Break Out the Bubbly

Put-in-Bay revelers can’t wait another three-and-a-half months to ring in 2008. So they’ll count down to midnight at tonight’s New Year’s Eve at the Bay bash. “The main tourist season is in the thick of the summer,” says musical comedian Ray Fogg, who’ll perform. “When you get to September, some of the businesses have closed for the winter. Our biggest weekends are fake holidays.”

Action takes place on Delaware Avenue, the island’s main downtown drag. In addition to outdoor gambling spots, bars like the Round House, the Crescent, and the Beer Barrel Saloon offer live music all night long. Pat Dailey -- the Jimmy Buffett of the North -- plays the Boathouse, while Fogg takes the stage at the Put-in-Bay Brewing Company, where he’ll perform songs from his fifth CD, Sorry If I Was a Dick Last Night. He’ll also get in the spirit of the season with holiday parodies like “O, Cum on Faith Hill.” “They’re filthy, dirty, rotten songs,” says Fogg. You may not want to stick around for one of his New Year’s Day traditions, however: a naked salute the U.S. flag. “When nobody’s paying attention, I’ll be out by the lake raising the flag in the nude,” he says. “I do wear my boots, though.”
Sat., Sept. 15, 6-10 p.m.