The SHORE Line

S1, E49 
Dashing through the snow….straight towards the end of the year! Today on The SHORE Line we’re chatting with Zach Cummins, co-owner and COO of Great Lakes Audio Visual, a full-service entertainment event production company based in Milan, Ohio. Zach tells us about the company’s many projects and capabilities and the events they’ve produced all over the country. We talk about why Shores & Islands Ohio makes a great home base for their business and the many different types of clients they can service, from intimate weddings to huge rock shows. In 2023 Zach and his business partner were inspired to bring First Night Sandusky to the region to help ring in the New Year. First Night Sandusky returns in 2024 with a full line-up of entertainment, family-friendly fun, food, and fireworks. Zach gives us the full rundown of what to expect this year. With two stages, indoor and outdoor activities, vendors, live musicians, and two fireworks celebrations (6 pm and Midnight), First Night Sandusky is a fabulous way to welcome 2025! Plan to ring in the New Year in Shores & Islands Ohio. Get the full schedule of activities and performances at FirstNightSandusky.com.

S1, E48 
‘Tis the Season to make holiday memories! In this episode, we talk to the entertainment team from Cedar Point Resorts about a couple of fun getaway or staycation ideas for the holiday season. We chat with Lisa Jones, Sam Fowler, and Tony Clark about all of the fun activities and special surprises at two local resorts. For families, there’s Castaway Christmas at Castaway Bay. Here, enjoy a tropical getaway highlighted by an indoor water park, but made festive with a number of events and shows held specifically for kids including visits with Santa, who is vacationing there himself. Plus, families have a unique way to celebrate the New Year with Noon Year’s Eve at Castaway Bay! Next, we talk about a cozy lodge getaway with Sawmill Creek Resort and their amazing Season of Joy celebration. Visit Sawmill Creek before the end of the year and enjoy fantastic holiday décor, free live entertainment, interactive workshops, and more. And, you do not have to be an overnight guest to enjoy these activities, so be sure to stop by when you’re out enjoying Shores & Islands Ohio this season. We also learn about the biggest New Year’s bash around, Toast of the North Coast! Tony chimes in to tell us why visiting both resorts are absolute must-do’s and how you can get your Cedar Point-related gifts online, including exclusive merchandise and season passes! Check out CedarPoint.com, CastawayBay.com, and SawmillCreekResort.com for more.

S1, E47 
Meet Ben Langan, 4th generation farmer looking to expand the family business and make it his own. Joining his family’s herb farm, Ben recently opened Mulberry Creek Winery. We learn all about how he became a wine maker and his experiences learning his craft with other local wineries. We hear about the different varieties being produced there, from red to white, dry to sweet. Langan also tells us about a new product coming soon – fruit-infused Mead, made with locally-sourced fruits and honey! Ben tells us what it’s like to visit his winery, which is now open year-round in Huron, Ohio. We also talk about his family’s legacy and an upcoming tradition, the annual Christkindlmarkt, held December 7-8, 2024. Vendors, traditional German foods, and glühwein fill the farm’s greenhouses. Learn where you can taste these new wines and pick up some for you or as a gift. Visit Mulberry Creek Winery today at MulberryCreek.com/Winery.

S1, E46
 As we continue through the holiday season, host Jill Bauer is joined by Shores & Islands Ohio Visitor Services Manager Angie George to talk about some special holiday events and activities surrounding the Sandusky Christmas Market and special Saturday hours at the downtown Sandusky Welcome Center. Then, we travel back in time through Angie’s hobby, living history interpretation, to Historic Lyme Village in Bellevue, Ohio where she is a frequent volunteer and board member. Lyme Village Board President Tim Rife joins us to talk about tours offered at this 19th Century village and its 16 buildings. Plus, upcoming events such as the popular Victorian Christmas dinners, candlelit tours, and Christmas in the Village. Tim shares what he does for the organization, but also what he enjoys the most, which is playing Father Christmas! Both Tim and Angie educate us about this interesting historical attraction and their special events for young and old alike! Plan your visit or make reservations for these historical holiday happenings at LymeVillage.org.

S1, E45 
Holiday shopping season has arrived! The Sandusky Mall Complex is poised to be your gift buying destination, but also a destination for family fun! Joining Jill on the podcast is Sandusky Mall Marketing Director, Samantha Jeremay, to talk about festive events planned mall-wide. Think photos with Santa, kids’ crafts and activities, music performances, gifts-with-purchase, charity drives, and more! We learn how to make the holiday shopping season a little more fun. Plus, a sneak peak into Tilt Studio, an action-packed family fun center opening next month at the mall. Guests of Tilt Studio will be able to play arcade games, laser tag, mini-bowling, mini-golf, and other amusements. Just in time to entertain the kiddos on winter break! Samantha also tells us about a program for out-of-town guests to the mall, which Shores & Islands Ohio visitors should take advantage of! Find holiday shopping hours, events, and more at SanduskyMall.com

S1, E44 
Coming off Election Day, join us as we learn a little bit about the 19th President of the United States - Rutherford B. Hayes, who lived just down the road from Shores & Islands Ohio in Fremont, Ohio. His home is now part of the R.B. Hayes Presidential Library & Museums and joining us to tell us about it is Kristina Smith, marketing and communications manager at the facility. Kristina shares what the campus entails, the exhibits guests can view, and the experiences visitors to the library and museums can enjoy. We get to learn about why R.B. Hayes is an often-overlooked President, but why his election holds relevance today as one of the most hotly contested elections in history. Kristina also tells us a bit about the estate, known as Spiegel Grove, and how the grounds are open to the public to enjoy year-round. The attraction also hosts numerous special events throughout the year, including for the holidays. We chat about the many events the R.B. Hayes Presidential Library & Museums have planned for "A Presidential Christmas." They have historical home tours, events for kids, events for families, and so many warm ways to celebrate throughout the season! Find out more at RBHayes.org.

S1, E43 
Moving into the month of November, Jill is once again joined by Brian Shifflet as co-host. First, we briefly introduce some of the special events to look forward to in November, such as the Best of the Bay food competition, craft shows, holiday events, and rounding out the month with Shop Small Saturday. Jill and Brian chat about great places to shop, wander and support small business, and enjoy holiday festivities and discounts. Brian is joining Jill this week for another special reason, as he has a direct tie to the episode’s special guest and topic, the Firelands Symphony Orchestra. In addition to his role with Shores & Islands Ohio, Brian is a professional cellist with the orchestra and has played with them for approximately 10 years. Joining as special guest this week is Firelands Symphony Orchestra Executive Director (and violinist) Ron Brooker. Brooker shares a brief history of the organization and some of his favorite experiences with the orchestra. Ron also speaks to the performance venue and the orchestra’s resilience in being able to shift their season when it was determined that the Sandusky State Theatre would not be able to open this fall. Then, we go through the season, show by show, and Ron tells us what to look for at each performance, including the themes and pieces that will be played. Individual performance tickets and subscription packages are available – you won’t want to miss this spectacular season! Live shows by local musicians! Read more about the concerts and how to get tickets at FirelandsSymphony.com. 

S1, E42
As we look forward to the month of November, Host Jill Bauer and this week’s co-host, Visitor Experience Manager Brian Shifflet, chat about upcoming events. The Shores & Islands Ohio team is currently in the trenches of producing the 2025 Play + Stay Guide, so we talk a little bit about the contents of the travel planner and some of the fun things coming to the region in the upcoming year, including a crazy new coaster at Cedar Point. Then, we welcome guest Barbara Radebaugh from The Arts Garage in Port Clinton to talk about the area’s art scene and this awesome local attraction. The Arts Garage is home to the Greater Port Clinton Area Arts Council and houses several working artists, creative art exhibitions, and classes in many mediums for all ages. Barbara educates us on the history of the facility and what guests can experience when they visit year-round. This downtown staple is a fun place to fully experience art, learn from and talk to working artists, and take a number of project classes. Barbara even shares a bit with us about her creative process and what it’s like to be an artist. When you’re visiting the region, be sure to stop by The Arts Garage! Learn about upcoming exhibits and workshops and how you can support local artists in many ways online at gpcaac.org.

S1, E41 
Interesting topic on today’s episode about an important local initiative. But first, a sad farewell to cohost Dayton, as he bids goodbye to the Shores & Islands Ohio team. Learn about where he’s going and where you can continue to follow him. He also tells us what he enjoyed about his time as social media manager for our destination. Then, we bring in two guests to talk about something you never really think about but is just “the right thing to do.” Joining us on the podcast are Nichole Hahn from Hahn Advertising and James Johnson of Firelands Local. Together, they educate us on a Boat Wrap Recycling Program that allows Firelands Local, a Norwalk company that creates meaningful jobs for adults with developmental disabilities, to save 80,000 lbs annually of discarded shrink wrap and recycle it into guardrail blocks which line Ohio’s roadways. Many boaters winterize their boats by covering them in plastic and each spring a bunch of waste heads to the landfill. This meaningful program helps protect our waters and reduce plastic pollution. Learn how you, your business, or your marina can become a part of the movement at FirelandsLocal.com.

S1, E40 
Jill and Dayton welcome back friend of the podcast Dick Ries, one of the owners of Firelands Adventure Tours. Midway through Spooky Season, your hosts begin with a chat about Halloween decorating, haunted houses, getting lost in a corn maze, and other fall fun – all things visitors and locals to Shores & Islands Ohio can enjoy for the rest of October. Then, Dick returns to tell us all about what’s new with their popular and immersive Shores & Islands wine tasting tours, including more customization and regular tour availability with pick-ups at Sawmill Creek Resort. Or reserve door-to-door concierge service and Firelands Adventure Tours will pick you at your hotel or vacation rental for your wine tour experience. We then get back to the fall fun with a lively (or is it unalive?) discussion about the Haunted Sandusky Tours going on right now. There’s even an upcoming Spirit Investigation that Dick tells us all about. We then look ahead to the holiday season with a preview of the Holiday Lights Tours and what all participants will see and do to be put into a jolly holiday mood. Can’t wait! Book your choice of year-round or special seasonal tours for all ages and abilities at FirelandsAdventureTours.com.