official tourism bureau

The Big Day at the Bay

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September 18th was an exciting day on Put-in-Bay, full of festivals and events. The day was dubbed the Big Day at the Bay and it was just that! From a 5K run and parades to live music and Monte-Carlo street games, there was something for everyone to enjoy.

You never know what kind of weather you will get in mid-September on Put-in-Bay but the Big Day at the Bay brought excellent weather and was the perfect ending to summer. The morning started off with the Miller Boat Line 5k and Family Fun Walk. This 5K has been called the most scenic 5K in Ohio as there are beautiful views of Lake Erie along the race’s track. This year’s 5K had over 200 participants ranging from ages 8 to 76! Race results can be viewed online here.

Saturday also brought the return of the Put-in-Bay Music Festival. The festival, sponsored by Miller Boat Line, was hosted by the Boathouse and took place in the parking lot. The music fest took on an Irish theme as it was also Halfway to St. Patrick’s Day on the island. The festival had live performances by Marys Lane, The Flyin Jays, AJ & the Woods, Amelia Airharts and Allie and the Rockers. It also featured Guinness Bill & Dick McCarthy and the Ukulele Allstars with special guest MC Bob Gatewood. During the festival, the Perry Group hosted a ukulele workshop on the Peace Garden Lawn. The group of ukulele instructors, led by Dick McCarthy, taught people of all ages how to play the ukulele!

We celebrated Halfway to St. Patrick’s Day with the highlight being the parade at 2pm. Hooligan’s sponsored a bagpipe band and the Put-in-Bay Panther Twirling Club marched in the parade as well. The Broncos were here for Broncos on the Bay and they also had a parade at noon. The parade included forty to fifty Broncos that were here for the big day. As you explored the island, you could find restaurants and businesses decorated for the celebration of Halfway to St. Patrick’s Day. Island restaurants also served Irish themed food and beverages throughout the day.

The Irish themed foods weren’t the only special foods served on the island that day. The GOAT sponsored a Sausage Fest that took place in Das Lokal Biergarten. The event featured good drinks, specialty sausages and live music from the Phil Yan Polka Band. The Put-in-Bay Volunteer Fire Department also hosted a clambake! The clambake dinner was great and the giant American flag that was hanging from one of the firetrucks was a nice added touch to the clambake.

The fun continued as the police department began to close down Delaware Avenue at 3pm in preparation for New Year’s Eve at the Bay. Set-up began for the celebration and the streets were filled with Monte-Carlo style games. The games began at 6pm and the event ended around 11pm. This event could not have happened without the help of many volunteers who worked until nearly 1am to make it happen.

The Big Day at the Bay was the perfect summer send-off. It’s been a great summer of getting back to our normal Put-in-Bay events. As the season winds down, the events heat up! We’ve got a couple of our biggest events ahead of us before the season ends, including Wine Fest and Oktoberfest. Check back soon for those event recaps!

 

Join us this season for Big Day at the Bay on September 17th, 2022!