these photos courtesy of Parker Zack

Editor's Note: Some say that memories fade and recollections become inaccurate as one's experiences in life multiply. Maybe they think there just isn't room up there in the cranium to house all those great times of the past. Maybe they think that we can't remember how good we had it. I'll even bet they think that we can't remember there really were households like the "Leave It To Beaver" Cleavers' and fun things like corn dogs and funnel cakes at places like Eldridge Park where kids could be kids.

But viewing Parker Zack's photos and reading his memoir of The Park pretty much proves exactly how good we had it - as you are about to find out. His comment about the kids of today - ". . . They THINK they are having fun; they don't know what fun IS!" rings so true to those of us whose "experiences in life have multiplied.".

Thanks so much, Parker, for your excellent photos and for sharing your memories of The Park with us.

Please note that you can click on any Eldridge Park photo for an enlargement.

Eldridge - more than just an amusement park.
by Parker Zack, EFA '74

I can stare at these photos for hours, and a floodgate of memories is opened - a sea of emotions ebbs and flows. As I study them, it's as if Eldridge were never destroyed on the one hand, and as if it never existed on the other.

I recently visited Elmira, and, of course, had to pay my respects to Eldridge. What has happened to Eldridge typifies and exemplifies absolutely everything that has gone wrong in our society.

The park was literally just a park, but figuratively it stood for so much more: the importance of family, the value of wholesome and simple fun, the fact that life's simple pleasures are the best, the beauty of small town life, the necessity of leisure time, the distinction between quality-times vs. quantity-times, laughter and joy, loyalty, friendship, and faithfulness. Eldridge knew no computers, no credit cards, no voicemail, no cellphones, no faxes, no e-mail. Eldridge knew only how to embrace us with simple and wholesome entertainment.

We have been robbed; held hostage by terrorists of sorts. In the case of Eldridge, our greedy litigious society drove up insurance premiums to the point where our watercolor dreams were smashed by the cold steel wrecking ball. (The unnecessary demise of downtown Elmira is a comparable sin.) From vibrant to vacant---how did we allow these tragedies to happen?!? (YES, we are to blame!)

During my last visit to the park, the door to the boarded-up "WHIP" was unlocked. I walked into the empty darkened pavilion, feeling as though I were visiting a tomb. I let my imagination run wild:

I could smell the grease from the wheels.
I could hear the snapping metallic sounds as the huge spring mechanisms snapped on each car as they swung around the giant gears.
I could taste the red candy apple in my hand.
I could smell the cotton candy in the air.
I could see the WHIP slowly coming to a halt as the operator pulled the switch...

I recalled that melancholy angst I felt as a kid: that all good things must come to an end---as the ride ended. Ironically, such was the fate of this once laughter-filled structure and park.

I walked the MIDWAY, desperately seeking any signs of its previous life: a hole here where a lightpole once stood, a piece of concrete there where a ride was once anchored.

I looked over and saw a new skateboarding facility, some young daredevil boys taking on new challenges. All I could think of was: "They THINK they are having fun; they don't know what fun IS! These kids don't have a clue as to what used to be here, and the sacred ground they are playing on!" It was nice to see the space put to some recreational use, and it was nice to see a few fishermen at the lake's edge, but it was devastating and pathetic to remember what once WAS , and to envision what TRULY could have been.

As a child, an excursion to Eldridge Park represented hope, promise, escape, fantasy, fun, everlasting joy...and MORE! Eldridge stood for EVERYTHING GOOD ABOUT LIFE!

As an adult, I now live 1-mile from an historic amusement park called "SEABREEZE", on the waterfront of Lake Ontario in Rochester. Seabreeze is an Eldridge which survived, grew, and flourishes to this day; each new season brings yet another new attraction. Through the decades, (Seabreeze was established in the 1890s) this landmark not only escaped the wrecking ball, but has avoided the 6-Flags/Paramount Park type of imperialism which has destroyed many parks in this country. The family who owns Seabreeze still strolls through the park, taking pride in its condition and eyeing items which might need attention. Seabreeze is "Eldridge in the new Millenium."

Another such precious gem is DORNEY PARK in Allentown, Pa. with its 1923 "Thunderhawk" roller coaster and its ever-expanding midway since it was recently purchased by the owners of Cedar Point, the roller coaster capital of the world located on the Lake Erie shoreline in Sandusky, Ohio. I was STUNNED to be at Dorney Park and come across old, old, old: "THE WHIP"! This is the exact same ride we enjoyed at Eldridge! Incredible!!!

If you want to experience what Eldridge could have been and SHOULD have been, make the 2 hour drive from Elmira on 390N to 590N all the way to its very end at the beach of Lake Ontario in Rochester. Because I live 2 minutes from the park, I go there often, and dream about Eldridge during each visit. It's as if the spirit of Eldridge was "reincarnated" into Seabreeze...this park is the closest thing I have found to Eldridge! They have the exact same "airplanes," the FLYING SKOOTERS, which we used to try to scrape into the weeping willow tree at Eldridge, and a JACK RABBIT rollercoaster which is VERY similar to Eldridge's SPEEDWAY! There are dozens of newer rides, and an incredible waterpark with views of sparkling blue Lake Ontario & Irondequoit Bay to die for! Custard, cotton candy, candy apples...Eldridge LIVES ON!

Both parks are worth exploring for a renewed sense of nostalgia and optimism!

The death of Eldridge was similar to the demise of Roseland Park on Canandaigua Lake. You may want to check out the brand new ROSELAND WATERPARK that just opened in the summer of 2001; it's no substitute for the original Roseland Park, but it's a magnificent new waterpark. If you're up in Rochester visiting SEABREEZE, swing by Roseland on your way home with a stop in Canandaigua, returning to Elmira via the Finger Lakes route down through Route 14 along Seneca Lake.

There's no substitute for Eldridge or Roseland, BUT: it's refreshing, uplifting, and promising to be able to visit survivors such as Seabreeze and Dorney. It's like a cancer survivor: a trooper who won the war. Visiting these parks helps to deal with the grief and re-kindle those old memories!

By the way, does anybody remember "FRALEY'S" amusement park near Elmira? I think it was in Waverly; we used to enjoy going there, as well. And, on the bright side, isn't it wonderful that Harris Hill is still thriving? I recently visited there, too; what a breath of fresh air!

I can picture the entrance to Eldridge, with its knoll and banner up above those stone columns like it was yesterday. I can still hear the sounds of gravel under the tires of our '63 Buick as my Dad pulled into the Eldridge parking lot; I can feel that heart-racing sensation of PENDING BLISS! Pulling in, we immediately heard those spark-shooting BUMPER CARS crashing and the whining sounds of the SPOOKSHOUSE cars slamming into the hand-painted doors where the witch stirred her brew, accompanied by blood-curdling screams.

If I could get into the DeLorean from "BACK TO THE FUTURE", there's no question where my first stop would be - the 10 cent Merry-Go-Round at our beloved Eldridge Park to catch the BRASS RING.

Eldridge, you had a profound and wonderful effect on us ALL! Thank you! You inspired within me the value and meaning of excitement, adventure, and the thrill of experiencing all the joys life offers us. This photo illustrates just one of the results of your influence.

Rest in Peace, Eldridge Park, I'LL LOVE YOU FOREVER!

to view more of Parker Zack's Eldridge photos
click here

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