Island Ambassador Peter Huston celebrates the history of Founders Day.

The 49th annual Founders Day will have a family-friendly celebration on Saturday, June 10 at DeRivera Park in downtown Put-in-Bay from 11 a.m.-4 p.m., featuring the island’s rich history, kid’s games, the Pooch Parade, PIB Twirlers and Shore Cakes, a fresh strawberry desert that is the traditional hit of the day.

Put-in-Bay’s Founders Day started 49 years ago and is a long-standing tradition where the Lake Erie Islands comes together to appreciate their rich history, cherish their community spirit and honor Hispanic merchant Jose DeRivera, who in 1854 purchased South Bass, Middle Bass, Sugar, Gibraltar, Ballast and Starve Islands for $44,000.

The crown jewel, or course, was Put-in-Bay and South Bass Island, now well-known as a party destination in summer, and features the very appropriate DeRivera Park in Put-in-Bay Harbor.

DeRivera graciously sold off parcels of the land to lure year-round residents, including the school property for $1 and the St. Paul’s church property for $10. Learn more at the PIB Historical Society and Nature & Wildlife Center exhibits.