December Events 2019 – What’s Going On At Put-in-Bay!

Lake Erie Islands Wildlife Center – Wild Giving Tuesday, December 3rd – Make room for all your Black Friday purchases! Clean out your closets and bring all
your clean, gently used clothes to the Wild Giving Tuesday clothing exchange on Tuesday, December 3rd at the Lake Erie Islands Nature & Wildlife Center. Set up starts at 3 p.m. with the exchange happening from 4 to 6 p.m. Then, from 6 to 8 p.m., there will be cocktails, snacks, and owl banding! Be safe, and good luck with sales! Hope to see you Tuesday!

Bird Banding on South Bass – Dec. 3rd – 5th Tom and Paula Bartlett will be on the island for bird banding December 3rd through 5th. They will be banding the afternoon of Tuesday, December 3rd, all day Wednesday, December 4th, and the morning of Thursday, December 5th, at the Brohl residence at 441 Mitchell Rd., Put-in-Bay, Ohio.

They will be banding owls the night of December 3rd and 4th at the Barnhill’s Vineyard at the tip of East Point. If you have questions on times or locations, give Lisa Brohl a call or text at 419-366-2087. Always a great opportunity to see the birds up close!

Put-in-Bay Community Tree Lighting – Dec. 4th Bring your friends and family for the holiday tree lighting in DeRivera Park at 5:30 p.m. on December 4th. Hot chocolate and fun will be provided! One of our favorite December Events, 2019.

Great Lakes Islands Basketball Tournament Mackinac Island -Dec. 6th & 7th The Panthers, Put-in-Bay High School’s basketball boys’ and girls’ teams, will head to Mackinac Island on Thursday, December 5th, to take part in the second annual Great Lakes Islands Basketball Tournament, aka “Battle of the Great Lakes.” Last year’s tournament took place on Beaver Island in Lake Michigan and was a tremendous success. Tournament play will take place on Friday, December 6th, and Saturday, December 7th, in the gymnasium at Mackinac High School!

The boys’ team will play the Beaver Island team at 3 p.m. and Washington Island at 5:45 on Friday. The next day they play Mackinac Island at 1:30 p.m. The girls’ team will play the Beaver Island team at 1:45 p.m. and Washington Island at 4:15 p.m. on Friday. On Saturday, they play Mackinac Island at 12:15 p.m. WPIB ( www.PutInPayRadio.com ) will be live streaming the Great Lakes Island High School Basketball Tournament.

Helping with the live broadcast this year will be Put-In-Bay School Superintendent Steve Poe alongside Kevin Boyles from Beaver Island! It is expected a number of Panther fans will make the trip to Mackinac to root for their team.

Conservancy Potluck – Dec. 10th The Lake Erie Islands Conservancy will hold its annual Christmas Potluck at the South Bass Island Lighthouse on Tuesday, December 10th, starting at 6 p.m. We will provide the ham, coffee, hot cider. Please bring a dish, salad, or dessert to share as well as a non-alcoholic beverage of your choice. Please RSVP by calling or texting Lisa Brohl at 419-366-2087 or 419-285-5811 or e-mail at leiconservancy@gmail.com.

It is always a beautiful spot to celebrate the end to a busy year of land preservation!! Thanks to our partners at the Ohio State University Stone Laboratory for the opportunity!

Holiday Concert • School Gymnasium – December 11th Put-in-Bay School’s annual holiday concert is scheduled for Wednesday, December 11th, at 7 p.m. in the school gymnasium. Students in grades K – 8 will perform songs to ring in the Holidays and New Year. Everyone is welcome to attend.

Senior Lunch • Senior Center – Dec. 11th HO HO HO! The Senior Christmas Luncheon will be Wednesday, Dec. 11th, at 12 noon at the Senior Center. This is a festive annual event with fabulous food and delightful company, so please RSVP by Wednesday, December 4th, so the caterer will know how many meals will be needed! The Christmas Gift Baskets will also be passed out at that time, as we announced in Put-in-Bay News November 2019.

December Events 2019 also features a Christmas Holiday Santa Visit – Dec. 15th On Sunday, December 15th, the children of Put-in-Bay will be paid a visit by Santa Claus upstairs in the Put-in-Bay Town Hall. This year, the event will be a luncheon followed by Santa passing out gifts to the island children. The event will begin at 1 p.m. Everyone is welcome, so come hungry and ready to enjoy the spirit of the holidays.

Audubon Christmas Bird Count – Dec. 15th Walk the island from dawn to dusk listening, watching, counting. Enjoy the quiet time of year. Or sit in your recliner and watch colorful winter birds visit your bird feeder for a portion of the day. It all adds up with statistics from other birders around the country and a lot of fun to participate! The Annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count will be held in the Lake Erie Islands Count Circle on Sunday, December 15, 2019.

Participants will be needed on Kelleys, Pelee, and the Bass Islands that day. On South Bass, we need volunteers to listen for owls in the early morning, travel the island bird watching during the day, and to watch their feeders at home.

We are also looking for birders or feeder watchers to help with Middle Bass and North Bass. If you are interested in watching your feeders or traveling the island for all or part of the day, call Lisa Brohl at (419) 366-2087 or e-mail at leiconservancy@gmail.com. Those on South Bass can meet at the Brohl residence (441 Mitchell Rd.) at 7 a.m. for coffee and strategy. We will get together for some food and to share results after the count.

Participation in the Christmas Bird Count is free and a lot of fun! Contact Nancy Welter at (nkw2329@yahoo.com) or 419-341-5806 to participate on Middle Bass. John Pogacnik, the official Count Circle Compiler, will be coordinating the efforts on Kelleys Island. Please correspond with him at jpogacnik@hotmail.com or with Tom Bartlett at hthomas.bartlett@gmail.com if you wish to help at Kelley’s.

December Events 2019 – It’s Christmas Time!

Christmas Party at Island General Store – December 18th A week before Christmas, on Wednesday afternoon, December 18th, stop by the Island General Store for some holiday cheer. There will be a “wonderful” punch, cookies, cheeses, and other goodies, plus a drawing for some fun gifts. Everyone is welcome to stop by and enjoy the spirit of the season.

New Year’s Eve – Dec. 31st Topsy Turvey’s will be having their annual New Year’s Eve party on December 31st. Patrick Masalko and Jamie Jamtastic will provide entertainment. The Forge will also be open. Check the Put-in-Bay Facebook Page for more details as the date gets closer. Get ready for some tremendous Put-in-Bay Events In 2020