Mill Creek takes patrons on tour through park

Mill Creek Metroparks offered a trolley ride through different areas of Mill Creek Park to the public on Aug. 25.

Tour guide Lynn Zocolo gave those on the tour interesting facts about the park as the trolley traveled from area to area. The tour started at Fellows Riverside Garden, looped around the park and ended back at the garden. Mill Creek designed the tour as a way for members of the park to notice the changes in season near the end of summer.

The tour started at the garden, headed to Lake Cohasset, in front of the Wall Garden, into the Lily Pond area, by the Birch Hill Cabin, around Pioneer Pavilion’s lot, over the suspension bridge, near Lanterman’s Mill, past Cascade Falls and entered the drive way leading to Judge Morley Pavilion’s parking lot before looping back around.

Zocolo opened the trolley ride with some trivia about the general history of the park. Her first couple of questions revolved around Fellows Riverside Garden since the tour began there. For example, Elizabeth Fellows donated the land to Mill Creek park in 1958 to create a community garden. Then, her trivia dealt with Volney Rogers, the park’s founder.

The trivia became about each area the trolley passed rather than the general history of the park. For instance, while at the Lily Pond, Zocolo explained where the Lily Pond’s nickname, “The Goldfish Pond,“ originated. According to the story, a police officer donated five goldfish to Volney Rogers for the newly opened pond.

The trolley ride provided beautiful sights for the riders. Zocolo showed the tour group notable nature points in the park, but occasionally, the trolley stopped for unplanned sights, such as a couple deer running through the woods and to look at the oldest continually lived in house in Youngstown, which resides next to the park. The group saw other wildlife on the tour as well, including squirrels and a heron.

Other information and history about Mill Creek can be found on their website, millcreekmetroparks.org, or on Zocolo’s other tours. She plans to host tours more often in 2018.

 

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