Tassel Top Park undergoes transformation aiming for best summer ever

Since last summer, improvements have been made at Tassel
Top Park in Raymond which have increased picnic spots
off the beach area for visitors and freeing up more beach
space. The cabins at Tassel Top have also been renovated
with all-new cabinets and appliances and the facility has
a new Snack Shack deck and a new Gatehouse.
SUBMITTED PHOTOS 

By Andrew Wing

There is no denying that Tassel Top Park in Raymond is a staple when it comes to where you can find the members of our communities during the summertime.

Just off Route 302, across from the Raymond Shopping Center and behind the Jordan Bay Veterinary Hospital, Tassel Top is a beautiful beach situated on 35 acres on the east shore of Sebago Lake. It is without a doubt one of the best beach areas not only on Sebago Lake, but in southern Maine as it has a safe, secure swimming area marked by buoys, many picnic tables, outdoor grills and numerous changing rooms. It also features a fully stocked snack shack that offers everything from ice cream, hot foods, charcoal, candy, drinks, snacks, clothing, sundries, beach toys and more.

Another enjoyable aspect of Tassel Top is a walking trail that covers almost one full mile that meanders through acres of Maine woods. The clearly marked trail has points of interest marked by signage and benches for quiet meditation and rest. The trail is maintained by park staff, is handicapped and stroller accessible, and is also completely safe as it is for foot traffic only, so there will be no bikes or ATV’s.

Despite all of its great qualities though, those in charge at Tassel Top continue to transform the park and made many improvements during the pandemic.

The man who has been overseeing Tassel Top Park’s transformation is Raymond Parks and Recreation Director Joseph Crocker.

Crocker lives in Windham and is going into his third year as the Town of Raymond’s Parks and Recreation Director. He joined the town in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, and he managed the impact that the pandemic had on Tassel Top Park.

“The first season during COVID-19 was a challenging one because we had to limit the beach spots to just under 50,” said Crocker. “This meant that we were only operating at about 40 percent of our maximum capacity.”

However, they had a great bounce-back summer in 2021 as the vaccinations became available and the pandemic restrictions were loosened.

“We changed some policies to allow more people in by updating how many spots we had available through Facebook,” said Crocker. “We were opened for max capacity because we knew that being outside was much safer than expected, and this allowed us to both let in 14,778  users and also increase our season memberships to 168.”

Even though last summer was good for Tassel Top, they still wanted to make some improvements, and thanks to Crocker’s direction and Tassel Top Park’s Facilities Maintenance Manager Barry Alden’s hard work, they’ve made some improvements during and since the pandemic.

“We have increased picnic spots off of our sandy beach area which allows more people to sit and enjoy the beach,” said Crocker. “There have also been improvements done to our Cabin by having Barry renovate it with all new kitchen cabinets and appliances, our Snack Shack by having a new deck built, and also our Gatehouse.”

Crocker viewed all of these changes as necessities that needed to be made and he thinks they have already paid off.

“I think all of these changes have had a positive impact,” said Crocker. “By investing in these upgrades, we are allowing more people to visit Tassel Top Park because our park can handle the high volume of daily visitors.”

And because of all these changes that have been made at Tassel Top Park, Crocker has high expectations for this coming summer.

“Our hopes for this season are to once again break our attendance records,” said Crocker. “We have also added some new positions that will be in charge of day-to-day operations along with helping me execute a long range plan to accomplish some of the much larger goals. We also have a Park Supervisor, Riley Silvia of Raymond, who will be in charge of our social media accounts this season in hopes to have the park not only be a destination for the beach, but for other amenities we can offer.” <