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'Friends of Conneaut Lake Park' rally to raise funds

Meadville Tribune

Original Article »

February 11, 2008

SADSBURY TOWNSHIP — “The community needs the park to survive and the park needs the community,” Wanda Ramaley told a crowd of about 75 people Sunday referring to the closed Conneaut Lake Park amusement park.

Ramaley is one of the organizers of “The Friends of Conneaut Lake Park Fund” to raise money so the amusement park can pay its bills and reopen for the 2008 season. She hosted a meeting Sunday afternoon at her business the Stable Pit and Pub for those possibly interested in helping the park.

Conneaut Lake Park didn’t fully open in 2007 because of lack of funds. A campaign to raise $60,000 was successful, and the Beach Club did open in mid-August 2007 and was open until the end of October.

However, the park suffered another setback this month when its Dreamland Ballroom and its maintenance shop were destroyed in a Feb. 1 fire.

There was no fire insurance on any of the buildings. The Board of Trustees of Conneaut Lake Park, which oversees the park, had allowed the insurance to lapse because there was no money to pay it.

Eileen Bertera, another of the proposed fund’s organizers and owner of the Kaylee Belle tourism boat, put it bluntly.

“They’re broke,” said Eileen Bertera, referring to the financially strapped amusement park. “The first goal is to get the fire insurance paid.”

The group wants to work with the park’s board of trustees to raise money to help pay bills and get the park reopened for 2008, Bertera said.

“If it doesn’t open — we’re all hurting,” she said.

With Conneaut Lake Park not open, Crawford County’s economy loses as much as $16.5 million a year, according to estimates by the Crawford County Convention and Visitors Bureau.

The new group is also trying to form committees such as research and development, legal team and fund-raiser to help the trustees.

Contacted Sunday night by the Tribune, Jack Moyers, president of the Board of Trustees of Conneaut Lake Park, said the board would consider working with the new group.

“If they present the board with their intentions, the boad would entertain working with them,” Moyers said.

A fund for donations has been set up with at First National Bank of Pennsylvania at Conneaut Lake, said Bertera.

The Friends of Conneaut Lake Park will seek tax-exempt status so contributions can be tax-deductible, Bertera said.

There is no set goal for the fund-raising efforts, both Bertera and Ramaley said.

“I don’t know if it will do any good, but at least we’re going to try,” Ramaley said of the fund-raising efforts.

You can help

Donations to aid Conneaut Lake Park may be made to: Friends of Conneaut Lake Park Fund, in care of First National Bank of Pennsylvania, P.O. Box 70, Conneaut Lake, Pa., 16316.

You can go

The Sociology Club of Edinboro University of Pennsylvania is holding a fund-raiser to help rebuild Conneaut Lake Park’s historic Dreamland Ballroom that was destroyed in a fire Feb. 1.

The club is holding a “Dreams Come True Dance” at the Stable Pit and Pub Restaurant, Conneaut Lake, Saturday from 8 to 11 p.m. Tickets are $10 per person or $15 per couple and can be purchased at the door or in advance by calling 382-8777. Checks should be made out to Conneaut Lake Benevolent Association Auxiliary.



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