Memorial Day weekend is always an important time for Eldridge Park in Elmira, but this May, that weekend will take on special significance.
The park is open year-round, but Memorial Day weekend is when all the rides and other attractions officially open for the season.
While the park itself has been around since the 1870s, it didn't become a popular destination as an amusement park until 1924, when the first carousel was installed.
Since that time, the park has added numerous other attractions, and has seen the beloved carousel close only to be resurrected years later.
The Eldridge Park Carousel Preservation Society, the private organization that manages the park, is planning a gala celebration Friday, May 24, to mark the 100th anniversary of its transformation into an amusement park.
"Along with the traditional opening, at 5 p.m. we'll have a gala, $100 per person and $150 per couple cocktail party," said Bob Kramarik, president of the Eldridge Park Carousel Preservation Society. "We'll have food and drinks, and we'll be giving out mementos and tickets for free carousel rides. We want to celebrate a milestone in the park's history."
From private sculpture garden to popular public gathering site
In 1857, Dr. Edwin Eldridge purchased the land where Eldridge Park and its lake now sit, and turned it into a sculpture garden with a fountain.
In 1870, Eldridge opened the park to the public, and included a restaurant and observatory, and walking trails around the lake.
In 1876, with many planned improvements for the park still in the works, Eldridge died suddenly, and the City of Elmira was given the option of buying the park, but city officials at that time declined the offer.
However, in 1889, the city agreed to purchase the park from Eldridge's daughter, Julia Reynolds, for $37,500. The city invested additional funds to restore a non-operating sewer and make street repairs.
In 1924, Robert Long, whose family had been building amusement park rides for years, answered an ad from the city to build a simple carousel for the park. Long went on to manage the carousel for 55 years, making improvements along the way, including a major upgrade in 1942.
Death and rebirth of Eldridge Park's centerpiece attraction
Eldridge Park was plagued by vandalism in the 1980s, with statues destroyed and buildings broken into and damaged.
In the summer of 1988, the carousel and its building were damaged more than a dozen times, finally leading Robert Long's family to remove the carousel and auction off the animals.
The carousel mechanism remained intact and was donated to the city. That simple act planted a seed that bore welcome fruit 17 years later.
In early 2003, Elmira dentist Robert Lyon — who had become more introspective about life after he traveled to New York City and used his forensic skills to help identify victims of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks — had an epiphany.
Lyon, who said he had fond memories of riding the carousel as a child, discovered the machinery was still intact, and he got the idea of replacing the carved animals and bringing the carousel back to life.
Lyon founded the Eldridge Park Carousel Preservation Society, which raised funds and commissioned celebrated sculptor Larry Pefferly to recreate the original animals that were sold off.
On May 27, 2006, the restored carousel reopened to the public.
"People ask why is this such a spectacular display of affection for this carousel? It has very little to do with the carousel," Lyon said at the time. "It’s about family and quality and getting back to the point when family was the center of it all. It's about community cohesiveness at its best, and community pride."
Preserving the past while growing for the future
While it's named after the popular attraction it brought back to life, the Eldridge Park Carousel Preservation Society didn't stop there.
The organization worked to bring back some former attractions, such as the paddle boats that sailed Eldridge Lake, and has continued to add new features, including a new dance hall, the Mark Twain Mini-Golf Course, a new midway and gazebo, and multiple new rides.
It's been a delicate balancing act keeping the best of the old while keeping things fresh, said society board member and past President Michael "Robby" Robertson.
"It's my goal for the community to have something that a lot of communities don't," Robertson said. "Will it ever be a full amusement park again? No, but we have a lot of good old-fashioned entertainment. We try to tie in with an older era. We always try to have a balance of the original park combined with an amusement park."
The City of Elmira still owns the land the park sits on, and the Eldridge Park Carousel Preservation Society leases the property from the city and manages the park and all of its attractions.
It's an arrangement that has worked out well for the community, said Mayor Dan Mandell.
"It's big that we have a society that takes care of the park. The city doesn't have the staffing to do what they do," Mandell said.
"It's become a destination again," he said. "I give their team a lot of credit for what they've done. We support them any way we can."
OutdoorsGet familiar with your outdoor surroundings and find wonder in the smallest changes
The park is almost out of land for much in the way of new additions, Kramarik said.
Right now, the society is focused on making the existing attractions even better, he added.
"We're constantly evolving. We have long range plans to constantly upgrade the park," Kramarik said. "Our goal is to make it a park for everybody, and make it fun for people to come, even if they're not going to go on rides."
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