- The art show is free, and marks the 50th anniversary of the amusement park closing.
- The Meyers Lake Park Tribute Art Show is 7-10 p.m. Saturday at Alexander's Art House in Canton.
- Alex Minturn will showcase 18 paintings and 14 collage pieces he created for the nostalgic exhibition.
CANTON − Alex Minturn peered intently at the canvas as he stroked vivid blue paint and recreated a bygone scene of a child riding the carousel at Meyers Lake Amusement Park.
Next to the work in progress were acrylic gems either finished or almost done. More carousel horses splashed in a spectrum of hues. The beloved Comet roller coaster's wooden tracks climbing skyward. Moonlight Garden recreated in a duo of white and green.
"People are obsessed with Meyers Lake Amusement Park," Minturn said with laughter. "Me, too."
Minturn uses a paint brush as a portal into yesteryear. And he's invited the public to take a whimsical trip back in time at Saturday's Meyers Lake Park Tribute Art show at Alexander's Art House Gallery and Gift Shop, 2433 Fourth St. NW.
The art show is 7-10 p.m. and open to the public. Big band music will be played hearkening to the park's golden era.
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The free show marks the 50th anniversary since the closing of Meyers Lake Amusement Park. This will be Minturn's fourth Meyers Lake-themed show; the first one was in 2019 before taking a breaking during the pandemic and resuming the show in 2022.
"Right from the very beginning, everyone was thrilled about the whole thing," Minturn said.
For attendees, "it's kind of a reunion for some of these people."
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After moving to Stark County from Columbus about six years ago, Minturn, 59, said he became fascinated with the story of the long-shuttered amusement park.
"It was the people that I met here that had such fond memories of the park," he said. "Whenever it was brought up, they lit up."
Eighteen new paintings and 14 new collage pieces will be displayed, all created by Minturn. Beulah the Laffing Lady may be featured in a piece, inspired by the "Girl with a Pearl Earring," a painting by Johannes Vermeer.
"I throw my spin on it," he said. "I'm not trying to paint them as photo realistic." Some paintings veer towards impressionism, Minturn added.
Collages are described as "one-of-a-kind souvenir pieces."
The Meyers Lake show is his most popular of the year. Most paintings are purchased the night of the show and the rest are sold later, Minturn said. He also paints Meyers Lake artwork on commission.
"They're not buying a cookie cutter thing," said Minturn, who received a bachelor of fine arts degree from the Columbus College of Art & Design. "They're buying an original work of something they love."
The Meyers Lake carousel: 'That defines what an amusement park is.'
Some paintings revisit the same imagery but with new colors or a twist. Among the most popular subjects is the carousel.
"To me, there's probably not much more joy for a ride for a child than the carousel," Minturn said, referring to the organ music and brass poles and ornate horses. "It's probably the ride that really thrills a kid's heart. That defines what an amusement park is."
Along with the artwork, the gallery and gift shop will exhibit vintage photos of Meyers Lake, original tickets, a pennant, reprints of old advertisements and other keepsakes, including original lighting. Bolts from a roller coaster are another relic.
"I just think it's stuff that's going to be forgotten and it shouldn't be forgotten," Minturn said.
Meyers Lake art show: 'Nostalgia is a powerful thing.'
Barb Resch, 63, of Canton Township, cherishes childhood memories of cotton candy, midway games and balloons at the amusement park.
Resch has attended past Meyers Lake tribute shows hosted by Minturn. And she plans to return on Saturday.
His "work perfectly captures the magic and wonder of the park that I experienced as a child," she said.
Trips to Meyers Lake Amusement Park were a family tradition each year following the Stark County Fair. Mom would also take the kids during the summer to eat a picnic lunch and go on rides. And Resch rode the Comet and overcame her fear of roller coasters.
"I still have a big piggy bank that I won when I was probably 6 years old from pulling a duck from the duck pond," Resch recalled.
"Nostalgia is a powerful thing," she said of Meyers Lake. It's "able to transport us back to so many happy memories and experiences."
Reach Ed at 330-580-8315 and ebalint@gannett.com
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