Eldridge Park, located in Elmira,

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, is a famous

amusement park An amusement park is a park that features various attractions, such as rides and games, as well as other events for entertainment purposes. A theme park is a type of amusement park that bases its structures and attractions around a central ...

, which opened around the turn of the 20th century. Covering roughly , it is dedicated to the memory of a local physician and is still in common usage. The park includes an 1890s

Looff Carousel Looff Carousels are carousels built by Charles I. D. Looff (1852 - 1918) a master carver and builder of hand-carved carousels and amusement rides in America. Looff, whose factory was based in Riverside, Rhode Island, is credited with making abou ...

, an outdoor stage, an extensive network of picnic areas, a wooden roller coaster, haunted house, shooting gallery,

bumper cars Bumper cars or dodgems are the generic names for a type of flat amusement ride consisting of multiple small electrically powered cars which draw power from the floor and/or ceiling, and which are turned on and off remotely by an operator. Bumpe ...

, a boat ride along the park's lake, eateries, a

miniature golf Miniature golf, also known as minigolf, mini-putt, crazy golf, or putt-putt, is an offshoot of the sport of golf focusing solely on the putting aspect of its parent game. The aim of the game is to score the lowest number of points. It is played ...

course, and a small-gauge train ride through the park, in addition to several other rides and attractions. Eldridge Lake was believed to be bottomless in local folklore and, that there was an underground water tunnel that leads at least to the north, to Seneca Lake, one of the nearby

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in Upstate New York. However, the depth of the lake is and there are no known tunnels that connect Eldridge Lake with Seneca Lake. Eldridge Park also has several soccer fields, used by the local travel soccer club, Soaring Capital Soccer Club, a skate park, and a baseball field.

History

A pharmacist, Dr. Edwin Eldridge, purchased the land where the park is today and built a sculpture garden. The city of Elmira later bought the land in 1889, after Eldridge died.

Attractions

Looff Carousel

One of the most iconic features of the park is the restored 1890s

which was originally built in the late 1890s and operated by Young’s Million Dollar Pier in

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. The carousel, measuring 50 feet in diameter with three rows of stationary animals, was purchased by Robert A. Long and moved to Eldridge Park in 1924. Long altered the carousel somewhat, re-carved some animals, and converted the stationary animals to jumping figures. Long's family operated the carousel until 1988, by which time the ride had deteriorated badly and the hand-carved wooden animals were sold at auction in 1989. The carousel mechanism was not sold, and instead was donated to the City of Elmira. In the early 2000s, the Carousel Preservation Society was formed with the goal of acquiring hand-carved animals and restoring the carousel. On May 26, 2006, the restored Eldridge Park Carousel was re-opened to the public. The current version of the Eldridge Park carousel boasts 56 hand-carved animals and two dragon benches. It is thought to be the fastest carousel in the United States, moving at 11.5 miles per hour and is one of the few remaining carousels in the United States to have brass ring feeders.

Other park amenities

Between 2003 and 2006, many amenities were added including entrances, a gift shop, a stage, restrooms, park benches, and fountains. In 2007, the former whip building was converted into a dance hall. In 2008 Jasper II, a boat ride around the lake, was introduced, along with a new old fashioned arcade. Dragon paddle boats, were introduced on Memorial Day weekend 2009. A concessions building was also added. In 2010, a new

Mark Twain Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, 1835 – April 21, 1910), known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American writer, humorist, entrepreneur, publisher, and lecturer. He was praised as the "greatest humorist the United States has p ...

themed miniature golf course opened. The course has a traditional eighteen holes, as well as scenery including fountains, ponds, stones, flowers, and a waterfall. A miniature train ride was also built to circle around the course. In 2012, the Thunderbird Flying Scooters returned to the park. While they no longer fly over Eldridge Lake, they remain an extremely popular ride. The opening of the park for the 2013 season saw a complete redesign for the Eldridge Midway. Instead of pot holed blacktop, cement pavers, gardening, and Victorian style lights were debuted. Along with a brand new midway, the park saw the return of the children's Pony Cart ride and the opening of several different food vendors. For the 2016 season, the park announced the addition of two attractions, a boat ride and a statue that pays tribute to the racehorse American Girl that died at Elmira Racetrack in 1875. The park also announced an opening ceremony for the special opening of a record two attractions. The ceremony took place on May 27.

References

External links

*{{RCDB, 5312 Defunct amusement parks in New York (state) 1926 establishments in New York (state)