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Middle Bass
ODNR Announces Parking Decision
The Ohio Department of Natural Resources is excited to announce that starting May 1st, 2025, Middle Bass Island State Park will be allowing 24-hour parking in the previously closed area across from Walleye’s near the ferry dock. To help maintain a clean and accessible environment for all visitors, it will be reducing the parking lot footprint to just the designated stone area.
For the rest of this year 2024, it will allow 24-hour parking without a parking pass.
Here’s what you need to know for the 2025 season:
24-Hour Parking Pass – All visitors wishing to park in this area will need to stop by the Harbormaster building to receive a 24-hour parking pass.
Information Required – When obtaining your parking pass, please be prepared to provide your name, current address, vehicle’s license plate number and a valid phone number.
Display Your Pass – Be sure to hang your parking pass on your rearview mirror while your vehicle is parked.
NOTE – Vehicles parked longer than the allotted 24-hour period will be towed at the owner’s expense.
NOTICE: BOAT RAMP PARKING LOT GUIDELINES
Please be advised that the boat ramp parking lot is subject to a 24-hour parking rule. This area is intended for transient use only and should not be utilized for long-term storage of vehicles or trailers. Vehicles exceeding the 24-hour limit may be subject to towing at the owner’s expense.
North Bass
Meier’s Files For Bankruptcy
Meier’s Wine Cellar, the largest winery in the state, filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy in late July. Vintage Wine Estates, a California company, purchased Meier’s in 2022. They filed for bankruptcy on the same day. Both companies were run as separate entities.
Meier’s is the oldest wine company in the state. The company purchased land to grow grapes on North Bass Island (Isle Saint George) in 1941. Henry O. Sonneman, who was president of Meier’s Wine Cellars in 1954, planted numerous hybrid grape varieties. From that date until 1976, Meier’s produced table wines, sparkling wines, dessert wines, vermouths, and carbonated grape juice.
Paramount Distillers Inc. in Cleveland, Ohio, purchased the winery in 1976, but kept the Meier’s Wine Cellars brand. Robert Gottesman was president of Paramount at that time and was a leader of the Ohio wine industry. Operations ceased on North Bass more than a decade ago when the ODNR bought the vineyards to be used for a state park.
Another MBI Poker Kayak Day Success!
By Tina M Larson
Warm temperatures, but great west wind, made for a change in course for the MBI Poker Kayak Day. Kayakers paddled only on the East side of the Island this year. The group of 16 paddlers and anonymous passers-by generated $695 to benefit the Middle Bass Island preserves of the Put-in-Bay Township Park District! Many thanks for supporting this fundraiser!
Colleen Kerkay of Middle Bass Island, OH won the first prize of round trip ferry tickets for two adults and a vehicle, courtesy of Miller Ferry! Simply by chance, her son Jacob Kerkay, also of Middle Bass, won the second prize of a generous gift card, courtesy of the Middle Bass General Store! And Casey Pittman of Norton, OH, won third prize of a bag of frozen shrimp from Costco! Other kayakers were Jacquie and Roy Adams, Clare Baruch, Pam Coleman, Tina Hathcock, John Pittman, Elizabeth Rosendorf with her 6-year old daughter Kamara, Dawn Schrenk, Jason Simon, David Telford, Paul Toth, Sue Ungvarsky and Lisa Womble.
This year’s fun event just would not have happened without the small army of willing, wonderful, and caring volunteers and promoters. A thousand appreciative thank-you’s go out to Cheryl & Brian Beal, Betsy & Jim Brohl, Lisa & Russ Brohl, Jerry Chaplik, Jude Dietrich, Eriesponsible, Rob Greene, Great Lakes Clean Marina Network, Lake Erie Islands Conservancy, Tina & Dave Larson, Lynda & Ken Leque, MBI General Store, MBI State Park Marina, Miller Boat Line, Ohio DNR, Ohio Division of Wildlife, Put-in-Bay Gazette, Dawn & Jerry Schrenk, TMP Architecture, U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Naval Sea Cadet Corps, Sue & Jim Ungvarsky, and the Western Reserve Land Conservancy.
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