Park district finalizes purchase of Chippewa Lake Park land

CHIPPEWA LAKE — Roughly 94 acres of land formerly occupied by Chippewa Lake Park has been purchased by the Medina County Park District with deal backers calling it the culmination of a 20-year process. The land was purchased from Chippewa Properties Inc. but a price was not made available before press time. Troy Gerspacher, president of Gerspacher Real Estate Group, helped broker the deal and it wasn't the first time his family has conducted business related to Chippewa Lake Park. His grandfather, Mel Gerspacher, oversaw a 1969 ownership change from Parker Beach to Guido DiGeronimo. Beach's father, Mac, acquired the park in 1898 after it had been known as Andrew's Pleasure Grounds since its 1875 opening, after owner Edward Andrews. "Former park director Tom James did so much work over his career trying to make this happen," said Gerspacher. "He was negotiating with the owner for at least 20 years. Now, his successor Nathan Eppink has picked up where he left off. Over the years, there have been some complications with small roads that weren't legal size and a lot of lots that weren't laid out correctly. That on top of some disagreements on price were the hold ups to sell." Medina attorney Mike Laribee assisted Gerspacher with the new deal and Laribee's father, Dick, provided similar services in the 1969 transaction. Parker Beach managed Chippewa Lake Park through what's considered its prime years in the early- to mid-20th century. He leased the site in 1936 and officially purchased it from his father the following year. A roller coaster, "The Big Dipper," was introduced to the public in 1925 but the ride came to be known as simply "The Coaster" over its lifespan and remained operational until the the park's 1978 closure. The park at one point housed three roller coasters, a Ferris wheel, carousel, ballroom, flying cages, bumper cars and other rides. Following sale to Continental Business Enterprises in 1969, efforts were made to transform the site into a summer resort attraction but those changes did not turn around consistent declines in attendance. Rides stood abandoned but largely intact through the end of the century. A fire destroyed the park's ballroom in 2002, which was followed by fire damage to numerous other structures over the next six years. Plans to use the land for Chippewa Landing — set to include a hotel, spa, fitness center and restaurants — were announced in 2008 but eventually scrapped. Many site structures have been demolished since 2009 but as of late-2018, rides including the Ferris Wheel, Little Dipper roller coaster and flying cages were still standing. Gerspacher said the 94 acres are now mostly vacant land. Chippewa Lake Park was the subject of the 2007 documentary, "Welcome Back Riders," and served as a backdrop for some shots in the 2010 horror film, "Closed for the Season." Contact reporter Jonathan Delozier at (330)721-4050 or jdelozier@medina-gazette.com.