The Chemung County Historical Society honors the 100th anniversary of Eldridge Park

Elmira, New York – A luncheon was held by the Chemung County Historical Society to commemorate Eldridge Park’s 100 years as a theme park. An image display created by the historical society depicted the park’s conversion from a walk-in park to an amusement park in 1924.

Some of the visitors emphasized the historical value of the park by thinking back to their own early years and feeling sentimental about it.

Debbie Todd, whose family lived close enough to the park that we could walk there as teenagers, recalled that “before that, it was a place for amusement that we did always know was there.” Debbie Todd was a child of the 1960s and 1970s.

Aileen Colunio, another participant, continued, saying, “The carousel or merry-go-round has been and continues to be a huge treat for me.” Every birthday, I make it a point to ride the carousel there.

Following the photo show, park volunteers Mike Robertson and Walter Kowalski—a 1966–1977 employee—talked about their experiences working there. Robertson claimed that visitors would travel from beyond the area to Elmira only to enjoy the rides and lakeside attractions, which included parachute jumps and skiing demonstrations. Additionally, there was family-friendly entertainment in the form of music and animals. The park reopened in 2006 after being closed from 1924 to 1988. Roberston wants future generations to have unforgettable experiences at the park.

“People have so many memories of the park. Most of them very good memories for people and they get a chance to relive their youth and relive good times. Times gone by and we’ve got a lot of people that met their spouse there and now their spouses are gone but they had Eldridge Park to come to as that reminder,” said Robertson.

Kowalski who used to operate the carousel added, “I was at one point what they called the frontman, and working the front of the carousel, putting kids on and off but again back then we had no fence around it like we do now. No railing and then I ended up operating everything.”

Kowalski added that companies like Westinghouse and IBM used to have their company picnics on Saturdays.