Geneva-on-the-Lake survived the difficult 1960s and ’70s because of the bars. In the late 1960s, Ohio’s “drinking age” was 18 for 3.2-beer, while you had to be 21 to drink in Pennsylvania.
That made GOTL a magnet for young people from across the state line, who flocked to the resort for a weekend of fun. The distance was just far enough that most needed to rent a room for their weekend of bar hopping. But the option was not without controversy. Here is a newspaper clipping (Ashtabula Star-Beacon) from 1967.
The measure was approved by voters in the November 1971 election, effectively raising the drinking age to 21 at The Strip. This resulted in several bars going out of business.
