My Park - Finis

Travel about 2.5 miles to the far, far end of the lake and you will find Wegman’s Dog Park, where dogs of all ages and sizes can roam free (within the fence anyway) and  be with their pals.  Many a dog has no doubt found true love within the chain links.

The park is now the sight of many sponsored walks and runs that all have the theme of helping people, individually or collectively, usually people with illnesses.  Hardly a week goes by that some kind of humanitarian event isn’t being held.  One race even closes the entire Onondaga Lake Parkway for several hours while it is in progress.

Infrequently mentioned and advertised even less is the west shore trail system.  This part of the park boasts over 2 miles of paved and natural paths for walking, biking, or running.  It takes one past where the magnificent old resorts used to be.  The end of the trail will one day merely be a scenic rest spot on a path that winds its way completely around the lake. Such is the vision for the future of this natural treasure. It’s been a long (too long) time coming; it will take a long time for completion, but that day will come.  Warning:  this area is not so widely used, so it can be lonely at times … use caution.

Probably the most spectacular use of the park is the annual “Lights on the Lake” show that runs at holiday time each year.  A 2 mile slow journey in the comfort of a warm car places you at the heart of a holiday light show the likes of which you will not find anywhere.  Seen from a plane landing at Hancock Airport, it is a Chamber of Commerce moment for our community.  It’s a must see!

Lights on the Lake

It’s also a very nice plus, not found in most other parks, that good food and drink await mere steps away.  After a good work out you can easily walk to several eateries and quickly negate any benefits gained from your exercise.  Heid’s, the Retreat, Limp Lizard, The Cobblestone, and the White Water Pub are all within a 2 minute stroll from the parking lot.  What a great way to wind down. Yet another reason why God invented beer.

As much time as I’ve spent at Onondaga Lake Park over the years, I always yearn for more.  I go to the park as often as I can, and still that is not enough.  I never visit the same park twice, which is one of its enduring seductions.  I used to jog there, until my knees threatened a lawsuit if I continued (they remembered my accident of years ago).  Now I walk, at a pretty good clip - I think.  But mostly, I love to bike. The paths are paved and if you cover the east and west trails down and back, you log just about 10 miles in comfort, with scenery galore.  And finally, it is a great place to fly kites, with a steady lake breeze providing just the right amount of wind for great lift.  The biggest threat to the kite expedition is dodging all the goose “leavings” that now seen to populate the grass in the great open areas by the Salt Museum, which is the best place to fly your kite.  Careful where you step.

Teddy Roosevelt once said that the nation behaves well if it treats its natural resources as assets which it must turn over to the next generation increased, and not impaired, in value.

Onondaga Lake once boasted  a proud legacy of a park well designed and utilized (in an era when parks were not valued as they are today), then man ruined it.  It is so heartening to see that man is now taking Roosevelt’s words to heart and ensuring that this lake and this park are turned over to our children in much better shape than we knew it.

Hiawatha would be very pleased.

 Mark Twain Quote: “There are those who scoff at the school boy, calling him frivolous and shallow.  Yet it was the school boy who said, Faith is believing what you know ain’t so.”

My Park - Part 2

The area known as “the park” has seen many transformations since the time of Hiawatha.  Some were natural, some downright evil, and others were beneficial to this unique place in our history. The park as I knew it as a child still bears strong resemblance to what we enjoy today.  The principal elements that make it what it is have always been present…the lake, the main road, the Salt Museum, Griffin Field, the marina, Willow Bay, the SU boathouse…they’re all still there, and with the exception of Griffin Field, little changed from years ago.

One missing feature that does come to mind are the many stone fireplaces once scattered about for patrons to use.  I can recall them so well because while playing football one day, I caught a pass worthy of a Sports Center video, turned without looking, and slammed into one, right at knee height.  My knee immediately stopped.  The rest of me didn’t. Ouch! I never realized a knee could swell up to that size, or hurt so much.

Cars could, at one time, actually drive on the main road thru the park, and there was constant traffic with visitors going to or coming from a picnic, a gathering, or just plain enjoying a ride. Traffic was especially heavy at suppertime, as people flocked to the park just to get away from the city climate.  Remember, there weren’t as many recreation  choices in the 50s and 60s as there are today, and this was the grand daddy of all parks back then.  It was a very busy road.

Also missing is the IRA Regatta, an annual event eagerly anticipated each spring.  Like modern day Tom Sawyers and Huck Finns, we would sneak down to the end of Hickory St. and, using a narrow, steep trail, steal our way into the park, thus avoiding the exorbitant entry fee we kids simply could not afford.  There, we mingled with all the fans, mostly college age and older, who, unwittingly, educated us on the finer points of drinking and partying. It was colorful, joyous fun and we delighted in its arrival each year.  And every year, we fell in love, with … someone!

Another major change is the quality of the lake water.  Back then, the lake was a virtual cesspool.  We used to wade in it in places, and I remember the bottom as being all “yucky.”  It’s a wonder we all didn’t sprout extra appendages in strange places.

Irresponsible stewards of this lake during the glory days of the American industrial era actually succeeded in destroying this once pure body of water, all in the name of profit. And in this destructive path, great turn of the century resorts and amusement parks that once lined the lake and made Syracuse a major travel destination were also doomed.

White City Amusement Park

A herculean effort, costing millions that could have been better spent to actually help people, is now underway to reclaim this lake for future generations.  Too bad is had to happen this way. Nobody ever accused those old captains of greed of thinking beyond their wallets.

But for everything that has changed or has been lost, something has been born and added.  A new trail exclusively for walkers now hugs the shoreline, freeing up the main road for runners, bikers, and skaters.  And, for the leisurely, a tram operates from end to end and provides a nice, slow ride for sightseers. 

In the shadow of what used to be Griffin Field (now mainly a parking lot) is a wonderful playground for little munchkins. Next to that is a complete “skate” park for all those skateboarders and BMX bike riders whose secret desire it is to sprain ankles and wrists, and to break bones, all in the name of having fun.  Which is why they have you sign a waiver first! 

From this location, you can also rent bikes (including 2 person bikes) for travel on the main road thru the park.  Enjoy the tables and wi-fi here as well, and take a stroll, about a minute  or two in length, over to the Salt Museum, and catch some local history.

Salt Museum

(To Be Continued)

Twain Quote:  “It is noble to teach oneself, but still nobler to teach others – and less trouble.”