PUT-IN-BAY, OH – Seniors 62 and older who want a Senior Pass can still obtain one at Perry’s Victory and International Peace Memorial on South Bass Island. “We just received an additional one thousand passes this past Saturday,” said Superintendent Barbara Fearon. “The Park wants to be able to accommodate as many seniors as possible before the price increase begins on Monday.” The Park had less than 80 passes before the new passes arrived.
Perry’s Victory and International Peace Memorial is located on a small resort island in Lake Erie’s western basin. The island is accessible only by ferry boat, private watercraft, and small private and commercial aircraft. Fee collectors at Perry’s Victory have sold 1,376 passes since the National Park Service announced in mid-July the increase in cost of annual lifetime passes for seniors 62 and older would begin August 28. The park sold about 750 Senior Passes during the entire 2016 season.
Superintendent Fearon said the Park was on pace to sell out of the passes last week and planned to issue “rain checks” and then mail the passes afterwards. “We would have to order the passes to fulfill the rain checks so we thought why not just order them now,” she said. Any leftover passes will be forwarded to sites that need them to fulfill rain checks, she added.
Seniors can also purchase a Senior Lifetime Pass online at www.yourpassnow.com, she added. There is an additional $10 processing fee bringing the online total to $20. The online receipt can be used to access fee areas until the physical pass arrives in the mail.
Superintendent Fearon said Perry’s Victory and International Peace Memorial also has set up hours in the Visitor Center for pass sales due to the increased demand. “Not every Ranger is a fee collector,” she said, “and with the memorial inaccessible this summer while it is cleaned and repaired, we have only three fee collectors on staff. They also have other jobs to do so we have designated time slots for sales.” Perry’s Victory and International Peace Memorial is selling passes all day (11 am to 5 pm) on Saturday and Sunday and 1pm to 4pm Wednesday through Friday with an additional 11 am to noon shift on Thursday and Friday.
Passes cannot be sold over the telephone. The pass holder must make the purchase in person and have a current driver’s license, passport or state issued ID. You must be at least 62 years old and a United States Citizen or permanent United States resident to qualify for a Lifetime Senior Pass. Passes are good for the lifetime of the pass holder and are not transferable.