A quieter vibe

October 9, 2011 at 12:00a.m.

As fall arrives, life slows down at Put-in-Bay

By Ellen Creager

Detroit Free Press

SOUTH BASS ISLAND, Ohio

Some believe Put-in-Bay is in Canada. Or that there’s a secret tunnel to the mainland. Or that the National Park Service monument is a really tall lighthouse. Or that the island is one continual wild party.

There are so many myths about Put-in-Bay that locals have to laugh.

“There is a book out there on lighthouses of Ohio, and fact-checkers called me to ask about ours,” said Blanca Stransky, superintendent of the Perry’s Victory and International Peace Memorial, which looms 372 feet over Lake Erie. “I said, ‘I don’t know why we are in the book because I can assure you it’s not a lighthouse.’ They got really frustrated with me.”

Even the island’s name is confusing. It is actually South Bass Island, but everyone just calls it Put-in-Bay, the island town’s name.

And although it is a quick 18-minute ferry ride north of Port Clinton, Ohio, it operates in its own little quirky, self-contained orbit, a sort of Key West of Ohio.

“You have history here, and you also have the bars,” said Dusty Shaffer, director of the Wyland Gallery in town.

To many, Put- in-Bay is the place for summer boaters and visitors to whoop it up.

But on a Wednesday morning in late September, it’s a whole different story.

Docks are empty, with lines hanging limp in the autumn sun. There’s not a single customer in the big Round House Bar in the center of town. Stores are still open, selling risque T-shirts and souvenirs, but few customers appear. Out in the vineyards, fat Concord and Niagara grapes are ready to drop.

It’s as if the whole town is sighing, tired, and settling down for a long winter’s nap.

“It’s open here for another six weeks,” said Shaffer. “If you don’t like shoulder-to-shoulder people, now’s the time to come.”

Before I get to the part about how you can drive around the island in cool golf carts, let’s back up for a bit of history.

Put-in-Bay is part of a small clump of islands in Lake Erie — Kelleys, Middle Bass, North Bass and some others — north of the Sandusky-Port Clinton region of Ohio.

For recreational boaters, the islands are a popular summer destination.

But Put-in-Bay played a pivotal role in America’s nautical history.

After the Revolution, young America still felt animosity toward Britain and had an eye on Canada’s land. It declared war on Britain in 1812. One of the war’s crucial battles — the Battle of Lake Erie — took place just off Put-In-Bay, where Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry based his command and all his ships.

After capturing the entire British fleet in September 1813, he sent notice to Washington that “We have met the enemy, and they are ours.” The words on his vessel’s flag famously were “Don’t Give Up the Ship.”

The words are more remembered now than the battle, but that day ensured that Michigan, Ohio and New York would remain part of the U.S. That’s why tiny Put-in-Bay has the enormous Perry’s Victory memorial. Closed and under renovation since 2009, the memorial’s observation deck is due to reopen in June, just in time for the War of 1812 bicentennial.

In September 2013, there will be huge commemorations at Put-In-Bay, including re-enactment of the battle with a fleet of tall ships.

Now to the golf carts.

Put-in-Bay allows visitors to rent golf carts and drive them around on the roads. From the Miller Ferry on the west end, you can putter along the road, letting cars pass, taking your time. Since the island is only 31/2 miles long and 11/2 miles wide, a golf cart is plenty fast.

You can stop at two wineries, small caves and a chocolate museum. Bars and restaurants are open, but some curtail hours as season’s end nears. Take your cart to the far edges of the island or the state park, and if you are lucky, you may see interesting birds and wildlife.

The other bonus of visiting in fall? On weekdays, you may have the road to yourself. Only about 350 people live on the island year-round, but about 750,000 tourists come each season. In October, there is a stillness to the island. Winter is coming.

“We still have events coming up like Oktoberfest and a wine festival, but it’s not so hectic. Most people who live here say it’s their favorite time of year,” said Julene Market, owner of Miller Boat Line, the ferry company. She lives on the island, grew up on the island, and her family has been here for four generations.

Fall colors will peak in Put-in-Bay in early November, later than on the mainland.

The ferry will stop running in late November.

Then the island will sleep, dreaming of next year’s rowdy mischief.