Put-in-Bay Diary-Fri., March 1st – Barbara Allan Cooper reports Great Blue Herons and Mallard Ducks back in the pond! A statewide
texting while driving ban takes effect. In a sting operation on Catawba Ave., Put-in-Bay police ticket three islanders spotted
texting.

Put-in-Bay Diary -Sat., March 2nd – Ice fishermen are out on the ice. The fish must be biting. The “Put-in-Bay Invasion” takes place at Bar 145 in Toledo. Seems like the fish are biting – Ray Fogg

Put-in-Bay Diary-Sun., Mar. 3rd – Loren Dages catches the biggest walleye she has ever caught. It weighs in at 9 pounds and is 28+
inches long.

Put-in-Bay Diary-Mon., Mar. 4th – Mysti Karr is awake in the middle of the night working on the island T-shirt quilt which will be auctioned off at the Lake Erie Islands Historical Society Fundraiser Auction later this summer.

Put-in-Bay Diary-Tues., Mar. 5th – Barb Chrysler and former island resident Linda Bush enjoy a sunset at Sunset Grill in Perdido
Key, Florida. Wind gusts peak out a 35 miles per hour out of the East-Northeast but doesn’t blow out the ice.

Put-in-Bay Diary-Wed., Mar. 6th – That big snow storm that hits Chicago, over to Washington, DC and up to the New England coast
leaves no snow on the ground at Put-in-Bay. The Put-in-Bay Panther Basketball Team holds its awards ceremony at the school. MVP is senior Shawn Seaberg and Most Improved is senior Gunnar Auger!

Thurs., Mar. 7th – Ice fishing continues, but not in shanties. Fishermen are all sitting on buckets.

Fri., Mar, 8th – The annual Put-in-Bay Rec Committee Talent Show takes place at the school gym.

Sat., Mar. 9th – There’s ice still around the island and a few of the brave are still doing some risky bucket fishing.

Sun., Mar. 10th – The South Bass Island Lighthouse weather station records a temperature of almost 60 degrees. Bill Blumensaadt reports two sure signs of spring – his dogs, Axel and Harry, are jumping ice cakes and snakes on the beach at his home, Billville, on the South Shore. There’s a makeshift outside winter bar crawl with stops at the Round House, Sandbar, Bayshore Resort, Mojito Bay and Mr. Ed’s.

Mon., Mar. 11th – The Put-in-Bay Chamber of Commerce holds its last meeting of the winter at Tippers. Among the topics of discussion are the State of the Island, Blessing of the Fleet, and the April 20 release of the Perry’s Victory Quarter.

Tues., Mar. 12th – Miller Boat Line announces it tentatively will start ferry service to Put-in-Bay on Friday, March 15th. Susan Thwaite looks out her front window in the morning and sees no ice between Put-in-Bay and Kelleys! Flowers are popping up all over her yard, buzzards are flying in the sky, and her cat wants to stay outside all night. Spring is only one week away!

Wed., Mar. 13th – Newly fallen snow makes for a white island. On WPIB Radio Wednesday’s “Talk at Ten” show, you could hear Boathouse GM Andy Christensen and Miller Boat Line President Billy Market being interviewed by Maggie Beckford. Andy and Billy talked about how they spent the winter months, what it takes to get a business up and running each year, and how to apply for a summer job here at Put-in-Bay.

Thurs., Mar. 14th – A Miller Boat Line ferry pulls out of Put-in-Bay harbor for the first trip to the mainland of season. At the Lime Kiln Dock, Larry Kowalski from Lake Erie Islands Petroleum pumped roughly 1500 gallons of fuel into the M/V William Market. The Put-in-Bay School Class of 2014 delivered hot, freshly prepared pizza in the evening to raise funds for their class.

Fri., Mar. 15th – It’s a glorious day! The ferry boats start running for the 2013 season. Mark Mathys and the Marlin Darlin Fishing Team Compete in Costa Rica’s billfish tournament.

Sat., Mar, 16th – J.D. Owen and Steve Stapleton are at Tipper’s in the evening to entertain on this St. Patty’s Day Weekend. Customers at the bar at Topsy Turvey’s are warming up for St. Patrick’s Day.

Sun., Mar. 17th – Besides being St. Patrick’s Day on the island, Dan Kowalski from Yardworks was busy getting all the weed eaters running in tip-top condition. The Garden truck was fired up and a hydraulic mower pump sits on the workbench being rebuilt. A lot of prep work goes into making island lawns look nice!

Mon., Mar. 18th – Due to high winds and icy conditions, the ferry doesn’t run in the morning.

Tues., Mar. 19th – For the second day in a row, the ferry is on hold in the a.m. due to high winds and icy conditions. Perry’s Victory Superintendent Blanca Alvarez Stransky is the guest on the WPIB Radio’s “Talk at Ten” show. Carolyn Miller and Kelly Niese from
Island Transportation are also guests and discuss the services and attractions provided by the businesses they represent. If you miss the program on putinbayradio.com you can always find it in the “Talk at Ten” archive on the website.

Put-in-Bay Diary-Weds, Mar. 20th – There are no morning ferry trips due to icy conditions.

Thurs., Mar. 21st – It’s the third Thursday of the month and that’s the day the American Legion holds its luncheon meeting at the Senior Center.

Fri., Mar. 22nd – It’s definitely Spring, but there’s still slush ice floating around some of the docks. The annual
State of the Island Dinner takes place at the Town Hall.

Sat., Mar. 23rd – It’s mid-afternoon and there’s skim ice in half the harbor between Alligator Reef and the Boardwalk. Over on Middle Bass, there’s a store cleaning party at the Middle Bass General Store. Put-in-Bay High School Senior Karina Kowalski is out
delivering Malley’s Chocolates. Sales of the treats helped fund the senior class trip. There was a surprise birthday party for Scott Pugh and Cliff Fulton at Topsy Turvey’s in the evening.

Sun., Mar. 24th – St. Paul’s Episcopal Church’s Palm Sunday services are held inside due to the very chilly weather. The Put-in-Bay Volunteer Firemen hold a large diameter fire hose training session on Delaware Ave. between the Candy Bar and the Round House in the afternoon.

Mon., Mar. 25th – It’s snowing, but the temperature is above freezing. The ferry boats are delayed in the morning but run in the afternoon. George Stoiber spots a beautiful wolf bounding through the snow out in Victory Woods.

Put-in-Bay Diary-Tues., Mar. 26th – Islanders awake and find temperatures overnight did not dip below freezing. Spring is definitely on its way. Put-in-Bay Resort workers return to prepare the resort for the opening.

Wed., Mar. 27th – If you took an early morning spin through the Village, you would have seen workers at the Park Hotel, at the Blacksmith Shop and at the lot next to Tony’s Garage. For the last 24 hours, there were no recordings of temperatures below freezing at the South Bass Island Lighthouse weather station.

Thurs., Mar. 28th – Put-in-Bay School is let out early so the island’s very own Snake Woman, Kristen Sanford, can accompany the kids to some of the spots along the shore where they can collect Lake Erie Water Snake eggs to be colored for the annual island Easter Egg Hunt.

Fri., Mar. 29th – Put-in-Bay High School Seniors leave on their week-long class trip to Savannah, Georgia. J.F. walleyes
officially opens for the season on Middle Bass. Late afternoon is one of those picture-perfect days when the sun is out, there’s no wind and the lake is absolutely flat calm. Scott Jackson returns to the island from Colorado to begin getting things ready at the Goat for the season.

Sat., Mar. 30th – There was a very thin sheet of skim ice on the waters of Put-in-Bay in the a.m. in spite of the fact the temperature monitor at the South Bass Island Lighthouse recorded no temperatures below freezing overnight. If you can explain this phenomenon, please let us know how this can happen. It was perfect weather for the Island Easter Egg Hunt at Perry Cave Family Fun Center.

Sunday, Mar. 31st – A couple of early risers show up for Easter sunrise services at the Monument. Tippers is open with a great Easter Buffet