Out with the old in with the new and improved! (spring 2011)

The Coffee Shop is relocating and giving birth to our very own island Bakery scheduled to open in the spring of 2011! Rock, Baker, Sippers is the creation of Denise Feasby. Some of you may remember her waiting on you at the Portside last summer. She threw away her waitress apron and put on her bakers hat and is opening the islands first Bakery (as far as we can remember there was never a bakery on the island??). She has been working with Wedding Cakes for a while and decided to go full steam ahead offering baked goods, wedding cakes along with coffee and smoothies to start out. We are all very excited for her and her new venture!
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New Games / Old Games (spring 2011)

2010 the Game Arcade brought Foosball back and it was a hit with the young and the old. Ahhh, those were the days, in my friends basement playing Billards and Foosball.

Well, this spring (2011), table-style PacMan with an Ohio State themed surface (Go Bucks!) is coming with 60 games to choose from. Yes, you can SIT and play PacMan or any of your favorites like you used to! Remember the old PacMan, Donkey Kong, etc? I loved those games and looking forward to their return. (Just trying to figure out how to sneak down to the Game Shack during work, HA) See you there! Enjoy.
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Where did all the Flowers Go? (summer 2009)

The Waterfall Fish Pond had a face life this summer. The Waterfall at the Mini-Golf was so popular with that Kids, that the plethera of flowers and bulbs we planted in the fall and spring were not able to survive. The kids were so focused on the fish in the pond it led them to trample all over the budding flowers and flower beds.

When discussing it with our local Artist, Joe Corso, he came up with solution involving some old local wood planks that were recycled into flower boxes. All completed, they look great, the flowers flourished and the children can still admire the fish! We would like to thank Joe for his ingenuity and gardening sense. We see him as an "Artist" in all that he approaches and "GREEN" too!

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Clowning Around with Tattoos (summer 2009)

If you have not notice the Temporary Airbrush Tattoo Shop at the end of the Booga Shack shopping strip (in front of the Game Shack Arcade, perhaps you have met the red headed Stan or seen him tooling around on his "Merf the Clown" golf cart! Come to think of it, he usually has a hat on, so the red hair might not stand out but his friendly personality would.

Stan is the latest addition to the Caddy Shack Square. Along with doing Temporary Tattoos, he side-lines as a professional clown and is just a great, down-home type guy. His wife joins him on the weekends, and you will find them chatting with passers by and enjoying the sun at the "umbrella" table in front of the shop. The Airbrush Tattooing is a great feature for kids of all ages. Stop by and say Hi to Stan and ask him about his advertures as "Merf the Clown", (there is some history there).

ATM on the Move (summer 2009)

Since the Welcome Center is disbanned and the space has been rented, the ATM has moved to just inside the Flip Flop Shop
(which is located between the Coffee Shop and the Beach Rack in Caddy Shack Square in the Shops behind the Putt-Putt, Downtown Kelleys Island)

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Join the Local Booga Tribe - Relax, it's your Right as a Human Being! (summer 2009)

Booga Wear is a staple on Kelleys Island, almost everyone who frequents the island has at least one Booga Shirt. Perhaps they wear their shirt to bed, to garden, to school, or even to swim, but for sure, to relax and enjoy the cozy comfort of it all. It is a constant reminded that Life is Simple and we DESERVE to Relax and Enjoy ourselves. But most of all it reminds them of Kelleys Island and the fun, relaxed nature of the island.

When people first arrive on the island from their hectic life and the traffic of the city, it helps them unwind and feel immediately that they no longer need to hurry, they can de-stress, put on their Booga Shirt and flip flops and just "BE"

You can now become a member of the Kelleys Island Booga "Tribe". You must first agree to the Booga "Rules" which involve "enjoying life, laughing and making other people laugh, etc." and fill out a membership form where you list your favorite things to do on Kelleys Island.

The Booga Shack at Caddy Shack Square offers a Booga Tribe Membership Shirt with the tribe's "Favorite Things To Do" list printed on the back which includes: catching fireflies, riding bikes, campfires etc., along with your Booga Window Sticker and Booga Tribe Membership card, all for a one-time Membership fee of $20

Simplify your Life, join the Kelleys Island Booga Tribe, kick back and Relax, you're on Kelleys Island, what more could you want!

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Beach Rack or Beach WRAP? (summer 2009)

WOW, the Beach Rack has added a whole rack of Beach Wraps this year

Going to the beach can be super simplified with a Beach Wrap, commonly referred to as a Sarongs or Pareo. I used them for virtually everything, not just as a wrap, but I carry things to the beach by making them into a bag and instead of a towel or blanket, you can use a sarong to lay on at the beach, then shake off and wrap yourself up as you leave, they dry super fast, compared to a towel or blanket and take up almost no room in the washer (or easy to hand wash), hang dry and go again, they last a long time, I have some good quality Sarongs that are 10+ years old. All you need is a swim suit and flip flops and you are beach ready!

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Sunday Antique "CRAP" Car Parade (summer 2008)

Almost anything qualifies on Kelleys Island for the weekly "CRAP" Antique Car Parade, if it is old or unique, you can join the parade. Every Sunday during the summer, all the cars line up at 12:00 at West Bay and end up at the Casino Dock. Several of the weekly members have 1 pm obligations and they don't hang around long, so try to view the parade along the way or you might miss some real unique cars.

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Coffee Flip Flop: New and Renewed Places of Interest
(summer 2008)

Caddy Shack Square has had a Coffee Shop for several years. This year, the front of the shop got a noticable "big city" face-lift by the new owners, who are branching out and opening another one in downtown Cleveland.

With Coffee, Tea, Smoothies and a selection of baked items, it has, what every Coffee Shop wants to be and is located right in the heart of Downtown Kelleys Island.

Stop in, welcome the Erie Island Coffee Company and enjoy one of their frozen specialties: the Glacial Groove!

Right next door is what every island girl longs for:
the Flip Flop Shop!
2010 update: OKA b (Sandals made in USA) to hit the island in June, very cute!
2009 update: VERY CUTE: burned out clothing and tattoo-look style clothing.

This shop is just about the cutest addition to the island shopping circuit lately. With brands like Havianna (only the BEST basic rubber flip flop available) to Teva, Rider, Rafter and others, with a variety of hats: cowboy hats, fidoras, drivers, baseball, fashion, floppy, etc. Shell jewelry that goes great with summer fashion and affordable high-end polarized sunglasses by Native (one of the most popular among winter and summer sports enthusiast featuring, feather-light weight, safety-pop-out lenses on impact and ventilation systems). Check out the Kariza - a wrap-style, light weight, versitile dress/skirt/top, your limit is your imagination.

There is a nice selection of Mens flip flops and sandals for all those guys waiting for the girls while they are looking around. Teva makes a great Boaters sole and is getting rave reviews with the island boaters and fishermen!

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What is 50' long with running water, downtown Kelleys Island? (summer 2008)

Next time you pass by the old-fashioned mini-golf, which is located in Caddy Shack Square, downtown on Division St. (locally referred to as "Envision" Street) for those not familiar, get out and take a walk to the middle of the course and you will discover that Kelleys Island now has a waterfall. With the help of our local artist and gardener, Joe Corso, we have reinacted the old waterfall.

Once active, it has been dormant and weed covered lately. After many attempts to plant flowers to beautify the shady strip of ground that was once a waterfall/pond, this year Caddy Shack Square has rebuilt the fall.

Joe worked endless hours manually digging out the dirt-filled bed, laid a pond liner, recemented the leaky stone fall structure, planted flowers and added a pump and soaker system for the flower bed. Rumors are, there will be fish too! This should add a nice touch to the already charming old fashioned mini-golf for kids and family to enjoy.

Kelleys Island, for your family vacation, a holiday resort island - local and fun!

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What is Green, Red, White
and blinking all over? (summer 2008)

The only bulb illuminated sign on Kelleys Island, just got refurbished. It has been in much needed repair for some time now, every year it had lost a light or two and last year someone hit the sign for the second time, so it was a bit bent up. It was a collaborative effort...

Steve Petri repaired the metal structure, Joe Joyce redid the wiring and Sandusky Electric worked on the blinking system that has been on the "blink" for some time. Joe Corso is redoing some of the letters by adding (in red) "Home of Buckeye Bar" in the center of the 2 sided sign.

It was re-erected last week with several on-lookers and a sigh of relief after it finally rested perfectly on it's perch.

Many thanks to the new Caddy Shack Restaurant & Bar owners, Phil, Brett & Lynn, and Wayne & Debbie and everyone involved, the historical icon is back and looking good!

New Welcome Center, Downtown (summer 2008)

2009 Update: due to lack of financial / local business support, we regret that the Welcome Center is no longer in service, but the you can still find the Chamber at the Kelley Island Ferry Boat Dock (Thanks to Alfredo and Bibber who offered their time and to all the tourist that utilized the service while it was available and all their great feedback!)

This year, downtown lost the Chamber to the Seaway Marina, so all the travelers looking for information after getting off the Jet Express Ferry or the Goodtime I Cruise Boat downtown, were left to their own resources. So the Caddy Shack Square had a brainstorm and decided to implement a Welcome Center - "Welcome to Kelleys Island, Ohio - Information & Souvenirs" (souvenirs to pay for the space and the free information). There are many features for travelers and local businesses with focus on directing visitors both on the island and on the internet. The Welcome Center is a free service for the businesses to drop their information for visitors to gobble up, so bring your flyers, brochures, calendar of events etc. and look for Alfredo de la Fuente's emails for updates or request for info verification, or email him at: kelleysislandconcierge@gmail.com for more information

As businesses on Kelleys, we are all different and draw our own customers. We are here to direct people and help them find the experience they are searching for. Businesses, if you want to boost your exposure locally or online, talk to Alfredo about becoming a sponsor to help keep the center alive and your business on top.

Alfredo is working with internet marketing and search engine optimization, for those of you not so internet savy, he is helping Kelleys Island to become one of the top spots to show up when doing an internet search for what we have to offer here.

Ordinarily, when you build a website, it takes around 2 years to be searchable (in the organic search located on the left side of the page) by terms other than your website name. With various search engine tools, you can speed that time up and increase your exposure, it is way over my head, involving blogs, forums, search words, structuring your site to be searchable and a lot of time, but that is the general idea, and that is what Alfredo is good at doing.

Feel free to stop in and check it out, open 10:30 am - 6 pm, everyday starting next week June 9.