Cherished memories intact after fire destroys former Pine Lake Lodge

In the years after the closing of the former Pine Lake waterpark, the owners' grandson Ray Munn would drive past the Ravenna Township site on his Harley-Davidson, stop and take a look.

"Just look over the lake and look down there and see what it's like, and it's depressing how it ended up, but we have a lot of good memories," said Munn of the Summit Road site.

There is a little less to look at after a fire Tuesday night. Firefighters responded to a call a little after 7 p.m. for a fire at Pine Lake Lodge, across the road from the much larger Lake Hodgson, said Ravenna Township Fire Chief David Moore.

"That was fully involved when we arrived, so it just was a defensive operation," Moore said. He went on to add that some newer pole buildings on the property were not damaged, and no injuries were reported.

Firefighters remained on scene for about two hours, using water tanker trucks that refilled at a hydrant down the road.

Moore said the fire was still under investigation Wednesday, but is believed to have been accidental, resulting from wood being burned after it was cleared.

"There was a open burn nearby," he said. "There was a wind change and it likely precipitated that fire."

The lodge was being used to store farming supplies, mainly hay, said Moore.

The Ravenna City, Rootstown, Kent and Charlestown fire departments also responded.

Township firefighters returned Wednesday about 9:20 a.m. to extinguish some hot spots, said Moore. No mutual aid was needed.

Mike and Gladys Bly opened the 35-acre Pine Lake in 1960, the year Munn turned 5. He moved to Florida with his parents that year, but starting when he was 7 or 8, the family would drive north pulling a trailer. Munn remembers spending a lot of summers at Pine Lake until he graduated from high school.

"I actually learned to be a lifeguard there," said Munn, who now lives in Pennsylvania. "I took my scuba lessons there and got my certificate."

At age 9, in 1964, he was planning to compete in the Junior Olympics in Florida as a swimmer after returning from his visit to Pine Lake.

"I went up there to spend the summer and swim in the lake to qualify," he said.

According to a Record-Courier article published about him at the time, he had been swimming since he was 3 and already had a collection of medals.

Deciding to retire, the Blys sold Pine Lake in 1937. Munn said both of his grandparents died not long afterward.

An April 1998 Record-Courier article reported on plans to reopen the park under new ownership, but no follow-up articles have been found and Munn said he does not know what happened after that.

A July 2018 column in The Akron Beacon Journal titled "When waterparks were everywhere" reported that Pine Lake was "overgrown and has gone unsold for many years."

But something remains of the old Pine Lake.

"A lot of good summers, good memories. People on Facebook are saying some really kind things about my grandparents, which is just heartwarming," said Munn.

Indeed, Remembering Pine Lake Lodge is a public Facebook group started by and for fans. Memories include dive boards, a "dipsy doodle", something that was like a zipline that went out over the water, and board games and contests for children.

"Many of you, including myself felt a sense of sadness as a huge part of our childhood was spent in that lodge," a woman posted Wednesday morning in response to the fire. "A place of nostalgia , coming of age, family and just plain good times were had there.

"The thoughts of Mike and Gladys at the bar with drink in hand, my son with the giant bullfrogs, the view out on to the lake at sunrise, the smell of cut grass, greasy food and sun tan lotion. Those were the days, weren’t they?"

Reporter Jeff Saunders can be reached at jsaunders@recordpub.com.

This article originally appeared on Record-Courier: Pine Lake Lodge fans reminisce as former waterpark falls to fire