FREE Park Entry at Elmore State Park This Saturday as We Celebrate the Grand Re-opening of the Historic Elmore Beach House

Everything Old is New Again:  Join us in Celebrating the Grand Re-opening of the Historic Elmore Beach House

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Elmore Then

If you happened to find yourself along the shores of Lake Elmore in 1936, you likely would have witnessed a crew of boys from the Civilian Conservation Corps hand-sawing local wood and sorting away at native stone as they built the original beach house at the newly created Elmore State Park.
Seventy-five years later, with only a few interior changes since the CCC first built it, that original beach house has been completely restored to its former glory, with the historic feel preserved and modern features added to accommodate today’s visitors.

Come see it for yourself, first hand, and join us on Saturday, June 25th to celebrate the dedication of the Elmore beach house to the next seventy-five years of enjoyment and recreation for all Vermonters and their visitors:
Saturday, June 25, 2011 

• 9:00AM Park opens – FREE park entry all day
• 10:00 AM Celebration Begins:
• Fun presentation of park’s history
• ANR Dept. Secretary Chris Recchia and Governor Peter Shumlin dedicate building
• Refreshments
• CCC Displays
• Interpretive Programs
• Enjoy swimming, hiking and picnicking in the park all day.
  Come one, come all – everyone is invited!

Some additional information about this project:

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Elmore Now

The beach house has a community room that can be rented for meetings and functions and can provide tables and chairs for up to 50 people. At certain times of the year, the entire building can be rented for group functions. Soon wifi connection will be available throughout the building.

There is also a new café seating area and revamped concession stand. Visitors will also be able to enjoy fresh food from the Elmore store and bread from Elmore Mountain Bread.

The new tables, stools and benches were hand crafted in Alburgh from the wood of a large, old white pine tree that needed to be cut down at Big Deer State Park in Groton, and out of cedar from the Champlain Islands . The couches came from Brattleboro.

The Civilian Conservation Corps was created to put people to work during the Great Depression and they built many of Vermont’s earliest state parks. Seventy-five years later, this project, funded by the state capital construction program intended to stimulate the Vermont construction economy illustrates the same commitment to providing the opportunity for outdoor recreation and putting people to work during times of economic stress.

The Division of Historic Preservation and the Department of Forests, Parks & Recreation collaborated with the Waitsfield firm of William Maclay Architects & Planning to interpret and preserve the history of the building. Donald Blake Construction, the general contractor from Morrisville used Vermont subcontractors and many Vermont sourced materials. Travis Cutler, Vice President and the Construction Project Manager, grew up in Elmore.

For more information, call Elmore State Park at 802-888-2982. Hope to see you there.