Darien Lakes State Park

Press Release:

Hundreds of nature lovers will start the new year outside with a growing New Year’s tradition on one of New York State’s longest trails.

On Jan. 1, nine meeting locations and 11 hikes on Genesee Valley Greenway State Park cover miles of trail from Rochester to Hinsdale, along the route of the abandoned Genesee Valley Canal and Pennsylvania Railroad. Guides will lead the way, pointing out a huge variety of historical and natural nuggets from this remarkable trail.

Hikes meet at: 

• Brook Rd Parking lot, 30 Brook Rd, Rochester, 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.
• Canawaugus Park, Village of Scottsville, 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.
• Erie-Attica Parking lot off of Rt 5, Avon, 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.
• York Landing Parking Area, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
• LivCo Basecamp & Visitor Info Center, corner of Rt 408 & Rt 36, Mt Morris, 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.
• Nunda Highway Department, 1955 Hay Rd, Nunda, 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.
• Music Way, next to Shop n’ Save, Fillmore, 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.
• Bull St., Cuba by gazebo, 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
• Hinsdale Methodist Church, Main St, 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.

More details available at parks.ny.gov/events/event-results.aspx?pk=189

Other state parks in the area have First Day Hikes too: Letchworth State Park, Hamlin Beach State Park, Lakeside State Park, and Darien Lakes State Park. Follow them all on social media or email genesee.education@parks.ny.gov to be first to get new outing calendars.

First Day Hikes started in 1992 at Blue Hills Reservation in Milton, Massachusetts. Since 2012, state parks nationwide have joined the tradition. 

New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation oversees more than 250 individual parks, historic sites, recreational trails, and boat launches, which were visited by a record 78 million people in 2020. 

A recent university study found that spending by State Parks and its visitors supports $5 billion in output and sales, 54,000 private-sector jobs and more than $2.8 billion in additional state GDP. For more information on any of these recreation areas, call 518-474-0456 or visit parks.ny.gov, connect on Facebook, or follow us on Twitter.

Submitted photos.

From the National Weather Service office in Buffalo:

A severe thunderstorm warning remains in effect until 5:15 p.m. EDT for Southeastern Orleans and Central Genesee counties.

At 4:30 p.m. EDT, a severe thunderstorm was located over Oakfield, or near Batavia, moving east at 35 mph.

Up to 70 mph wind gusts pose a hazard, according to radar. Expect considerable tree damage. Damage is likely to mobile homes, roofs, and outbuildings. Locations impacted also includes Darien Lakes State Park, Attica, Corfu, Elba, Alexander, East Bethany, and Interstate 90 near exit 48.

For your protection move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a building. Torrential rainfall is occurring with this storm, and may lead to flash flooding. Do not drive your vehicle through flooded roadways.

UPDATE 4:54 p.m.: A low-hanging cable wire and possibly a tree are reported down in the roadway in Elba in the area of 4119 Lockport Road. A first responder says the roadway is partially blocked. The roadway will be shut down at Route 98 and Lockport Road. Spectrum is notified; no ETA.

UPDATE 5 p.m.: The Elba chief says the cable line has been cleared; now removing other debris before reopening roadway.

Park police have requested the assistance of a state trooper at Darien Lakes State Park to help with a raccoon that won't stop trying to get into a camper's tent at site #17.

Darien Lakes State Park 2019 Concert Schedule

All concerts are on Tuesdays from 7 to 9 p.m. at Shelter #2 and they are free to attend. Day area admission to the park is free after 5 p.m.

Darien Lakes State Park is located at 10475 Harlow Road, Darien Center. Phone is 547-9242.

Please remember that Darien Lakes State Park is a “Carry in/Carry out” park.

Please help support park events by supporting the Natural Heritage Trust. Donations to the Natural Heritage Trust for Darien Lakes State Park can be made at the park or online at www.nysparks.com.

June 25 -- Corfu/Pembroke Community Band

Come and kick off the beginning of the 2019 concert series with the hometown sounds from the Corfu/Pembroke Community Band. Bring your lawn chairs and enjoy the classic concert band ensemble.

July 2 -- NY Rockin’ Revue Gone Country

It’s all country tonight. They will be bringing out the banjo, fiddle and pedal steel guitar. It’s Patsy Cline, Charlie Daniels, Hank Williams Sr. and many more.

July 9 -- Ghost Riders

The Ghost Riders will lift your spirit with drivin’ “hardcore country” music with a twang that makes listeners of all ages want to get out and dance and have fun.

July 16 -- The Swooners

Enjoy the music of every decade, from the Roaring '20s thru the Big '80s and beyond. They will make you want to dance, sing, laugh -- and cry.

July 23 -- Auslanders

German night is back with the sounds of the Auslanders! This popular Buffalo band has been entertaining for years, as one of the area's most enjoyed Oktoberfest bands. Authentic German selections and a polka here or there will keep your feet stomping and spirits high!

July 30 -- Old Hippies

The music of the Old Hippies is acoustic and a varied brand, be it their own creative songs or recognizable covers from a golden musical era: the '50s,'60s, '70s and on and on...nostalgic to those who lived it and romantic to those who didn’t.

Aug. 6 -- The Batavia Swing Band

Listen and dance to Batavia’s premier swing band as they play the most popular swing, jazz, and Big Band music from over the years.

Aug. 13 -- The Band Anastazja

Armed with a banjo, mandolin, fiddle, guitar, bass, spoons, eight kids, Mom, Dad and Gramma. The Band Anastazja travels here, there and everywhere to entertain folks with their unique style of music and their genuineness in real life stories that they tell and the songs to accompany them.

Aug. 20 -- In The House

Their repertoire includes dance hits and classics from the '40s to present. Their music includes R&B, blues, disco, country, gospel and classic rock.

Aug. 27 -- The Boomers

The Boomers have a vast repertoire of classic songs, which includes favorites from the '40s thru the '90s.

Sept. 1 -- NY Rockin' Revue  ***Fireworks Afterward***

Whether it’s classic rock, country or old-time favorites, NY Rockin’ Revue provides it all. Enjoy a night of great music and dancing, along with a firework show following.

The Sheriff's Office has made an arrest in a fatal hit-and-run accident on Sumner Road, Darien, on Friday night after the Jason Aldean concert at Darien Lake Performing Arts Center.

Jennifer L. Serrano, 48, of Charles Street, Irving, is charged with vehicular manslaughter in the second degree and leaving the scene of a personal injury accident.

The Sheriff's Office executed a search warrant early this morning in Amherst and seized the vehicle they believe Serrano was driving when it struck Connor Lynskey, 18, of Hinckley.

Lynskey was camping with a group of people who attended the Aldean concert and they were walking back to Darien Lakes State Park on Sumner Road when he decided to run ahead and catch up with a friend.

None of the group apparently saw what happened. 

When they got back to the state park, they contact State Park Police because Lynskey had not returned. Park Police and deputies search the area but did not locate Lynskey.

At 11:51 a.m., Saturday, during another search of Sumner Road, Deputy Richard Schildwaster found Lynskey's body in a ditch at the side of the road.

Serrano was jailed on $100,000 bail or $200,000 bond.

Christopher Parker was the lead investigator on the case.

Here is the lineup of 2017 summer concerts for Darien Lakes State Park, located at 10475 Harlow Road in Darien Center. All but the last concert of the season (on Sunday, Sept. 3) take place on Tuesday evenings from 7 to 9 at Shelter #2. See below for details, including those for Sept. 3 concert.

Day area admission to the park is free after 5 p.m. Please remember that Darien Lakes State Park is a “Carry in/Carry out” park. Please help support park events by supporting the Natural Heritage Trust. Donations to the Natural Heritage Trust for Darien Lakes State Park can be made at the park or online at www.nysparks.com. 

• June 27 -- Corfu/Pembroke Community Band

Come and kick off the beginning of the 2017 concert series with the hometown sounds from the Corfu/Pembroke Community Band. Bring your lawn chairs and enjoy the classic concert band ensemble.

• July 4 -- The Band Anastazja

    Armed with a banjo, mandolin, fiddle, guitar, bass, the spoons, eight kids, Mom, Dad and Gramma. The Band Anastazja travels here, there and everywhere to entertain folks with their unique style of music and their genuineness in real life stories that they tell and the songs to accompany them.

• July 11 -- Ron and Nancy Oneson

 Traditional American music comes alive with Ron & Nancy. They sing vintage country, bluegrass, Western, Rockabilly, '50s & '60s classics, and Gospel.

• July 18 -- NY Rockin' Revue Gone Country

It’s all country tonight. They will be bringing out the banjo, fiddle and petal steel guitar. It’s Patsy Cline, Charlie Daniels, Hank Sr. and many more…

• July 25 -- The Batavia Swing Band

Listen and dance to Batavia’s premier swing band as they play the most popular swing, jazz, and Big Band music from over the years.

• Aug. 1 -- Ghost Riders

The Ghost riders will lift your spirit with drivin’ “Hardcore Country” music with a twang that makes listeners of all ages want to get out and dance and have fun.

• Aug. 8 -- Auslanders

German night is back with the sounds of the Auslanders! This popular Buffalo band has been entertaining for years. As one of the areas most enjoyed Oktoberfest bands. Authentic German selections & a polka here or there will keep your feet stomping and spirits high!

• Aug. 15 -- Old Hippies

The music of the Old Hippies is acoustic and a varied brand, be it their own creative songs or recognizable covers from a golden musical era: the Fifties, Sixties and Seventies and on and on…., nostalgic to those who lived it and romanced by those who didn’t.

• Aug. 22 -- WNY Bluegrass Association

 Come out and listen to the local bluegrass musicians specializing in the old-tyme Bluegrass sounds from Earl Scruggs, Lester Flatt, Ricky Scaggs, the father of Bluegrass Bill Monroe and more!

• Aug. 29 -- The Swooners

Enjoy the music of every decade, from the '20s thru the '80s and beyond. They will make you want to dance, sing, laugh and cry.

• SUNDAY Sept. 3 -- *** FINAL CONCERT! NY Rockin' Revue -- 7 to 9 p.m. at Shelter #2

Whether it’s classic rock, country or old-time favorites, the NY  Rockin Revue provides it all. Enjoy a night of great music and dancing. Along with a fireworks show afterward!

Shake on the Lake, Genesee Valley’s Shakespeare Festival, now in its fifth season, performed Saturday at Darien Lakes State Park, entertaining an audience with "Twelfth Night," co-produced by Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre.

The evening, which opened with plein air artists painting Darien Lakes landscapes, was sponsored by GO ART!

If you missed the performance, there are opportunities this week to see it in Attica and Silver Lake. For more information, visit the theater company's website.

The Corfu-Pembroke Community Band celebrated its 30th season last night with a concert at Darien Lakes State Park.

Press release:

Residents, friends and patrons of the Corfu Free Library are invited to come to Darien Lakes State Park for an evening of reading at 7 p.m. on June Wednesday, June 8. 

A Reading Invasion is a way to simply enjoy reading your favorite book with others. There are no discussions, no rules, just a time to read together in public. 

Participants are invited to bring family, friends, a comfortable chair or blanket and of course, a book.

The raffle for the “Anne of Green Gables” gift basket will also take place at the conclusion of the Reading Invasion. Tickets will be available at the event and are $1 each. The gift basket features an Anne of Green Gables doll and three books in the Anne of Green Gables, the popular series written by Lucy Maud Montgomery.

The Corfu Free Library periodically hosts Reading Invasions at different locations throughout the year. Residents are encouraged to check the library’s website at www.CorfuFreeLibrary.org, stop by 7 Maple Avenue in Corfu for program information, or call the library at (585) 599-3321.

Dylan Maychoss, of Pembroke, and Zoe Thayer, of Pembroke, were at the Darien Lakes State Park this morning on the park's disc golf course to practice their game, getting tips from pro Paul Stephens.

By Lindsay Hawkins

The Newest Sports Craze at Darien Lakes State Park -- Disc Golf!

Think of traditional golf -- but with Frisbees. There, you have disc golf! If throwing is not your forte (like myself), the course may seem intimidating -- but don’t let that deter you from trying it out at Darien Lakes State Park’s beautiful 18-hole Angry Apple Disc Golf Course.

The object of disc golf, much like traditional, is to “complete each hole in the fewest number of strokes” (or throws in this case), according to the Professional Disc Golf Association (PDGA). There are even specific discs like there are golf clubs! You start from a tee area and aim for the target  an elevated metal basket. At Darien Lakes, the course winds through an old apple orchard and wooded hills, presenting quite a fun challenge for players. 

Also known as Frisbee golf, disc golf is a great way to spend time outside with family or friends. Kids to seniors can be seen on the course, which starts just behind the contact station at the entrance to the park. There are three separate tees to accommodate all levels of expertise, so everyone can participate!

Doug Kelly, park manager at Darien Lakes, brought the sport to the park over a year ago, to much success. He knew the park had the perfect land and setup for a disc golf course. Professional golfers and amateurs have visited the park solely to try the course. 

“The sport has a fairly easy learning curve so you can get proficient rather quickly,” Kelly said. “The idea for the course was to create a fun design that would cater both to experienced golfers and those who are just being introduced to the sport. It’s a great way to spend a few hours relaxing while playing at your own pace.”

Disc golf actually has a local connection! In 1970, a group of people from Rochester had been playing disc golf with tournaments and leagues -- they even had a championship event by 1972. The next year, they discovered the International Frisbee Association and turned their championship event into a national one -- the American Flying Disc Open. From there, disc golf was incorporated as an event in the World Frisbee Championship, and then the PDGA was formed. 

The course is open year-round (yes, if you are feeling adventurous, you can play in the winter!) The park will soon be renting and selling discs for use on the course, but keep in mind that there is a lot of foliage surrounding the course and you don’t want to lose your disc! 

Players get to see a secluded part of the park, which is both serene and scenic, while getting in some exercise and relaxation. Visit Darien Lakes' hidden treasure and see what this up-and-coming sport is all about!

Darien Lakes State Park is located at 10475 Harlow Road in Darien.
Call (585) 547-9242 for more information about disc golf and the park.

NOTE: Earlier this year, the Chamber of Commerce published its annual Genesee County Tourism magazine and for the second year in a row, The Batavian participated in the publication by producing photos and stories. Today, for our Sunday reading, we're publishing four of our stories. For more on why Genesee County is a great place to live and to visit, click here for VisitGeneseeNY.com.

Doug Kelly gets to do things every day he really enjoys: Helping to maintain a diverse and interesting ecosystem and providing people with a place to play and relax.

"This park is a kind of joy for me," said Kelly, who is manager for Darien Lakes State Park. "I enjoy being able to work outdoors and have interaction with people who have come to be in the outdoors. I can teach them a little and give them something to enjoy."

Kelly overseas a more than 1,800 acres of woodlands and meadows with thousands of plant and animals species, a 12-acre recreational lake (boating, swimming and fishing), and 158 campsites.

In his four-year tenure as park manager he's introduced weekly music concerts and disk golf as well as overseen various conservation measures, including partnering with a local group to reclaim several acres of former farmland into meadows.

The park is traversed by more than 18 miles of trails, both for hiking and snowmobiling, and the picturesque-in-places Eleven Mile Creek.

"The amount of open space is really one of the park's strengths," Kelly said. "There are a variety of paths for activities and all of it is open for recreation, hiking, snowmobiling, cross-country skiing, hunting. That's a real plus for the park. You're able to camp here, hike here, swim here. That's the benefit of the park."

Kelly, who is married with two school-age children, lives in his hometown of Perry, in Wyoming County, just south of Genesee County. He started his parks career as a teenager at Darien Lakes, working as a recreation assistant.

As he completed his bachelor's in technology of wildlife management at SUNY Catskills, he moved his way up in park management. After a stint with the Delaware parks system, he moved back to New York and managed Beaver Island on Grand Island.

When the chance came to return to Darien Lakes, he couldn't let the opportunity pass by.

"The biodiversity of the park is special," Kelly said. "The land can vary so much, from older forest -- stands of trees that have been here before the park was formed -- to meadows we are helping to restore and maintain, and the shrub in between. That kind of layout gives the park a great number of different communities and habitats."

One of Kelly's biggest innovations at the park has been disk golf. The year-old course is bringing in amateur and pro golfers alike from throughout Western New York. Expert golfers find that the new course, which winds through an old apple orchard and wooded hills, presents a fun challenge.

Though Kelly doesn't play the sport himself, he learned how successful a course could be at Beaver Island.

"To see people that come in, a new group of people that never would have come if we didn't have this activity here, is really exciting," Kelly said.

He believes the challenging course will grow in popularity as more disk golfers learn about it.

All-in-all, Kelly said he will continue to work to find ways to improve the park and make it more attractive to the people of Western New York.

"Once in a while I hear, 'wow, I never knew this park was here,' " Kelly said. "If we can reach out and grab people who wouldn't normally come to the park and then they see what we have and come back year after year, that is really good."

This morning, I was out of the house early with the specific intention of driving to Darien Lakes State Park to get a picture of the sunrise over Harlow Lake. It's sort of been on my list of local pictures to get for a couple of years.

Below, another picture from Darien Lakes, and a landscape taken on Walker Road in Darien.