Dozens of concerts and programs every summer
By Tom French
Scores of roadside attractions have dotted the highways of the Adirondacks. Ausable Chasm is one of the oldest in the United States, having opened in 1870. Northville’s Sacandaga Park, the “Coney Island of the North,” included a roller coaster, two carousels, and a House of Fun near the turn of the 20th century.
By 1910, Caroga Lake was beginning its reign as the Amusement Capitol of the Adirondacks when the first of three amusement parks opened – Vrooman’s sported a merry-go-round and games of chance such as a steeplechase. Groshan’s Park, which would later become Pine Lake, opened in 1925 as a dance hall but was closed by the 1980s.
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Sherman’s, which started as a two-story dance hall in 1921, is the only one with rides still standing. Its Ferris wheel and carousel grace the waterfront creating an old timey, old-fashioned feel. It’s also the home of the Caroga Arts Collective.
An arts revival
Beginning in 2012 when seven musician friends crashed on couches at founder Kyle Price’s grandma’s house, the first concert of chamber music was performed in the Caroga Chapel, but the seeds of larger aspirations were planted.
“Caroga has been a passion project since I was a teenager,” said Price, who serves as the group’s artistic and executive director. “As a kid, I would walk by and think, ‘Man, something so cool could happen there.’”
As a student at the Cleveland Institute of Music, Price traveled to numerous music festivals in the summer, with Grandma’s house in Caroga as a waystation between gigs for him and his friends.
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“That’s when I started thinking how I’d love to get some artists together to collaborate with the community and help rejuvenate the area. I thought, ‘Let’s create our own music festival.’”
By the second year, the group of friends were performing chamber music at a local bar and on a barge behind the Canada Lake Store in addition to the chapel.
“It just continued to grow. After a few years, I was like, ‘Wow. Sherman’s would be the perfect spot to create a broader arts education and community space.’”
Traditions old and new
By 2017, Caroga Arts had non-profit status and had moved to the old bumper-car pavilion for its growing summer concert series. The one-week music festival has transformed into a five-week residency with 120 professional musicians from all around the world performing up to five concerts a week at various venues as far away as Cooperstown, Canajoharie, and Cazenovia, to name just three. Smaller residencies have also been established in the off-season.
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Most of the musicians are “friends and friends of friends,” according to Price. “There are various reasons why they are attracted to coming year after year. They’ve connected to this community while playing amazing pieces of music in a beautiful space, collaborating with friends, and enjoying the Adirondacks.”
In addition to the chamber music concerts, Caroga Arts hosts guest artists who sometimes work with the resident artists. Last year, the ensemble played with Judy Collins. This year, Cory Wong will be collaborating with the group. Past guests have included the Bacon Brothers and Gibson Brothers. Former SNL Cast Member Alex Moffat will be performing this summer as well.
Music lessons
In 2023, Caroga Arts initiated their educational SPACE program (String Projects and Arts Collaborative Education) where artists collaborate with local schools to introduce string instruments and other artistic learning opportunities. “We partner with school districts to bring instruments to students that otherwise wouldn’t be provided the opportunity.”
The summer day camp program is also expanding. A Monday program for musicians of all ages and abilities that culminates in a showcase concert will continue with instrument lessons and master classes taught by resident artists. A music and art workshop will be offered with resident artist Stephanie Price-Wong and Sam Fielding, a local artist and author. A band camp the week of July 29 for 8th grade and high school students will work with Eddie Barbash, a saxophonist known for his work with Jon Batiste, and meet guitarist Cory Wong.
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Finally, free kids carousel concerts will be offered on several Saturday mornings, with carousel rides after the show.
Restoring old relics
All concertgoers are treated to a working, 1902 Looff carousel for two hours before any show. Although the original wooden horses and chariots (with real hair tails and jewels for eyes) were sold to raise rebuilding funds after a 1979 fire in the dance hall, at six rpms, the thrill is the same. Aluminum animals were purchased in 1980 as replacements and include 50 animals with 18 that go up and down.
The brass ring carousel was built for an amusement park in Utica, New York, then moved to Sherman’s in the 1930s along with the bumper cars and a whip ride, the first mechanical rides at Sherman’s. The carousel building, built by Looff, was also moved to the site. The upper levels of the 12-sIded building include original stained-glass windows along with recreations by the Adirondack Stained Glass Works in Gloversville.
A calliope with six percussion instruments and pipes voiced like a clarinet and flute provides music during the ride.
Restoration of the Ferris wheel is ongoing. Kris Smith, who first worked for Sherman’s as a teenager, has sanded and repainted almost every piece with help from volunteers. The lights have been rewired, and last year the motor was rebuilt and the wheel spun for the first time in years. Caroga Arts does not plan to offer rides at this point.
“It’s not up to modern code,” according to Kathy Manning, on-site manager. “You have to have seat belts and other things that we never had when we were kids riding it.”
The entire facility was donated to Caroga Arts in 2019 by George Abdella, a local businessman who purchased the park in 1989 and passed away in 2022. Ownership has allowed Caroga Arts to use its non-profit status to raise monies for restoration work while expanding its offerings of concerts, residencies, and summer programs for kids.
Other renovations include work in the dance hall where an upstairs ballroom will serve as another event space. Manning suggested that several events from weddings to proms and concerts could be occurring simultaneously in different sections of the property.
The carousel is available for special events.
Future plans for the former amusement park
Caroga Arts is in the midst of a large capital campaign to finance a permanent state-of-the-art amphitheater and year-round capacities. The campaign will also raise funds for housing and an “interdisciplinary campus that stretches across the Town of Caroga.” Currently, local residents generously host artists along with local hotels when space is available. Phase 1 of the Sherman Legacy Campaign, the new amphitheater, is slated for completion by the 2027 season. It will accommodate an 80-person orchestra and include a green room, private dressing rooms, and a large screen.
According to Price, “We’re trying to be a catalyst for economic growth and tourism in the area.”
More information about the Caroga Arts Collective, events, and their capital campaign can be found on their website, https://carogaarts.org/
Information about the history of amusement parks in the Caroga area, including a large number of artifacts, can be found at the Caroga Museum on London Bridge Road. This August, they will have an exhibit highlighting the works of Paul Bransom, an artist known for his works with wildlife, who had property on Canada Lake. More information can be found at: https://www.carogamuseum.org/
Photo at top: The Caroga Arts Collective presents dozens of concerts every year in the former area of Sherman’s Amusement Park where rides on the Carousel are still available. Restoration of the Ferris wheel is in process. The former bumper car pavilion is on the left. Photo by Tom French
That’s a band organ not a calliope. A band organ is automatic music machine that plays books or rolls with punch holes to produce the music and they often have instruments such as drums, horns, and/or symbols. A calliope is similar to a pipe organ. It must be played by someone using a keyboard.
Hello — Thanks for reading and commenting.
I have reached out to Caroga Arts and they have confirmed that the Carousel has a calliope. Further research also confirms that a calliope can be hand-operated or automated.