Ferris Wheel At Geneva On The Lake

A riders view of the Ferris Wheel at Geneva On The Lake, Lake Erie, Ohio. The Ferris Wheel, one of the original rides at the now defunct Erieview Park, now resides behind the Old Firehouse winery. Rides are $2.75 each. This is the only promised attraction of “The Landing” that debuted back in Spring of 2007.

Have a look at the beautiful sunset over the lake as the Ferris wheel rotates quickly around.

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Geneva On The Lake – The Landing

Geneva On The Lake - The Landing 2007

Geneva On The Lake, once a hot spot location for all ages lies dormant under a melting shroud of snow. In October of 2006 Erieview Park was ripped apart and sold piece by piece at auction. All that stood in the aftermath was a pile of rubbish and dirt piles.

When we returned in the Summer of 2007, on July 13th, our wedding anniversary, we found the above bill board posted where Erieview Park once stood. Reading the sign, it promised many wonderful attractions. We are still waiting for these attractions!

2008 brought bulldozers leveling the land and stripping away all that was left of the land. It became a huge dirt bowl and when it rained, a muddy mess.

In 2009, the Ferris Wheel returned positioned in a new place behind the Firehouse Winery. Rides were $2.75 each. The rest of the area was still a barren wasteland. As promised on the sign above, there was no Festival Plaza, no Boardwalk, no Amphitheater, no retail shops, no Food and drink locations, no Microbrewery. Only the Ferris Wheel. In three years time, only the Ferris Wheel.

Coincidentally, the sign above was taken down. Probably to avoid other people posting updates on it like this blog.

We will be heading up to Geneva On The Lake once again this Summer to have lunch at the Time Square restaurant and dinner at Eddie’s Grill. And to see the progress, if any on the promised Festival Plaza. I will report the findings of course.

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Geneva On The Lake – Past And Present

Geneva On The Lake 1960's

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In the 1950′s and 60′s, Geneva On The Lake was “The Place” to go for the Summer weekends. Geneva had it all. On the Geneva strip, there was a mile of shops, restaurants, attractions, even an amusement park. Eddie’s Grill, Madsen Donuts, Firehouse Winery, and Time Square restaurant famous for their pile of fries order. Geneva was where all the cool kids hung out, including the many motorcycle gangs that would congregate on the strip by Annie’s restaurant.

Below the strip was Lake Erie and miles of white sandy beaches where bikini clad babes would shake and bake all day. The water was clear and and non-polluted. There was a pier and yes, people would actually swim in the great lake.

Beach Entrance

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Flash forward forty plus years to the present. This twisted piece of rusted metal were once the entrance to the beach. These are the same white steps in the post card picture above.

The weeds are overgrown and it is not a well traveled path anymore. The steps are rickety but they still function.
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Lake Geneva 2009

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Referring back to the post card picture above. This is what the beach and water look like today. As you can see, the pier is gone, the white sand is gone, the foliage is now weeds. Gone are the bikini clad babes sunbathing and in their place, large cement breakers now dominate what beach is left. Erosion has won this battle. No one swims there now or rarely even ventures down to the so-called beach.

Geneva Erosion 2009

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Again, referring to the post card above, this is what is now at the bend in the beach. Round cement breakers litter the rocky eroded beach supposedly to eliminate anymore erosion. Not that it matters now.

The beach is dead. This is no longer a place where the cool kids hang out. In fact, no one hangs out at this place anymore. There are only the occasional few like myself that make the trek down the rusted steps and take in the now sad view that once was a beautiful place to visit.

Eddie’s Grill will be closing next week as Labor day signals the end of Summer and most of the businesses on Geneva On The Lake board up for the winter. For those in the area, now is the time to visit Geneva before it’s too late for this year.

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Eddie’s Grill Video

The Grassy Knoll Institute spent Saturday up at Geneva On The Lake, Ohio, a quaint iconic vacation spot. Memorial Day weekend is the first busy weekend of the Summer. How goes this weekend usually gauges how the rest of the Summer goes.

It was good to see Geneva crowded with the country in a recession and gasoline prices sky high. ($3.89 per gallon)

As usual, we had headed down to the beach, or what is left of the beach, (Which is absolutely nothing) skipped some stones, and relaxed enjoying the warm weather. (65 degrees F)

We were saddened to see that “The Landing,” the land development that was supposedly replacing Erieview Park, (Erieview Park was dismantled October 2006, was an amusement park since 1940′s) made absolutely zero progress as debris and large piles of dirt and rock remain strewn across the property.

Ironically, the billboard touting the new development was removed. Perhaps embarrassment and shame is finally setting in for the lack of commitment to the lake resort.

More news and pictures will follow very shortly.

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