, from Cleveland to Chicago. In fact the Island House Hotel and Restaurant in Port Clinton was a very popular lunch spot along the way. But few ever made it to the island then and fewer still do today.
Last summer while giving tours I did not see one famous person, though there are always rumors. The “soup Nazi” Larry Thomas made famous in Seinfeld is the most often mentioned. I know of one actress, Mary McCann, who grew up on the island and has a very successful career in New York Theater and television, but we have not had any big stars reside in Put-in-Bay lately. The last “star” of that magnitude would have been writer and playwright Shel Silverstein in the nineties.
I understand that Paul Lynde (center square on Hollywood Squares), who grow up in Mt. Vernon Ohio, was employed at the Boat House one summer, but that was before he was a “star”. I have been told that character actor Jack Murdock spent some summers on the island. A sci-fi regular he was in many films including “Rain Man” and “Big Top Pee Wee”. Most of our brushes with fame are really fleeting these days. Unless you count Mike Rowe from “Dirty Jobs” filming the two segments about our Snake Lady Kristin Stanford or MTV “Cribs” that came to the islands this spring, we are not on the Hollywood tour any more.
Truth is that the island has not been a hot spot for Hollywood ever, but perhaps back in the 20’s and 30’s especially during prohibition Put-in-Bay was a destination of choice for vaudevillian actors. Maybe it was the wine, maybe it was the location, but In 1918 America’s sweetheart Mary Pickford (who?) the most popular silent screen actress ever may have spent a summer on the island. Then in the 20’s Ann Harding (who stared in over 60 Hollywood films) and her husband Harry Banister were on the island for about 9 summers. They came here because of that vaudeville connection, (or was it the wine, hmm). And in 1940 Ann came back to Put-in-Bay for a day with “Philadelphia Story” star Katharine Hepburn. But anyone younger than 40 probably does not even have a clue who these stars were.
Sadly, we are not on the Hollywood “a” list anymore, so lets do something about it. I think we should start a Film festival. Invite filmmakers and their stars to the island. We’ll call it the Bass Island Film Festival. We can be like Martha’s Vineyard, Sundance or Telluride Film Festivals and capitalize on our great location and venues. We can start with an Ann Harding retrospective. I think our crisscrossed history with the glory days of Hollywood should be the springboard to fame and the new Hollywood place to be. Imagine Katie Holmes (from Toledo), who is now separated from Tom Cruise hanging out at one of our island bistros with Oscar winning actress Halle Berry from Cleveland. It could happen but I need your help. Send me an email with your brush with fame on the island, a connection to someone famous, or be a movie mogul so that we can get this going and make the island home to the hippest new festival. I know we can do it. Drop me a line at director@leifilmsociety.org. The stars are out there.

GPS (Going Past Stupid)

It is my opinion that GPS (Global Positioning System) is somewhere between being a lifesaver and the most annoying technological device ever created. I first encountered GPS in 2001 while visiting Japan. Our driver was using the GPS to get us to our meetings on time. The personality of this GPS device was a young Japanese woman. A quick diatribe here, many people choose women over men’s voices to give them directions, hmmm. So any way every time the woman gave our driver a direction, he bowed to the device and responded loudly はい (hi is yes in Japanese). At the end of our trip he bowed and thanked the device.

Well this is way more respect than I have for my GPS. Last month I was on a trip driving back from the east coast. A large snowstorm was on the way and I needed to get back to the island. I often take time to research my route using Google Maps before I go and have strong opinions formed about my route selection, but it turns out so does the GPS. Somewhere many years ago a software engineer designed a program based on algorithms that determine route selection using weighted parameters including shortest distance, tolls, fastest time and road type. But common sense was not included in this equation. So here I am going down the road and the GPS is telling me to turn off the highway I am on, but I am certain that staying on is my best choice given the path of the storm. Well the GPS gets really upset and starts telling me to get off go back. It is me versus the devil. The GPS is essentially saying, “You’re going past the exit stupid”. This really annoying problem persisted for 20 miles before I shut it off and restarted it. I will NOT be told what to do by a device.

Now here is the most important thing to remember, most low-level consumer GPS devices do not account for weather or traffic delays. So here I am faced with my GPS clearly steering me towards the storm, while my instincts are telling me to go the other way. Now remember men don’t ask for directions, but we all need to at least have a map or atlas close by, because faced with being in a place we do not know and depending on a device that uses maps last updated 5 years ago, you learn that it can and will take you places you do not want to go.

Which is exactly what happened to me. With no map handy, in an area I don’t know well, I decided to “trust” my GPS. Why I let myself be sucked into its directions I will never understand. Thanks to my GPS, we could not have made a shorter “Bee line” to the worst part of the storm and biggest traffic snarl. Here I am sitting on Interstate 84, a foot of snow on the ground and the highway is closed, but at least I know where I am, marooned by my GPS!

So how does this relate to our island, well last summer I saw my first golf cart with a GPS on the island. At first, I was surprised, and then a bit worried. What if an unsuspecting user follows the GPS through the dirt roads of Victory Woods or looks for the missing portion of Erie Road or Victory Lane? Our older island maps have many roads, alleys and lanes that exist only in the minds of a few of our oldest islanders.

But the good news is if there ever was a place where GPS can’t really hurt you it is on an island. Sooner or later any man without a map can find his way to some significant place on the island and call it intentional. I have spoken with a few folks that have enjoyed long detours following their instincts while on the island. They don’t need ‘no stinking map”, so a GPS can’t really hurt I suppose. Maybe it replaces all the island maps. We can save some trees, reduce wasted “island time” (or is that “wasted island time”) and provide some extra revenue for the rental companies.

By the way, a footnote to my earlier story, I decided to get off the highway follow my instincts and finally the GPS helped me navigate around the closed highway and got me to a hotel. Which as it turned out was the best advice I have ever gotten from my GPS.

Humankind- Shopping Roulette (or it’s Good to Give)

One of the most asked questions, (perhaps the most asked question) I get during the summer while giving tours is “What is it like here in the winter?’ It is often hard to hold my tongue and answer seriously, but usually my first response is “quiet really quiet”. Of course it must be difficult for visitors to envision that all the stores, restaurants and bars ever close. And even more difficult to imagine us out ice fishing, playing cards on Wednesday nights, or catching up on all the chores on the “honey do” list. But the weeks between Halloween and New Years are my favorite. You know just about everyone on the ferry, and if you don’t it doesn’t take long to find out why they’re on the island.

Usually a nosey question or two is all that is needed, (always a reporters best friend). Construction workers, sales people, and service providers from furnace repairmen to satellite TV make their last house call of the season before the boat stops running. There is such purpose to this time of year. Everyone is headed to a doctors’ appointment or buying supplies for a winter project or just getting all the final food shopping needed for the winter. I see parents and grandparents getting holiday presents and going shopping just because they can. It is a small pleasure for many to just spend leisurely hours in a mall or in a large “do-it yourself’ store. We get some time to indulge ourselves, or at least in the fantasy of personal gratification. For me it is test-driving new cars.

After all the rush back and forth is complete we get a minute to reflect on what is important. Perhaps it is time to catch up on letter writing or contacting friends and family. Maybe it is a time to spend sharing our time or talents with others like Joe Foutts does teaching and advising the new high school drama club (come join us for the play “Scrooge” December 9,10,11). I like to spend a little of this time thinking about how I may be able to give back to others (before tax time of course).

Perhaps before the years end you may contemplate giving to your favorite charity, making a contribution to your church or looking at ways to make a difference in our community. Last month I got to write a story about Community Foundations, like the Ottawa County and Toledo Community Foundations and the important role they play for our local non-profits. TCF is actually a collection of funds. Some provide scholarships for our children, or help local non-profits complete their specific missions, others that provide unrestricted funds for achieving good for the community. You may not realize that one of those funds does great things behind the scenes right here on the Bass Islands.

The “William E. Market Family Community Fund”, established in 2008 by Mary Ann Market as a tribute to her late husband “boss” Bill Market, is one of these special funds. The Markets have long been supporters of the arts, church and civic organizations. Mary Ann hoped that the Market Family Fund would be able to contribute a modest amount of money each year to a worthy project, non-profit, or community organization on Put-in-Bay, Middle Bass Island, or North Bass Island. In 2008 a contribution was given to the Put-in-Bay EMS and in 2010 a donation was given to the Put-in-Bay Volunteer Fire Department (there was no contribution made in 2009 due to those wonderful folks from Wall Street).

Anyone is welcome to contribute to this fund that is coordinated through the Toledo Community Foundation. There are so many great ways to give back to our community, supporting a fund like this or any of the Toledo Community funds that provide hope for our community and county are great choices for giving a lasting gift for years to come. So don’t worry, if you find yourself fearing the shopping roulette wheel of fortune, getting the right gift for that hard to shop for family member is only a stamp and envelope away. Send a gift that will keep on giving this season. And please don’t tell the mainlanders how much fun we really have here in the winter you’ll only encourage them to come and stay. (For more information about the William E. Market Family Community Fund, please contact Julene Market.)

Humankind-Forever Young, or Mistakes are good

The concept may be cliché, but as I sat watching a Bob Dylan documentary (“No Direction Home”) the other day, I was thinking of his song “Forever Young”. Dylan’s lyrics remind us of our pursuit of dreams: “May God bless and keep you always, may your wishes all come true, may you always do for others, and let others do for you, may you build a ladder to the stars, and climb on every rung, may you stay forever young”.

It struck me that our island is just the place to be-“forever young”. With the bikers, pirates, and jimmy buffet fans (now come and gone) it is crystal clear that we have at least two recurring (albeit divergent) populations of visitors coming to the island. Every year we have a new group of “twenty-somethings” coming here for the first time to create some new life experiences (and enjoy little bad behavior). Many leave with great memories of the fun they had here one summer weekend. Then we have the older crowd of 40 and beyond coming back with the hope of remembering what it was like to be here, back when they were 20.

There is a fantasy that we perhaps all pursue over and over again of that joy we remember (or try to) of unbridled youthful fun that brings us a lifetime of great memories and stories retold. Those memories are forged with friends we enjoy being with, while pursuing interests we love like riding a Harley, sailing on a fast yacht, kayaking, dressing up as a pirate or perhaps for a few this summer, playing in an orchestra.

Just ask Jim Stahl, when you run into him down at C dock. He ties up his boat “Summer Audition” many weekends by the Wharfside, never more than earshot from some of our great live summer music. Jim went to college and music conservatory years ago to study his personal passion, the Clarinet and was pretty good at it too. Jim lives now near Cuyahoga Falls and runs a music store. He became very successful in the grade school instrument program, providing music opportunity for elementary aged students, but his active playing days became just a memory.

Then one day back in 1991 he heard about the New Horizon Band. They were featured in the NY Times and then later in story by Dawn Fratangelo on NBC’s Nightly News. (http://www.nhb-neo.org/information.php). A group of folks from age 50 to 90 had banded together to play in a band for the pure love of music. Jim saw the story and was excited about the idea of a second chance to play music again just for the fun of it. A few years went by but the idea stayed with him to start a similar group here in Ohio. Then a chance meeting with an old friend and professional musician Jim Adkins, a percussionist and band director, led to the formation of the New Horizon Band and Orchestra of Summit and Stark County. Today across America there are 120 chapters of the NHB.

Now we all know getting a second chance in life is an amazing and rare opportunity. To rediscover your passion, share it with others, whether for love or money, is a life changing experience. The NHB is just that type of band. Their credo is “It’s never too late, mistakes are good, everyone’s contribution counts”, and most importantly “it’s all about having fun!” Jim Stahl’s personal epiphany was to become the sponsor of the local chapter of NHB and start playing again himself. In fact now over 150 local Northeast Ohio musicians with varied ability all eager to learn and play music “just have fun” weekly in the New Horizon Band and Orchestra.

So how is this like riding a Harley, well just ask Jim what it feels like, the exhilaration he and the band members get as they play for a large crowd this summer at Perry’s Victory on July 10th. Jim tells me that there is scientific proof that you will enjoy better health, live longer, be happier if you just follow your dreams. So no matter whether your midlife fantasy is riding a Harley, sailing by the stars, or playing a clarinet in a band or orchestra don’t just sit there, I think Put-in-Bay may be the place where you can fulfill your fantasy and find that second chance. Have fun, and don’t worry if you miss a few notes along the way and stay forever young.