4/7/06 — CONNEAUT LAKE — As a child, Catherine Baker Knoll vacationed at Conneaut Lake Park with her family, traveling from McKees Rocks. “We came to relax,” she said.

She returned Thursday as the state lieutenant governor to tour it — the first time in more than seven decades that a high-ranking state official has been at the local amusement park on official business.

“I grew up here,” Knoll told a group of about 35 people who greeted her to take the more-than-90-minute tour.

“It’s not for us,” she said of the reason Conneaut Lake Park must be kept operating. “It’s for the kids who follow and their kids.”

Invited to visit by court-appointed overseer LeRoy Stearns, Knoll said, “This park has to stay,” praising the efforts of not only Stearns and general manager George Deshner, but all the volunteers for their dedication.

First stop was the Dreamland Ballroom, built in 1909 after a fire which destroyed most of the park’s midway in 1908. Climbing up the steps to the large ballroom, Knoll reminisced about dancing in the ballroom to music of the “Sinatra era. Do you all remember dancing here?” she asked. “Isn’t this amazing,” she said as she listened to the story of the ballroom and the dance floor, which is of a unique design. “You can dance the polka here and the floor won’t budge,” she said before going to the balcony for a view of Conneaut, Pennsylvania’s largest natural lake. “It’s beautiful,” she said, gazing across the midway to the lakefront.

She reminisced about dancing in the Crystal Ballroom of Hotel Conneaut and expressed amazement and appreciation to the volunteers after hearing how at least 119 hotel rooms have been renovated by volunteers at no cost to the park.

Traveling in a golf cart with Stearns, Knoll was shown the area where the Flynn house once stood; was told of plans for development and also shown several dilapidated buildings which must be torn down; and then stopped at the miniature track station.

And, who can go to Conneaut Lake Park without a ride on the merry-go-round? Although the music was missing as the organ is in storage, operators started the ride for the occasion.

Holding onto the front of a horse, Knoll smiled as the ride went in circles. She was joined by many on the tour and laughed as they reminisced about earlier rides at younger ages.

“The purpose of the park is to bring children,” she said, emphasizing the need to follow through with plans to keep it in operation.

The park continues to face financial problems and is $1.9 million in debt. Plans are to sell some lakefront property as the next step of development. The property is the last lakefront real estate available and funds from the sale will be used to help pay off the debt and continue operations.

In addition, the park has some deteriorating buildings which must be torn down, and some improvements need to be made to other buildings.

Although she brought no state money, nor made any promises of immediate financial assistance, she told of state grants available to help with such things as removing blighted areas like the dilapidated buildings.

During a luncheon, Knoll said she keeps tabs of the park’s progress through her friend Joe Prishak of Erie, who was a former member of the Board of Trustees.

“It’s the type of park with historic significance we need to keep,” she told those in attendance. “We can’t do it without you.”

Republican state Sen. Bob Robbins, whose 50th District includes all of Crawford County, joined Knoll for the tour and said he too will do what he can to help ensure the park’s continued operation. Robbins has assisted the park in the past with state grants, including one to improve the sewer system.

Deshner was pleased with Thursday’s tour, noting it was an opportunity to show what residents of northwestern Pennsylvania can do. “After a year of being down (when the park was closed), I’m confident Conneaut Lake Park can make a comeback and will help bring the economy back to Crawford County and to the lakeland area.”

Stearns said the tour was meant to be a way to acquaint the lieutenant governor with the park and what it has to offer and allow her to see what progress has been made.



Jane Smith can be reached at 724-6370 or by e-mail at jsmith@meadvilletribune.com