The Beacon

WHAT A DAY IT WAS!!! The Gem Beach Rock 'n Roll Reunion was a resounding success as upwards of 5,000 folks said their last goodbye to Gem Beach and to all the memories. Mary Alice and I would like to personally thank the members of our organizing committee (especially Kim Godfrey who is starting up a new Event Planning business locally, and I would highly recommend her if you are planning a wedding or some other big event); the hundreds of volunteers who helped make the day work, the four bands along with Mike "Mad Dog" Adams and Ronnie Howard from "Cruisin'", all of whom performed for free; Rotary, Kiwanis, all those who donated auction items, and, of course, our sponsors who made it all possible. It was a HUGE all-volunteer project, the Community came together and we pulled it off. Folks came from as far away as Florida, Texas and California. At Tuesday's PC Rotary meeting, United Way Director, Chris Galvin announced that the event has officially earned over $50,000 for UW in Ottawa County. Oh, by the way, there are still some "I Survived the Gem Beach Rock 'n Roll Reunion" T-Shirts still available for sale at Gem Beach Marina, the United Way office at the Sutton Center or online at generousgems.com while supplies last. There was just one more ironic twist. The photo we ran last week of the two teenagers sitting in front of the old Chart House was a photo of a very young Steve Wiley of Catawba. Steve saw the photo and identified it for us. However, his family had to call us because Steve was in the final moments of his battle with cancer. His obituary is in this week's paper.
We had 182 entries in our "Where's Wylie" contest this week and our winner is Nancy Rudes of Port Clinton who found Wylie Walleye in the ad for Fairway Villas on page 1A of last week's Beacon. Nancy wins a $20 gift certificate to the new Portside Inn & Restaurant on Perry Street in Port Clinton. We'll be hiding Wylie Walleye again this week in one of our ads. If you find him, register to win by mailing the form in the paper; by dropping it off at our office next to Goodwill Industries in the Beacon Place Shopping Center; e-mail your entry to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ; or click on the Wylie icon on our home page at www.thebeacon.net.
The next Conestoga Neighborhood Project meeting (a special project of United Way in Port Clinton) will be held at the Lakeview Park Shelter House this Wednesday, October 1 from 5:30 - 7:30 p.m. Please bring a dish to share. For more information on the Conestoga Project call United Way at 419-734-6645.

The Port Clinton Rotary Club welcomed their District Governor, David Daugherty of Mansfield and his wife Jennifer on Tuesday. He told the local Rotarians about Rotary International's major service project ... the eradication of Polio. Daugherty represents 67 Rotary Clubs in a large area of Northwest Ohio and Northeast Indiana.

It is interesting that I should get this right after the Gem Beach event. The Sandusky County Historical Society Museum will present an exhibit entitled "Remembering Rainbow Garden" The exhibit will debut in conjunction with the Sandusky County History Road Trip on September 27 & 28. Rainbow Garden was a big dance hall, much like Gem Beach used to be back in the 30s, 40s and 50s. The museum is located at 514 Birchard Avenue in Fremont.

The ladies of Faith United Methodist Church at the corner of 5th and Jackson Streets in Port Clinton will be back in the kitchen for their inaugural 4th Friday Luncheon of the season this Friday, September 26 at the Church. They will be serving from 11-1. Enjoy their delicious soups, sandwiches and homemade pies. Carryouts will be available.

The Fall Cleanup at Lakeview and Riverview Cemeteries in Port Clinton begin on Wednesday, October 1. Interested parties are asked to please remove all items from stones and graves by Tuesday, September 30. Anything left on the stones and/or graves after Wednesday may be disposed. Items may be replaced after October 13.

The Ida Rupp Library's Centennial Celebration is selling a royal blue tote bag with the book "Ann of Green Gables" and a centennial pin inside. The tote is only $10 and can be purchased anytime at the Library's front desk.