The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Markers to honor Crystal Beach Park
Public unveiling Sept. 22
New historical markers will commemorate Crystal Beach Park, Vermilion’s amusement park of yesteryear.
Family members of the park’s owners have teamed up with the owners and managers of the Crystal Shores Apartments to honor the park, which operated from 1907 to 1962.
The markers will come about through collaboration of the family members who used to own the park and a maintenance technician
who works at the apartment complex.
Sisters Sandra Mueller, 73, and Marlene Feldkamp, 81, are the granddaughters of George and Josephine Blanchat, the park’s original owners.
Carole Ryan, 79, was the wife of their cousin, the late Tom Ryan, who also was a grandson of the Blanchats.
Because Vermilion was a summer destination for the region, many people across northern Ohio still have memories of the rides, concerts and picnics that took place at the park, the family members said.
But as the generations pass, they said younger people may not know about that heritage.
The family members credited the efforts of Craig Luther, 31, an Army veteran and current reservist.
When not on active duty, Luther is a maintenance technician for Crystal Shores Apartments and his work there led him to rediscover Crystal Beach Park.
“I thought it was a really neat piece of history, and it would be a shame for it to be lost,” Luther said.
The family members agreed.
“It’s nice to have young people interested in things that are older,” Mueller said. “Otherwise, you lose the history.”
The historical markers will be unveiled Sept. 22 in a ceremony open to the public.