By Jim Raykie
It was a whirlwind Mother’s Day around my house. We ended up visiting two state landmarks, and one that should rank as a third. The day, steeped in a tradition of many years, began as usual with a drive to Conneaut Lake.
We have been eating at the Stable Pit & Pub for a long time to celebrate Mother’s Day, and the restaurant, which has long been a favorite of visitors to the lake, didn’t disappoint.
After dinner, my wife, daughter and I decided to take a short drive to the first landmark, Conneaut Lake Park, to check out the progress since a devastating fire to the Dreamland Ballroom and the midway more than a year ago.
When we stopped by last year after dinner, the park was in shambles, still cluttered by the blackened debris and other piles of trash. Recently, it was announced that the park would open on a limited basis this summer, and while the cleanup has a long way to go, the signs of progress are apparent.
Several other people were walking around the park, maybe finding out about the cleanup, maybe out for a nostalgic stroll. Others were working in various areas, especially around the historic Beach Club, a place where generations of guys and girls have spent many a warm summer night.
The Beach Club will be one of the attractions open for the summer, and it was refreshing to see a schedule of events posted inside the main door. One of the first will be a Memorial Day Doo-Wop weekend performance by the popular Johnny Angel and the Halos, a classic oldies band based in Pittsburgh. Count me there. He rocked the Cow Shed at the lake last Labor Day weekend, and it’ll be more of the same great music later in the month.
After walking off dinner, we left for the place that should be a state landmark, Hank’s Frozen Custard on Route 322 between Conneaut Lake and Meadville. It’s been one of the best ice cream stands since it opened in 1952, and a trip to the lake wouldn’t be complete without stopping by and saying hello to the folks at Hank’s (and having a two-scoop cone of chocolate and vanilla).
Hank’s has the best soft-serve ice cream that I have eaten in my life. It’s been that way since I was a kid and we would visit the park. But my buddy Potsy tells me about a place near Geneva On The Lake that more than gives Hank’s a run for its money. It must be a lake thing, but the next time I head to Geneva, another of my favorite summer haunts, I’ll have to give the place a try.
Usually, that marks the end of the afternoon, and we head home. But this year, we decided to head to Linesville and visit the seemingly millions of carp at the spillway, another state landmark and tourist attraction that was prominently in the news for months.
The tradition there, of course, is to feed the carp bread, formerly available at numerous stands near the spillway. The state for various reasons tried to ban the bread and substitute pellets instead. After an uproar by residents, Linesville area businesses and our state lawmakers, the state backed off and the tradition of bread was permitted again.
It hasn’t turned out to be all that bad of a deal for the state. They sell bread at the new concession stand for $1 a loaf, and buy three, get one free. Everyone knows that you could feed an entire bread truck to all of these slimy, slippery suckers, but four loaves were plenty. The ducks and other waterfowl managed to get a few crumbs as well.
The state did a nice job on the remodeled spillway. It’s much larger and much cleaner. While initial concern about the bread was all of the litter that it creates from plastic bags and ties, one would be hard-pressed not to use one of the many state-of-the-art trash receptacles throughout the spillway and its adjacent parking and concession areas.
One thing unchanged about the spillway is the main event — the carp. They have much more room to laze around, but the population seems to grow every year. I find great joy in watching the young children gaze at the water in amazement as they throw slices of bread, and giggle and laugh as the bread disappears amid the slurping and burping like pieces of meat in a piranha tank.
After a day of surf and turf, so to speak, we wrapped up another Mother’s Day filled with tradition and good times. It was hard to drive past the U’ll Scream gelato stand in Transfer on Route 18 on the way back, but enough was enough, at least until tomorrow.
Jim Raykie is the editor of The Herald and his column appears on Mondays. His e-mail is jraykie@sharonherald.com
