CAPTAIN DALE BRYANT
The Dragon Boat comeback is quite a story. Dale gives credit to a lot of people who helped him get the boat into the water for the Memorial Day week-end opening of Eldridge Park this summer. It makes for interesting reading with a lot of photos of how Jasper was designed and made into a reality by an Eldridge Park master carver, John Kolanach, and Dale's crew of builders and sailors. Click here for an interesting account on the Eldridge Park website of what it was like from the beginning to the launching. Bill Cook, SHS58.org Note:
John
Kolanach has contributed to a number of projects at Eldridge including
the Dragon
Benches and Bashful
The Honey Bear Please
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ne of the lasting memories of my childhood growing up in Elmira is the Dragon Boat at Eldridge Park. And when the Eldridge Park Carousel Preservation Society announced that they were bringing an upscale, modern version of the boat back and calling it Jasper II, I finally had to admit to my friends and family that I believed in miracles. Last month I ventured to Elmira for my Southside High School class reunion (Class of 1958). I took my ride on the merry-go-round, for sure, but I also went around the lake on the new Jasper. At the helm was none-other than Dale Bryant, retired SHS Guidance counselor and since the beginning, the manager of the Jasper II project. I couldn't resist taking this picture for our photo of the month collection.