 |
| The old wooden changing rooms and the Port-A-Potties behind the Snack Shack are now gone at Tassel Top Park in Raymond, and have been replaced with a large, open field space. Raymond Recreation officials say that the new field will serve as a picnic area and an event space and eventually maybe even a new playground for the park. PHOTO BY BRIANA BIZIER |
If the recent warmer temperatures and longer days have you making plans for the summer, you’re not alone. In Raymond, a team of committed town employees are working hard to bring exciting changes and upgrades to the beloved beach and rental cabin at Tassel Top.
Tassel Top Park, located just off Route 302, includes 35 acres of woodland, a meandering one-mile walking trail, and 900 feet of beautiful, sandy beach along Sebago Lake with a large swimming area as well as picnic tables and outdoor grills. The entire property is part of the Land for Maine’s Future program, which seeks to preserve public lands for generations to come. Tassel Top Park, which offers discounted day passes and season passes to Raymond residents, is beloved both in Raymond and beyond. However, that enduring popularity can bring challenges.
“Even before COVID, the beach was very crowded,” said Joseph Crocker, Raymond’s Recreation Director. “There was no overflow area for kids to play or to eat after visiting the snack shack,” he finished.
This spring, Crocker and his team have overseen several new construction projects to alleviate those problems. The old wooden changing rooms and the Port-A-Potties behind the Snack Shack are gone, and they have been replaced with a large, open field space. This new field will serve as a picnic area and an event space. Hopefully, once the building permits are approved, this field will also be home to a new playground. “That’s the big one I’m still waiting on,” Crocker said.
This playground has been several years in the making. Teresa Sadak, a member of Raymond’s Board of Selectmen, said that Raymond has had a large climbing playground for several years. That equipment’s location, however, was never finalized. It was originally intended for the park on Mill Street, but that location presented several muddy challenges.
Now, that playground unit will hopefully find a permanent home at Tassel Top.
“It was a blessing in disguise that we stalled the project to put the playground equipment up,” Crocker told me. “Now, we think patrons using the Tassel Top area will love having a place to go that isn’t on the beach.”
The new field will also help to relieve some of the complications brought about by COVID-imposed occupancy limits at Tassel Top. Last summer, state safety regulations required park staff to limit the number of patrons allowed on the beach. Unfortunately, these new restrictions led to some beachgoers being turned away at the gates after all the spots on the beach had been filled. At the moment, Crocker explained, Tassel Top is planning to operate the same way this coming summer. With the extra space in the newly constructed field, however, Tassel Top will be able to admit more visitors each day.
While the old changing rooms and bright blue Port-A-Potties are gone, Crocker assured me that park patrons will still have clean, comfortable changing and restroom options at Tassel Top. Last year, visitors to the beach were able to use a sleek metallic restroom trailer as an alternative to the occasionally fragrant Port-A-Potties. This year, Tassel Top will have two top-of-the-line restroom trailers with flushing toilets and air conditioning.
“People won’t want to leave them,” Crocker said.
“We’ll order pizzas to offer for lunch and dinner,” Crocker said.
Several Raymond residents got a sneak peek at Tassel Top’s changes over Easter weekend when the Town of Raymond hosted an Easter egg hunt on the sandy beach. About 25 families participated in the egg hunts, which were offered at three different times to allow for safe social distancing. The Easter egg hunt on the shore of Sebago Lake was the first of what Crocker, and area children hope will become an annual tradition.
Another tradition in the making is Tassel Top’s partnership with Be The Influence, a Windham and Raymond community coalition committed to keeping youth healthy. Last year, Be The Influence hosted a Family Fun and Fitness Night at Tassel Top that featured resources for staying healthy, a scavenger hunt, and an outdoor showing of the perennial classic The Princess Bride on Tassel Top’s outdoor movie screen.
This year, Be The Influence’s Family Fun and Fitness night at Tassel Top will take place on August 26. The festivities will include vendors, games, and other healthy activities. Also, because the event is taking place in August instead of October, the outdoor movie showing should be significantly less chilly.
“I’m planning to do some additional movie nights in the park as well,” Crocker said, “but I’m waiting on the Maine CDC’s capacity limits before announcing any plans.”
With all these additions and upcoming events, it might prove difficult for visitors to actually leave the park. If a day trip to Tassel Top just isn’t enough, beachgoers will be glad to know that the rental cabin is also receiving an upgrade.
“Our facilities maintenance manager for Tassel Top, Barry Alden, has been pivotal in improving the park, making it more functional, and giving it a state park feel. He’s also completely upgraded and redecorated the cabin,” Crocker said. “It’s going to be a complete transformation.” The Tassel Top cabin is available for weekly rentals throughout the summer, and available dates can be found on the Town of Raymond’s website.
Finally, for those visitors who have truly fallen in love with the towering white pines and golden, sandy beach at Tassel Top, Crocker told me that there is another event the park will be offering this coming summer. “We’ve gotten approval to host weddings,” he said.
More information about Tassel Top park can be found on the Town of Raymond’s webpage at
https://www.raymondmaine.org/ or on Tassle Top’s Facebook page @TasselTopPark. <
No comments:
Post a Comment