A piece of the community

When the park closed, just about everything there was sold at auction.

But at least two items remain visible in the area.

One is the Crystal Beach dance hall’s giant mirror ball, which now hangs in the Lorain Palace Theater.

Another is the white pylon sitting north of the cul de sac of Nantucket Place, the street leading into the Crystal Shores apartment complex.

It made a good mount, if an unexpected one, when Luther planned to install a new flagpole at the apartments.

“There was just a concrete pillar in the middle of the field,” he said. “It was all overgrown, covered in moss. It had no reason to be there.”

Luther, a Lorain native who grew up in Vermilion, said he had no idea the site of Crystal Shores Apartments once had an amusement park.

An Army infantryman and paratrooper, Luther has served in Germany, Iraq and Afghanistan.

At home, he said he wanted to mount a flag pole for the apartments to fly Old Glory as a symbol of unity.

Luther also compiles helpful information about the community to post on the bulletin boards of the apartment buildings.

As he began researching the area and learned its history, he made connections with the Crystal Beach family members.

They began discussing ideas to let people know about the local history of the site.

Crystal Shores Apartments are owned by Peter Wells and Simon Fuchs of S&P Management of Cleveland.

The company is donating $500 toward the historical plaques, Luther said, and he also credited the efforts of Melissa Black, manager at the residential complex.

The markers are being made at a company in Fremont and will arrive in Vermilion by Sept. 22.

“I’m hoping it’s something that will stick around in the community for a while, and people will see it and appreciate the unique piece of history we have here,” Luther said. “I’m proud to be a part of it.”