Edgecombe Reunion 2027

The plan

The weekend, loosely held

Heads up: this whole schedule is loosely held and subject to change. Shared meals are the backbone; everything else is optional. Days marked proposed are penciled in and firm up once RSVPs are in.

Wednesday

Jun 16

optional

Early arrivaloptional

For families who want the extra day

Nothing organized. A loose day in downtown Sandusky: the waterfront, Columbus Ave, Toft’s, dinner somewhere in town.

Thursday

Jun 17

Morning: beach or Kalaharioptional

East Harbor State Park, Marblehead, about 30 minutes

If the weather holds, this is the beach morning: a 1,500-foot sand beach on Lake Erie with restrooms, changing rooms, and picnic tables and grills next to the sand. Free. If it doesn’t, Kalahari is the backup, and tickets there are on your own.

Arrival and welcomeall together

The family hub: Lost Sailor Inn, downtown Sandusky. Plenty of parking in the big lot.

Menu TBD. Most people are just getting in.

Friday

Jun 18

Cedar Point dayproposed

Cedar Point, 10 minutes away

The main event, everybody in. Breakfast on your own, then meet at the park. Time TBD. Group tickets if enough of us commit.

Wear your reunion t-shirt. We stand out in a crowd and nobody gets lost.

Family dinnerall together

The family hub (Lost Sailor Inn)

Menu TBD. The one night we’re all at the same table, so keep the evening open.

Saturday

Jun 19

Put-in-Bay island dayproposed

Jet Express from downtown Sandusky

Meet at the hub at 9:00 am and we’ll walk over to the Jet Express together. Boat leaves around 9:30. Golf carts, Perry’s Monument, and lunch together on the island. Return ferries run roughly every two hours, so head back when you’re ready. What to do on the island →

Family dinnerall together

The family hub (Lost Sailor Inn)

Taco night. Another night all together.

Sunday

Jun 20

Farewell breakfastall together

Sandusky Bay Pancake House, 4710 Milan Rd

One last meal together before checkout. We’re checking whether they can seat a group our size on a Sunday morning; if not, breakfast moves to the hub.

RSVP

Count your family in

Tell your branch lead

Who’s coming, which nights, and a t-shirt size for everyone. That’s all we need.

Glenn & Karen’s branch → Glenn or Karen JR & Holly’s branch → Holly David & Liz’s branch → David or Liz Mark & Adela’s branch → Glenn or Karen

BRANCH LEADS: RSVP here (online form link coming soon).

What to bring →

Not sure who to tell? Text Nick: 202-577-3793

Packing

What to bring

The houses cover the basics. This is the stuff that makes the weekend better, and it fits in a trunk.

If you’re driving

Trunk space is a gift

Yard games, a frisbee, a football, beach stuff (towels, umbrellas, floats), coolers, and camping chairs. There will be a lot of sitting around the hub lot and the beach, and there are never enough chairs.

Board games and card games too, for the evenings and the rainy hours. Anything that works for a mixed crowd of kids and adults around a big table at the hub.

Everyone

Flying or driving

Sunscreen, swimsuits, comfortable shoes for the island, and a layer for the ferry ride. It is cooler on the water than it is on shore.

Lodging

Where we’re staying

Three family houses are booked. Your branch lead can help you figure out where you fit, and there are more options nearby if we outgrow them.

Lost Sailor Inn

JR & Holly’s house · downtown Sandusky · the family hub

A converted historic church, walkable to downtown and five minutes from the island ferries. Six bedrooms, room for 16.

This is the family hub. When we say “the hub,” this is the place. Shared meals and gatherings happen here, and the large parking lot fits everyone when we do.

Get directions →

1880 Farmhouse

Glenn & Karen’s house · the countryside

2 acres with a trout stream, a fire pit, and a game room, about 9 miles from Cedar Point. Six bedrooms, sleeps 12.

Get directions →

Lakefront Cottage

David & Liz’s house · Huron

Lakefront home about 5 miles east of Sandusky, 15 minutes to Cedar Point. Five bedrooms, ten beds, sleeps 13.

Get directions →

Need your own place? Two options close to the hub: Camp Sandusky has cabins about 10 minutes out on Tiffin Ave, and Hotel Kilbourne is a boutique hotel on the water downtown, a few blocks from the hub.

To do

What we might do

Tell your branch lead which of these you’d join; enough hands unlocks group rates.

Cedar Point

10 minutes away

America’s Roller Coast. With 15 or more of us, group tickets run about half the gate price. Advance group tickets have run about $40 vs $85 at the gate, plus one free ticket for every 15 purchased. Tell your branch lead if you’re in.

Put-in-Bay

Ferry across Lake Erie

Jet Express from downtown, golf carts, Perry’s Monument, caves for the kids, a winery for the grown-ups. Boat runs about $40 round trip for adults, $8 for kids 6–11, under 5 free.

From the top of Perry’s Monument you can see the whole collection of Lake Erie islands: North Bass, Middle Bass, and yes, Rattlesnake Island itself.

African Safari Wildlife Park

Port Clinton, 20 minutes

Drive-thru safari. Feed giraffes, zebras and camels through the car window. About $35 a person in summer, kids 2 and under free. Perfect for the littlest cousins and anyone who’d rather stay in the AC.

Beach and lake time

East Harbor State Park · Marblehead, about 30 minutes

The beach day we’re leaning toward. A 1,500-foot sand beach on Lake Erie with restrooms, changing rooms, outdoor showers, and picnic tables and grills next to the sand. Free to use.

Catawba and Marblehead day trip

Port Clinton, 30 to 40 minutes

Pairs with the East Harbor beach morning; everything here is within a few minutes of it. Marblehead Lighthouse (1822, the oldest in continuous operation on the Great Lakes; tower tours noon to 4, $5, kids 5 and under free), Gideon Owen Wine Company (century-old cellars, restaurant and tasting room on Catawba Island), and Twin Oast Brewing (farm brewery on 60 acres with orchards, food, and room for kids to run).

Fly fishing at the farmhouse

The trout stream at the farmhouse

The farmhouse has its own trout stream running right through the property, but heads up, they do charge for fishing it.

We’re also working out details on a guided trout fly-fishing experience: someone comes in and teaches, then we fish. If there’s strong interest, let your branch lead know.

Downtown Sandusky

Steps from the hub (Lost Sailor Inn)

Restaurants, shopping, and a walk on the boardwalk at Jackson Street Pier. The hub is right in the middle of it all.

Where to eat → Toft’s, the pancake house, Berardi’s, and the Put-in-Bay list.

Rain plan

If Lake Erie doesn’t cooperate

Kalahari is America’s largest indoor waterpark, right in Sandusky. Day passes for non-guests sell out, so if the forecast looks bad, book online that morning or the night before.

Merry-Go-Round Museum is downtown, charming and cheap, and admission includes a ride on the antique carousel. Cedar Point mostly closes rides in storms, so save it for a clear day.

Saturday

A day on Put-in-Bay

Meet at the hub at 9:00 am, walk to the Jet Express together, boat leaves around 9:30. We’ll do lunch together on the island. After that, do your own thing and catch a return ferry whenever you like; they run roughly every two hours.

Golf carts

How everyone gets around

Carts are the island transportation. We’re working on one bulk reservation so nobody has to stand in the rental line. Tell your branch lead if you want a seat.

Perry’s Monument

The 352-foot column on the lakefront

A national memorial to the 1813 Battle of Lake Erie. Take the elevator to the observation deck for a view of the islands and, on a clear day, Canada.

Perry’s Cave Family Fun Center

The kids’ stop

A 52-foot-deep limestone cave, a butterfly house with 50-plus species, mini golf, a rock wall, gemstone mining, and a maze. Easy to spend two hours here with little ones.

Heineman Winery and Crystal Cave

Since 1888

Family-run winery with its own vineyard and, underneath it, Crystal Cave, the world’s largest known geode with celestite crystals up to three feet wide. The tour covers both.

Parks and the water

DeRivera Park and South Bass Island State Park

DeRivera Park is the downtown waterfront green with playgrounds and picnic tables, right by the docks. South Bass Island State Park on the far side has the white cliffs, a small beach, and kayak and paddleboard rentals nearby.

Lunch and later

Where to eat

The island restaurants we like are on the Eats page: The Boardwalk for lobster bisque on the harbor, Frosty Bar for pizza, and the rest.

Stay connected

Group chat and photos

Group chat

One group for all the reunion chatter. Link coming soon; your branch lead will send it around.

Photo sharing

Shared album

One album everyone can add to, so the pictures don’t end up scattered across twenty phones. Link coming soon.

Bammbi’s Island Rescue

A game for the ferry ride

Glenn, David and Mark are stranded on Rattlesnake Island. Steer Bammbi the deer around the snakes, pick them up one at a time, and get them to the boat. Works on your phone. Play it here.

Travel

Getting there

Flying in

Cleveland Hopkins (CLE) is the closest major airport, about an hour east of Sandusky. The easiest call.

Detroit Metro (DTW) is about 2 hours away.

Columbus (CMH) is about 2 hours south.

You’ll want a car; everything we’re doing is a drive.

Driving

Sandusky sits right off the Ohio Turnpike (I-80/90). Roughly: Cleveland 1 hour, Toledo 1 hour, Columbus 2 hours, Detroit 2 hours, Pittsburgh 3 hours, Chicago 4.5 hours.

Plenty of parking at the hub (Lost Sailor Inn), so no need to carpool over. Flying in? Plan on a rental car from the airport. If you’d rather catch a ride or have extra seats to offer, tell your branch lead.

Questions? Text Nick: 202-577-3793