Erie County Executive Mark C. Poloncarz today joined Commissioner of Parks, Recreation and Forestry Daniel J. Rizzo at Emery Park in South Wales to inspect the newly-installed Magic Carpet, a 920-foot long conveyor system/moving walkway that skiiers  and snowboarders stand on for a five-minute ride up the hill after their downhill run. The $850,000 investment replaces the over 50-year old T-bar system that previously brought skiiers back up hill but had reached the end of its life expectancy.

“The installation of the Magic Carpet ensures our Emery Park ski hill will be open for decades to come and I know that downhill skiiers and snowboarders will greatly appreciate that,” said Erie County Executive Mark C. Poloncarz. “When paired with free skiing here, the advantage of the Magic Carpet ride will bring many more people here to try the hill and enjoy some winter fun. I thank Commissioner Rizzo and his team for their work in getting this project completed this year.”

Parks Commissioner Daniel Rizzo added, “The addition of the Magic Carpet will greatly boost skiing and snowboarding interest here at Emery Park, and is just another way we work to make park experiences better for our visitors in all seasons. This is the longest Magic Carpet in the world, and we are proud to have it here in Erie County for our residents’ enjoyment.”

For more information:

On winter sports in Erie County parks, visit   http://www2.erie.gov/parks/index.php?q=winter-sports   

Emery Park History:

Josiah Emery owned 175 acres of land in the Town of Aurora, and his descendants lived and worked on this land for over one hundred years. In 1925, The Parks Commission purchased the land from Helen B. Emery, forming Emery Park. Emery Park had an abundance of attractions from the beginning- a rock garden, an amphitheatre (original capacity 600), formal gardens, stone arch footbridge and Emery Inn (Est. 1926, the former home of the Emery family but was used as a museum and restaurant). The Park contains sixty-nine structures, 95% of which were built in or before 1935. Emery Park today has evolved into a 489-acre Erie County park.

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