Fundraising for 'The Ghost of Roseland' heats up

Mike Murphy, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
Updated ·3 min read

CANANDAIGUA – It’s getting to be that time of year when longtime Canandaigua residents' memories turn to the magic that once was Roseland Park.

The amusement park on Canandaigua Lake operated from 1925 until 1985, providing all sorts of fun times for youngsters and their families as well as jobs for people like former Canandaigua Mayor Ellen Polimeni.

Polimeni was just out of college and about to start a career in education in Canandaigua schools when she took a summer job working a lunch counter near the lake's waters.

Roseland Park: It was the 'Playground of the Finger Lakes'. Now it's gone

“People are thrilled and have many fond memories of Roseland,” Polimeni said, including those, like her, who are on a committee to bring a small piece of the amusement park back to Canandaigua. That includes fellow committee member Eli Bowen, who didn't work there but had fun there.

"I spent a lot of time there as a kid," Bowen said. "Mostly playing pinball."

Fundraising efforts for public art that pays tribute to the amusement park are picking up steam as the weather warms. The goal is to transform a weathered, unused concrete stanchion to a unique artwork.

The Ghost of Roseland

Here's what The Ghost of Roseland could look like on Canandaigua Lake.
Here's what The Ghost of Roseland could look like on Canandaigua Lake.

The Ghost of Roseland, as artist Benji Carr calls it, will be a stainless-steel structure that uses hydraulics to power a miniature Ferris wheel, roller coaster and replicas of two other Roseland Park rides.

Each of the mini rides will be able to move slowly.

The artwork will be placed on the stanchion that some believe is an eyesore but once supported a Roseland favorite ride, the Satellite, which carried riders out over the water. The stanchion can be seen just off the shore of Lakefront Park in Canandaigua. Another stanchion is used by the Canandaigua Lady ticket office.

Fundraising is underway for The Ghost of Roseland, a sculpture that pays homage to Roseland Park in Canandaigua.
Fundraising is underway for The Ghost of Roseland, a sculpture that pays homage to Roseland Park in Canandaigua.

Here’s what Carr had to say about the idea earlier in the year, after Canandaigua City Council gave its support for the project.

“Like most people, Roseland brought a lot of joy and it’s just … gone. It didn’t get the recognition that it deserves,” Carr said. “This park didn’t get any thanks for that and I think it needs a monument in itself.” 

Carr, whose studio is in Cohocton, also created another visible public art sculpture in Ontario County. The Denizen is an 18-foot-tall metal dandelion in front of the Cobblestone Arts Center in Farmington.

Fundraising continues for this public artwork

File Photo: Roseland Park on Canandaigua Lake.
File Photo: Roseland Park on Canandaigua Lake.

The hope is the project will be done sometime in 2024.

Fundraising efforts to make it happen will continue through July, Polimeni said.

“We’re hoping that people who come to visit this summer will be interested in helping this become a reality also,” Polimeni said. “We’re anxious to get our process underway.”

To donate

For those looking to contribute, mail a check to Lakeside Sculpture, P.O. Box 449, Canandaigua, NY 14424, or visit Finger Lakes Area Community Endowment at https://www.cnbank.com/flace/https://www.cnbank.com/flace/ and choose “Ghost of Roseland Sculpture.”

For details on the progress, visit www.VisitFingerLakes.com/revive-our-history/.

This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: The Ghost of Roseland sculpture to pay tribute to Roseland Park