There is something special about the return of things that we love. We watch things fade and go away, and often, if they are replaced, it’s by something new or “better.” The Pedal Boats at Fairmount Park are back, and it’s a big deal. In this case, they are coming back, largely as we remember.
That means a new generation will experience a side-by-side voyage with a girl or boyfriend around the lake. It means a toddler “helping” dad with the leg work of piloting a pedal boat around the lake. It means a Coke and a candy bar on the shore while you wait for your turn and a horn on the half hour telling you to bring it back into the dock.
For some of us, it’s not new at all. Many of us grew up on those boats, on dates and rides with Dad. I like to say I’m not a nostalgist, but seeing the boats back has me feeling it a bit. The return of the pedal boats is a harbinger of a new era at Fairmount Park. The boats, the plans for a public space at the Armory, and the rest of Mayor Patricia Lock Dawson’s “Put the River Back in Riverside” plans ensure that the park stays where the city gathers for a long time.
Riverside Parks is celebrating the boats’ return with an event. You can ride the boats again (or for the first time) this weekend, September 6th and 7th, from 12 to 6 p.m. at the Izaak Walton Boathouse.
