BEMUS POINT – The Friends of Midway State Park have announced plans to build a new miniature golf course at Midway State Park on Route 430 in Bemus Point.

Over the past several months, the all-volunteer nonprofit group has been working with the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation and Adventure Golf Services of Traverse City, Michigan, to plan and create a preliminary design for an all-new, local theme-inspired mini-golf course that will completely replace the current aged and deteriorated course.

“The new course will incorporate themes and structures inspired by Chautauqua Lake and local culture, including a tribute to lake fishing, the Bemus Point-Stow Ferry, the Chautauqua Institution Miller Bell Tower and the Lucille Ball comedy tradition,” said Robert Wooler, president of the Friends of Midway.

The construction of a new mini-golf course follows on the heels of the successful restorations of the Chautauqua Choo-Choo train ride and the 1946 Herschell Carousel from 2011 to 2013, both of which were spearheaded by the Friends of Midway.

“The overall goal with all of our restoration activities,” continued Wooler, “is to re-create a true atmosphere from the park’s heyday in the 1950s. Miniature golf exploded in popularity in the 1950s, so it will be a thrill to bring back a first-class course for visitors to the park to play.”

With a tentative completion during the 2015 season, Midway State Park officials see the potential of longer daily operating hours for the course and a longer season of play.

“The first order of business,” said Peter Sullivan, a member of the Friends who has been leading the design effort, “is to raise the money needed to fund the new course. While much of the raw material and labor will be contributed through the state park system, the success of the course depends on the financial support of those who love golf and love Midway.”

For more information, or to make a tax-deductible contribution toward the building of the new mini-golf course, visit the Friends of Midway online at www.fomsp.org or call 237-0122.