Good News  Bad News  —  Duff Vineyard Capital Campaign

The bad news is that on November 5, the Put-in-|Bay Township Park District levy, Issue #18, was not approved.  The levy would have generated funds to augment the grant and provide yearly maintenance at the Duff Vineyard and other Park District properties.     

The good news is that on November 7, 2024, the Park District was awarded a $600,000.00 Clean Ohio Conservation Grant to  purchase the open space portion of the Walt and Sue Duff Vineyard property. 

The beauty and culture of the Islands are a couple of primary reasons people visit and own property here.  The purchase of the Duff Vineyard is truly an investment in the future.

If acquired, the area would be preserved as an historical park, a working vineyard with educational interpretive signage showing how a vineyard is maintained and operated and emphasizing the importance of the grape industry to the history of the Lake Erie Islands.

The purchase of the vineyard has been a cooperative effort to preserve history, spearheaded by the Put-in-Bay Township Park District, the Lake Erie Islands Conservancy and dedicated individuals and businesses.  Donations and fund raising efforts to date total  $187,000.00.   The Park District currently has approximately $800,000.00 toward the purchase of the $1,100,000 Duff Vineyard Property.

We have not yet met our goal. We need your help to raise the additional $300,000 needed to complete this purchase. Time is running out!  

If you would like to help reach this financial goal and create a legacy that will forever give back to the Island community, you can make a donation to the Put-in-Bay Township Park District or the Lake Erie Islands Conservancy. Or sponsor a vineyard row. See insert below. Can use QR code to make donation as well.

Please contact Lisa Brohl (419-366-2087), Kendra Koehler(419-341-2725), or Kelly Faris (419-285-4772) for information on how to make a donation to this capital campaign, to learn about vineyard sponsorship opportunities