Conneaut Lake Park survives near-death experience

About 30 miles south of Edinboro, one of the oldest amusement parks in the nation has been preparing its funeral rites.

However, due to a recent financial agreement between park trustees and a local development group, the 116-year-old Conneaut Lake Park has begun the slow and steady process of reopening to the public.

A message on the park's Web site reads "This is a very important first step in turning the park around and continuing the tradition of not only provoking memories, but the opportunity to create new ones."

The park has been closed for the past two years and has encountered numerous setbacks during that span.

Conneaut Lake Park (CLP) found itself at least $3.5 million in debt, according to Wanda Ramaley, owner of the Stable Pit & Pub complex in Meadville. In June 2008, Ramaley told the Meadville Tribune that the park needed to be revitalized in order for local businesses to stay afloat.

"The board decisions for the park ultimately decide the future of most businesses in our community," Ramaley said.

In the past year alone, CLP lost two of its oldest buildings to arson.

The Dreamland Ballroom burned down in February, and damages from the same fire caused the park's bowling alley to collapse in April. The man accused of setting the blaze recently pleaded guilty and will be sentenced in November, according to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.

While in its financial limbo, CLP was also hit by a number of vandals and thieves, this resulted in the loss of more than $5,000 worth of copper wiring.

Even with these setbacks, CLP has big plans for its revitalization in the coming months.

The Hotel Conneaut, coexisting with the park for more than 100 years, recently reopened in hopes of catching the Labor Day weekend crowds.

The park's Beach Club bar and restaurant has also reopened, hosting a variety of bands, DJs and a Teen Dance every Sunday night.

Also in development is the park's new haunted Conneaut operation, set to open in early October.

A schedule of events and updates can be found on, www.conneautlakepark.com, the park's Web site.

For any other amusement park, these steps might seem elementary. But for CLP, they are the park's pulse; the beginning of a new chapter in its century-long history. With any luck, it will keep making memories for generations to come.