Put-in-Bay School Athletic Department is offering the Bass Islands community an opportunity to show PANTHER PRIDE! Purchase and wear sports apparel with Panther logos. Orders are due no later than Sunday, 14 October 2018. Items will be shipped to Put-in-Bay School for pick-up. Individuals should place their own name on the order form where it asks for “student name.”
Visit TEAM SPORTS today and be part of the GRRRRRRRROWL!
Christmas Bazaar – Thursday, November 15th from 3 to 7pm at Put-in-Bay Town Hall
Selling creative handmade “sail” bags and other island related creations during a last year’s bazaar is the talented Jill Cooks.
Working the LEIC table at last year’s bazaar is Kim Miles from Middle Bass, Nancy Welter from Middle Bass, and PiB’s Lisa Brohl.
Mark your calendar for early local holiday shopping! The Annual Christmas Bazaar is sponsored by the Lake Erie Islands Conservancy and the Lake Erie Islands Nature and Wildlife Center. The date and time are Thursday, November 15, from 3pm to 7pm at the Town Hall.
Local crafters and artisans are needed, as well as local businesses with Put-in-Bay merchandise. If you would like to reserve a table or need additional information, please contact Susan Byrnes by email byrnespib “at” frontier.com , or Amy Huston firstislandsonbnd “at” gmail.com.
Incredibly dense fog places the Bass Islands in an eerie (pun intended) landscape this Monday morning! The National Weather Service reports, “Areas of fog before noon. Otherwise, cloudy, then gradually becoming mostly sunny, with a high near 78. Southeast wind 6 to 10 mph.”
Erie Islands Petroleum, Inc., will supply everyone with their winter energy needs, as in the past. On average, Put-in-Bay requires nearly 60,000 gallons of gasoline and over 70,000 gallons of heating oil and diesel fuels in stock to make it through the winter. The Pre-Paid Fuel Program provides customers the gasoline, diesel fuel, and heating oil they anticipate using during the roughly twenty-two weeks that comprise a hard winter.
Erie Islands Petroleum, Inc., suggests adding an extra margin of gasoline to compensate for warming your car, spinning tires in freezing temperatures, and leaving the car running during errands. The current price for regular gasoline is $3.99. Non-pre-paid customers cannot be guaranteed an uninterrupted supply of fuels, nor will they be guaranteed a fixed price. All pre-bought fuels will be very strictly kept in only pre-bought storage.
The prepaid gas card can be purchased through 31 October 2018 at Erie Islands Petroleum, Inc., aka the Pit Stop. For additional information, contact Gary Kowalski at 419.341-9656.
Put-in-Bay — The Put-in-Bay vintage sports car races continue to evolve from a quirky little “Reunion” event back in 2009 to one of the most enjoyable vintage racing experiences in North America, according to many participants. (Text and photos contributed by Manley Ford, Put-in-Bay Road Race Heritage Society)
This year’s 10th annual event again took place on Ohio’s historic South Bass Island where sports cars raced through the public streets from 1952 to 1959 and in 1963. Today a 20-minute ride on the Miller Ferry from Port Clinton, OH takes entrants back in time to an island enclave seemingly little changed from 60 years ago. Catering primarily to smaller-bore pre-‘73 cars, today’s Put-in-Bay Sports Car Race revival is designed for those who especially value a low-key race environment in a relaxed, nostalgic setting where the emphasis is on camaraderie and fun.
For the 2018 event, organizers responded to mounting event-scheduling conflicts on the bustling summer-resort island and moved the event from its traditional — since 2013 — late August date to the middle of the last week of September. So this year racing was held on Tuesday and Wednesday September 25 and 26 when little else was taking place on the small island. Unique in vintage racing for inviting both racing- and non-racing entries, the event drew a wide variety of vintage production cars, sports racers, and open wheel cars.
Jeff Graham of Southern Shores, NC in his black ’58 Bugeye
Featured cars for PIB 2018 were the Austin Healey Sprite Mk I (Bugeye), which first arrived on the sports car scene sixty years ago, and Porsche, celebrating its 70th year. Numerous examples of both marques were on hand including — at one end of the spectrum — a couple of delightfully original Bugeyes and — on the other end — a Le Mans winning Porsche 962 (display and touring lap only) brought to the event along with some other stunning race entries by Stan and Malcolm Ross of Columbus, OH. Overall, entries hailed from fifteen U.S. states and two Canadian Provinces.
As in past years, races comprised four race groups plus an exhibition group. While rain threatened initially on Tuesday and caused a brief delay, it was pretty much gone by the afternoon, and Wednesday yielded about the most glorious and comfortable racing weather anyone could ask for.
At the end of two full days of racing around the 1.2 mile Put-in-Bay Airport circuit, the top placing cars from the production and sports racer groups were invited to race for “King of the Rock” honors in the traditional Put-in-Bay Cup Race, again won (fourth consecutive year) by Joey Bojalad in his fast and smoothly driven Elva Mk VI.
New this year was a combined “race-within-a-race” competition where those who entered D-H Production classes at both July’s Waterford Hills Vintage Races and this year’s Put-in-Bay Races became eligible for the first annual Great Lakes Vintage Challenge (GLVC) earning points based on finishing positions in the group races in both events (see race results for this year’s winners). Next year, organizers expect to expand the Great Lakes Vintage Challenge to include, C Production, B, C and D Sedans, and Formula Vees and to include VSCDA’s annual event at Grattan in the points chase.
Sports Car Races Car Show at Heinemans Winery displayed both race and street-entrant cars.
PIB 2018 kicked off with a car show where both race and non-race entrants displayed their cars at Heineman’s Winery (an island institution). Despite ominous skies it was a spectacular array of cars in a charming setting. As a light drizzle began, the car show was followed by a briskly paced original course tour through the town escorted by the cooperative and supportive Put-in-Bay Police Department. Sirens blared and engines roared as island residents waved flags around the route and while spectators lined the streets and cheered their favorite cars. As always, the tour provided a rolling spectacle to viewers along the route and a chance for drivers to get a sense of what it was like to actually race the narrow and rough roads of Put-in-Bay “back in the day”.
Other diversions included lunch-hour track touring for entered street cars, increasingly popular and zany “rocker cover races”, several social gatherings, and the Put-in-Bay Chamber of Commerce’s free trackside “Fan Zone” providing bleachers and plenty of nearby concessions for spectators and entrants.
Another popular feature is the opening-evening wine and cheese reception featuring an interview session with a returning veteran of the original ‘50s-era races. This year’s special guest was John Petrone Sr. of Kirtland, OH who delightfully recounted stories from his days racing a Triumph TR3 at Put-in-Bay back in the ‘50s.
Yet another social event was added to the schedule this year – an optional lunch held at the Put-in-Bay Yacht Club during the Tuesday racing schedule providing a break for long-suffering spouses and supporters. Island classic-MG owner Laureen Mooney and race supporter Karen Diehl of Diehl Insurance spearheaded the lunch, which included a silent auction benefiting ALS research. Nearly 50 attended and all gave rave reviews.
Ralph Zbarsky brought his stunningly original factory 67 MGBGT Sebring and Targa Florio racer all the way from Vancouver, BC. The car earned 2nd place in the competition class in the PIB car show and Ralph took home the Paul Henry Award, the PIB Sports Car Races highest honor for the entrant most exemplifying the spirit of the Put-in-Bay event. Giving chase in this Daniel Mainzer photo is Thomas Warner in the yellow Porsche 356A coupe and Daniel Styduhar in his Triumph TR3A.
At the post-race awards on Wednesday evening (see race results) the event’s highest honor, The Paul Henry Award, was presented to the entrant deemed best representing the “spirit” of the Put-in-Bay Road Races. This year’s recipient is Ralph Zbarsky who brought his historically significant, factory built Targa Florio and Sebring ’67 MGBGT all the way from Vancouver British Columbia to compete in the E Production class. In a note to organizers on his way home, Ralph wrote:
“I just wanted to let you know that your … event is top notch. It was a great personal honour to receive the Paul Henry award for 2018, and meet some of the previous winners. Your team deserves a ton of credit for all the hard work you put in to have such a great event. The community support is remarkable, the other competitors were sharp and respectful, and to race through hay bales (at an) airport brings me way back to a hundred years ago doing that at the Bremerton airport…. anyone who has not experienced that type of racing has not really raced.”
2019 dates are tentatively set for September 24th to 27th with racing on Wednesday the 25th and Thursday the 26th, one day later in the calendar than the 2018 schedule. PIB2019 will celebrate “Tin Top” sedans in various classes including Minis, Volvos, VWs, Cortinas, Alfas, Corvairs, BMWs, and Datsuns to name a few brands. “Heck, we may even consider Barracudas, Falcons and Dodge Darts,” commented race director, Jack Woehrle. “ Should be fun!”
2019 will mark the 10th anniversary year of the event, which started in 2009 with a modest reunion. It wasn’t until 2012 that the event initially included wheel-to-wheel vintage racing, so 2019 will actually be the event’s 8th racing event.
The Put-in-Bay vintage sports car races generally welcome drivers of vintage race-prepared pre-1973 production cars up to 3 liters, sports racers up to 2 liters, Formula Vees, Formula Jrs. and Formula Fords, but exceptions for larger bore cars have been made for significant cars that otherwise fit the age and preparation criteria.
For more information see www.pibroadrace.com.
Lake Erie Islands Conservancy Winter Bird Seed Sale is now active. Have your winter bird seed supply delivered to your island residence! Winter Bird Seed Sale benefits Lake Erie Islands Conservancy. Titgemeier’s Feed and Garden Stores will supply us with the following types of seed: niger/thistle, black oil sunflower, and mixed birdseed of several grades. Titgemeier’s is a family 
owned feed and garden store in business since January 12, 1888 at 701 Western Avenue in Toledo, Ohio. A most unusual store, their products range from grass seed and fertilizer to pet, wild bird, and brewing supplies.
To order, use the attached form, visit www.lakeerieislandsconservancy.org , or call Kelly or Marty Faris at 419-285-4772 or kelmar “at” thirdplanet.net. Forms will also be at the General Store, library, and other island locations. Orders will be taken until November 1, with delivery in mid-November.
