Perry's Monument reopens

PUT-IN-BAY — Perry's Victory and International Peace Memorial reopened Saturday after being struck by lightning.The monument was closed for seven days following the incident due to damage to the elevator system. Visitors were forbidden from travelling to the top all last week.No one was hurt when lightning struck the 352-foot-tall tower. Park superintendent Barbara Fearon said that's because park rangers acted quickly once the storm entered the area. "We're very vigilant of the weather," Fearon said. "When weather like that moves in, rangers follow standard protocol and move people off the observation deck and out of the elevator."Repair crews started working on the elevator system Aug. 1 and finished their work in time for the weekend. Lighting struck during an inconvenient time for the National Park Service. The service is celebrating its 100 Days to Find Your Park campaign, a celebration for the centennial of the National Park Service. The program highlights popular, educational and informative events and history for each national park.The visitor's center for Perry's Monument and the tower's rotunda remained open last week. The museum also remained open to guests who wanted to explore artifacts from the Battle of Lake Erie. Want to go?WHAT: Perry's Victory and International Peace MemorialWHERE: Put-in-BayWHEN: Daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.COST: $5 to go to the top of the monument.Reach reporter Patrick Pfanner at pfanner@sanduskyregister.com. Follow him on Twitter @PatPfanner and at Facebook.com/PatPfanner.The 352-foot Perry's Victory and International Peace Memorial is the third tallest national monument. It helps commemorate the Battle of Lake Erie and Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry's September 1813 victory over the British.