Each Year, KILA selects projects to “improve and enhanced KI”. For 2022, we selected two main projects. The first project is for the Community Park playground equipment. This will purchase & install a saucer swing and a solo swing as part of the phase 2 for the new playground. The successful & sold out KILA Raffle will allow for this purchase.
The second project was suggested by KILA members Mike & Donna Schuessler. This was to put 4 trash receptacles at the trailhead of Scheele Preserve, North Pond, East Quarry, and North Loop trail. The receptacles were installed in late July and are in use to keep litter off the trails and neatly and easily disposed of.
L to R: Donna & Mark Schuessler-KILA members, Drew Algase – KILA V.P., Tom Pieratt – Park Board Chairman
For 2023 projects, we request proposals for our support as follows:
KILA – Request for Support
The Kelleys Island Landowners Association (KILA), a 501.c.3 charitable organization, is interested in improving and enhancing Kelleys Island. We ask that KI organizations or individuals with a specific project or initiative that will further this interest and wish for support from KILA, please submit a Request for Support to KILA. This support may be financial and/or through efforts of our members and volunteers.
We have no formal “grant application process”, but do require a type-written request of no more than two pages (8 ½ x 11 paper; 11 pt. font size minimum) containing the following information:
Requestor’s name and contact information
Title of project
Concise description of project including what is the project, who benefits from it, and how it “improves or enhances” KI.
Approval or support by the Village of KI, if applicable (i.e. Mayor or Village Administrator) or property owner (e.g. park, preserve, school, etc.).
Type (financial and/or volunteerism) and amount of support requested.
Any other information to help “sell” your proposal.
Requests for 2022 projects must be received by May 1, 2022. Please send requests to info@kila.rocks or PO Box 22 Kelleys Island, OH 43438-0022.
Submissions received by the due date will be reviewed over the winter and considered by the board of directors at the May, 21 2022 BoD meeting. Requestors may be asked to present their proposal at this meeting.
Selection criteria are:
Demonstration of Improvement or Enhancement of KI (audience benefitted, environmental impact, etc.)
Feasibility of implementation (necessary written approvals, zoning, public support)
Implementation effort for KILA volunteers (fund raising, acquisition and installation, project management, etc.)
Funding availability (usually proceeds from the Annual Raffle, other fundraising efforts, and direct donations)
It all started with almost perfect weather; no rain, no big winds, low humidity, and moderate temperature. Who could ask for more? Oh, a wonderful crowd of residents and visitors to KI having family fun.
Homecoming was kicked off by Friday’s main event; the 2nd annual Fish Fry. It was a beautiful cool night for a party. The tables were set; the tents were up; the beer was cold; the band was warming up; and the deep fryers were hot. All that was needed were some great Kelleys Island folks to show up and complete the scene. …And show up they did. KILA served 210 people (plus 30 kid free meals) a meal of half a pound of deliciously fried perch by Joel Byer and Mike Reeve. The meal also consisted of buttery fresh corn, cole slaw made by Donna Iosue at Taste by the Lake, cake and ice cream for dessert with water and lemonade to drink. The evening entertainment was provided by Fat City Lite.
All 210 tickets were presale tickets and they will be all presale again next year. So…….plan now to get your ticket early next year. We had at least 50 people ask for tickets in the day prior to the event. This way we can prepare and order food to accommodate everyone who has a ticket.
Saturday’s events began with the Homecoming Parade. This year’s parade included an ambulance, fire trucks, police cars, politicians, The Island Singers, a calliope, a wonderful grand marshal Charles Herndon and a few brave souls who allowed the creations to be judged regarding this year’s theme “Who is your superhero”. The top three are only identified by who was their hero(s) due to penmanship not being a qualifying element for the parade. In first place was “Farmers”, second place was “Emergency Medical Services (EMS)” and in third place was “Zorro”. Anchoring the parade was the Edison Chargers band from Milan High School. All of this was coordinated by Tom Behlen.
From Pie Contest Coordinator, Patti Johnson-Muranyi: The Pie Contest continued a wonderful tradition. We had 11 entries and thank each one of them for their varieties and professional qualities that made them so easy to enjoy and score but not very easy to find anything but winners. The presentation, textures and creative recipes were delightful. The 1st place winning pie was a lemon chiffon with blueberries by Virginia Coyne. June Campbell was the runner up. Robin Benvenito was 3rd.
After the parade ended at the Community Park Pavilion, the official opening ceremonies started with the Island Singers leading us in the National Anthem. The entertainment was continuous throughout the afternoon. It began with the Edison Chargers band encore. Then, the ever popular Frank & Dean serenaded us followed by the Fat City Band.
The Food Committee was busy preparing and serving Hamburgers, Cheese burgers, hot dogs, Brats, baked beans, coleslaw, and watermelon. They served several hundred and sold out of food by about 4 PM. Jim Coleman was the committee leader but, due to an unexpected family issue, he could not attend the event. So, Jennifer Pieratt and others stepped in to seamlessly grill, prepare & serve food.
The Beer was cold and plentiful, thanks to Frank Dodson and his crew of servers. The ever popular Beer Slide, manned by Tim Arnold, was entertainment for many.
The vendor and craft marketplace had 15 booths including the KI Historical Association, Audubon, KI Chamber of Commerce, and KI Field Station. One of the vendors was KILA. Chris Kipfer and his volunteers sold Stanley Tee shirts (designed by Jon Shoemaker), wine glasses, and misc merchandise. They also enrolled new members and sold the last of the raffle tickets.
The family games were run by Janet Killam. The Marshmallow golf competition was lots of fun. This was especially true for the winners: Kid’s Division was Aiden Rohrbach, adult division was Dave Hermes. The Twinkie eating contest was quite a sight. Cami Mader won the over twelve division and Hayden (repeat winner from last year) won the under 12 division. Snickers the balloon artist treated the kids to his balloon magic. And, the bounce castle was very popular and well used all afternoon. Thanks to Jim Zeller for lending it to us. As at most Homecomings, an alumni photo is taken. The 2022 Estes Alumni photo courtesy of Deb & Rob Holmes.
The main objective of the Homecoming celebration is for community fun and social interaction. We also have a couple of fund raising activities. Our main fundraiser is the Annual Raffle. The proceeds will go toward the purchase of playground equipment for the KI Community Park. The Raffle winners were:
$2500. Jonathan Wilson
$1000. Alex Vizmeg (KILA member)
$500. Steve Biltz (KILA member)
$250. Elic Watkins (KI resident)
$100. Dave Austin
Bird house Rich Ratemar
Another fundraising event is the Silent Auction. Items were donated by Hancock-Wood Coop, Seaway marina, Jet Express, Tito’s Vodka, Maple City Ice, Franklin Sanitation, Jim Zeller, Herndon Galleries, MadTree Brewing, FC Cincinnati, KI Historical Assoc., KI Lumber Co, and the Parsonage. Thanks to the donors and the purchasers. The proceeds from this go toward the cost of the marching band for our parade.
And, who can forget our 50/50 raffles run by Elliot Algase and a protégé, Aiden Rohrbach. These as well as merchandise sales, food & beer sales allow us to donate to our community. KILA is a charitable organization (501.c.3). Donations are always gratefully accepted.
By all accounts, Homecoming 2022 was a smashing success. Great Food, entertainment, activities, and fundraising for the good of KI. None of this could be done without the immense efforts of the KILA Board members, KILA members, friends and family. The many sponsors who donated prizes, facilities, promotion, time and effort is gratefully appreciated. There is a lot of “behind the scenes” work to organize the many moving pieces of Homecoming. Thanks to the Village of Kelleys Island for rental of the pavilion, use of tables and chairs, and parade participation. Thanks to the folks who cleaned and set-up and then took down and returned and stored all the tents, grills, and equipment needed for next year. And a big thankyou to all the KI residents (current & returning) & visitors who participated in the Homecoming celebration . Thanks to Shores & Islands Ohio for their grant to promote Homecoming. https://www.shoresandislands.com/
See you all next year at the 49th Homecoming on August 11 &12, 2023 –circle the date!
Please see KILA Korner in the September issue of Kelleys Life for more Homecoming details from which this post is excerpted.
Friday Fish Fry
2nd prize Raffle winner Alex Vizmeg with KILA officers
Estes school Alumni photoVeteran Volunteers: Tim, John, and EdFat City Band
The 2nd annual KILA Fish Fry will be Friday, August 12th (6-8:00 PM) to kick off the 2022 Homecoming Celebration weekend. Dinners include an ample serving of perch, cole slaw, corn on the cob, bread, dessert and water or lemonade. Tickets must be purchased in advance for $30 per dinner. For children 12 and under, hot dogs & chips will be free with adult ticket holders. There will be entertainment by “Fat City Lite” and beer & soda available.
For current active KILA members, whose 2022 dues are paid by July 1. 2022, Fish Fry tickets will be available for purchase beginning Tuesday July 5th until July 10th at $25 each, a $5 discount. There is a limit of 6 tickets per membership/household. Tickets are available during this 1 week period by contacting Drew Algase at drew@kila.rocks. No tickets will be sold prior to July 5. Only cash or checks will be accepted. Remember, only 200 tickets are available, but KILA members get first crack at them, and at a $5 savings. Starting July 12th, any remaining tickets will be offered to the general public at $30.
To clarify, current active members are those members who have paid their 2022 dues ($20 for renewals, $25 for new members). The quickest and easiest way to pay is by going to www.kila.rocks and paying through PayPal. Another option is to stop by Megs Makeshop and fill out a form and pay you dues. The third and slowest option is to send a check to the address on the website but it must be processed by the 1st to qualify for the advance ticket sales.
This is quickly turning into one of our more popular events and there is no guarantee there will be tickets available after the presale so we’re encouraging everyone to renew your membership if you haven’t already done so.
Also, the proceeds for our raffle this year are going towards buying equipment for new Community Park Playground. Tickets are $25 apiece. First prize is $2500, 2nd prize is $1000, 3rd prize is $500, 4th prize is $250 and 5th prize is $100. See any KILA board member to get your tickets (before Tom Beck finds you!!)
The KILA Kards are finally in and ready to be picked up by 2022 active KILA members at Meg’s Makeshop in the Caddy Shack Square.
We have cards preprinted for anyone who paid their 2020 and 2021 dues. If you paid your 2022 dues you should also have a preprinted card. There are a few fairly new members who have paid but did so after the cards were printed. If your card is not their they can give you a blank one. There will also be blank forms if you want to renew your membership and get your card on the spot.
We do encourage everyone to renew their membership because there will be an announcement coming soon that will be open to active paid members only.
Please remember the Welcome Back Pot Luck on Saturday May 21st, 6-8 PM at the Pavilion in the KI Community Park.
There is a lot to see at the park. It’s new name is Kelleys Island Community Park. KILA donated the new sign for this park that should be installed in time for the Pot Luck.
The playground equipment has been removed to due safety issues. The Park Board is in process of replacing it with a modern playground for everyone. Please see the plans at the KI Park Committee Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/KIParkCommittee
KILA is supporting this plan by donating the Saucer swing and solo swing w/ tot seat in the Phase 2
Swings to be donated by KILA
Please remember to renew your membership, join KILA, or donate to improve and enhance KI.
KILA relies on several sources of revenue to support our projects and initiatives to improve and enhance Kelleys Island. These include membership dues, fund raising activities, and donations. In addition to supporting these projects, your donation to KILA, a 501.c.3 charitable organization, has some tax advantages per IRS regulations.
1. Your donation may be deductible when you itemize expenses.
2. You may make a Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD) directly from your IRA to KILA. This direct donation does not count as ordinary income to you as a distribution from your retirement plan usually would. This QCD will count towards your required minimum distribution (RMD) for those of you older than 70.5. However, the limit of the contribution (QCD) is $100,000 per person.
It’s not too late to consider a donation to KILA.
Please consult with your tax advisor to be sure you understandthe tax issues with these donations.
