Page 11 - Leisure Living Magazine: July 2020 Edition

Skip Duggan loved his toys. In addition to his antique cars, he had a train in his yard.
Skip’s Antique Car Museum
Shares PIB Automotive History
By Maggie Kelch, Feature Writer
South Bass Island is famous for many rea- sons. There are unique shops, enticing restau- rants, a national monument, and even an island university campus. One of the truly unique traditions here, held on Sunday afternoons, is the Put-In-Bay Car Parade. This parade was co-founded in the late 1990’s by Charles “Skip” Duggan, founder of the Put-In-Bay Boat Line and Jet Express ferries. It provides island resi- dents with the opportunity to drive their antique vehicles around the island and share them with visitors. Though Duggan died in early 2007, the parade still carries on today.
If you haven’t had a chance to see the parade, and want to learn more about the island’s col- orful automotive history, you should plan to visit Skip’s Antique Car Museum. The museum, located at Perry’s Cave and Family Fun Center, isagreatfamily-friendlyplacetovisitandthere’s no admission charge.
The vehicles in the museum were collected by Duggan over many years and the museum is dedicated to his memory. It is a fascinating
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place for both adults and kids to visit. Located in an antique car barn, it features more than two dozen vehicles including a number of Ford Model Ts and Model As. Duggan was especially fond of those cars and had several unique models in his collection.
There are also some unusual vehicles on display, including vintage golf carts, a bright red popcorn truck, scooters, a snowmobile (used to deliver mail in Minnesota) and even an ice truck. Some of the vehicles have never (or rarely) been driven on the mainland. Most of them can still be driven today and you may spot them in the parade on Sunday afternoon.
To help visitors understand and appreciate the history of the vehicles and their use on the island, Jim Wilson, the museum caretaker developed a video that features many island residents who have helped renovate and restore the vehicles. Some of the narrators were the previous own- ers of the vehicles and share colorful stories of
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