LILY DALE – On Cassadaga Lake in Lily Dale, behind the Leolyn Hotel, the floating stage has been restored for free concerts and events. From boats floating on the lake to blankets sitting on the shore, people can enjoy the sound of music. Bring the picnic basket and the entire family for a fun-filled evening.

Originally built in 1990 by the Lily Dale Fine Arts Council, the purpose of the stage was to promote cultural events and community entertainment on Cassadaga Lake. Ed Husted and Mario Alch, who also built it, created the original design for the stage. Performances have included those by vocalist Mario Alch; pianist Richard Lopez and his Jazz Band; the Met Youth Ballet of Columbus, Ohio; local musician Skip Roberts; the Deutschmeister Band; and the Chautauqua Regional Youth Ballet, among others. In the past, the Cassadaga Band also played on the stage every Fourth of July.

In 2014, the Lily Dale Board of Directors, under the leadership of Donn Smeragliuolo, voted to rebuild the stage. Lily Dale’s maintenance crew completed the rebuild this year.

This summer, Lily Dale presented the first performance on the stage since the Lily Dale Fine Arts Council disbanded in the late 1990s. Dunkirk Middle School’s steel drum band, Marauder Steel, performed on Aug. 5 before a crowd of nearly 100. Audience members listened from the shore and from the lake.

The concert was the first in what Lily Dale hopes to become an annual series of concerts, all free to the public. A second concert will be held later this month on a date still to be determined.

The two concerts are funded in part by the New York State Council on the Arts Decentralization Program with the support of Gov. Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature and administered by the Cattaraugus county Arts Council. Support also comes from the United Arts Appeal of Chautauqua Count Projects Pool Grant Program.

For more information, contact the Lily Dale Assembly office at 595-8721. Join to celebrate the revival of the Floating Stage.