Archive: Around Town

Myers Park is one of Lansing's best success stories.  Arguably one of the nicest spots in Tompkins County, the park juts into Cayuga Lake, and offers a large variety of activities to suit just abut everyone.  The short list is swimming, boating, fishing, weekly concerts, a playground, pavilions for parties and barbecues, a band stand, and camping.  It is kept meticulously by the town Parks and Recreation Department , and is well loved and well used.

Park Superintendent Steve Colt says that this summer is going particularly well.  The marina always sells out.  The camp ground is full, selling out for weekends in July and August, and very well for weekdays as well.  Only one concert was canceled due to weather, with the rest well attended.  And pavilion rental is also going well, especially considering the uneven weather we've had this summer.  "And we're looking toward Harbor Festival on August 23," Colt says.  "After what they pulled off last year, if it turns out the few days preceding this year's festival have good weather with a good forecast for the day, I can't even comprehend the number of people that may show up there.  I think it's going to be a huge, huge number."

Colt says the campground is doing very well with a few seasonal campers and the rest filling in weekends and weekdays as their vacations allow.  "It's a good mix," he says.  "We have a couple that are seasonal, but for the most part it's people that are coming in not only from Lansing, but also from Binghamton and around the area.  There is probably something to the fact that gas prices are high and people are choosing to stay in closer proximity to home.  But we're filling up, and nice people have come in and enjoyed the place.  A lot of them are really pleasantly surprised.  A few people have said they can't wait for January because they're going to call in and get a seasonal pass for next year."

That actually worries him, because he wants to keep most of the 19 slots open for shorter term campers.  "What concerns me is that we've had such positive feedback and people have already said next year we're going to get a seasonal pass," he says.  "Now two or three could be six or eight, and that's nearly half of the camp facility."


Colt says he could double or triple the number of camp sites and still sell out.  "But that's not what we want to do," he says.  "We want to give people a taste of camping, but we don't want to turn the park into a campsite.  We actually went in the other direction.  When I first started there were a lot more sites and I thought it was overpowering for the size and shape of the park.  So we tried to strike a balance with camping and pavilions and all the other things we do.  I see it as a multi-purpose park, and we keep things in proportion.  Now we strive for quality, not quantity.  I think we've reached a decent balance."

Camp sites include 30 amp electrical service and Bolton Point water.  While there is no sewer there, campers share a dump station.  The camping area lines up along Salmon Creek, and is at water level so campers can keep a boat right by their camp plot.  "We've got all the amenities, and the biggest one of all is lake level access," says Colt.  "Most camping areas around here that are near the lake are not as close to the lake as we are, or at lake level.  Out location is absolutely prime."

This year two couples have rented spots for the whole season, which goes from the middle of May to some time in October, depending on the weather.  One is from the Binghamton area and the other from Pennsylvania.  Colt says the Pennsylvania couple loves to fish.  They drive up for the weekend and drive home until their vacation period allows them to stay during the week as well.


Concerts are always popular, and this is the first full summer the band stand has been available.  Colt says that he has solicited feedback from the bands this summer, and they have had very positive feedback about the structure.  The only thing they would like more of is light, and Colt is considering bringing more light onto the stage so the audience can see the bands, and the musicians can see their music.  The season has included  a variety of styles ranfging from the New Orleans All-Star Jazz Band, to Backtalk Band's nostalgic 50s, 60s, and 70s rock and roll, to last night's country music performance by child star Aaron Kelly.  The final concert of the season will be at 6pm next Thursday, featuring Kip & Rich playing hits from the 70s to the present.

The bandstand, built by the Lansing Lions Club and dedicated to the town earlier this year, is also used for weddings, for the ceremonies and pictures.  Afterwards the receptions are held in park pavilions or elsewhere.  That has worked well.  "One weekend we had a double wedding," Colt says.  "They adjusted their own time so that both weddings would be able to fit in with no problem, and that's exactly what happened.  It's a great look, so it's been a nice addition."

Lansing Harbor Festival will cap the summer.  After a successful first year the celebration of Lansing hosted by the Lansing Community Council expects the festival to grow quickly.  Last year's festival nearly paid for itself, a miracle on two counts: the first being that it was its first year, and the second that a freak storm forced the event to be rescheduled at the last minute.  Yet it attracted an estimated 2,000 people.

Colt thinks that number will explode if the weather cooperates this year.  "I think vendors have heard about it and are actually reaching out the other way," he says.  "I think it's going to attract a really big number."

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