Sherman’s not opening, up for sale

Owners asking $3M for Caroga amusement park

By ZACH SUBAR, The Leader-Herald

CAROGA - When George Abdella bought Sherman's Amusement Park in 1989, he and his family went to work, making major renovations to the merry-go-round, surrounding buildings and all other parts of the facility.

The park, first built in 1920, became a place to enjoy a summer day on Caroga Lake. Now the buildings sit dormant. The merry-go-round and Ferris wheel stand still, and the park has no patrons.

It does not stand that way today because of neglect-on the contrary, residents say, the property remains attractive to the eye. It's just that the Abdellas have put the property up for sale, and it will not be open this summer.

"It's very bittersweet," Abdella said. "We put our heart and soul into the place. It was always a labor of love."

Abdella said he and his wife had hoped to lease the property to another party so they would not have to work so hard at maintaining it. They later figured, though, that they would still be doing a similar amount of work even if they leased it, so they instead put it on the real estate market so they could spend more time with one another and with their family.

The property is now listed at $3 million by Dolgeville Mill Real Estate, and there have been no takers so far. Realtor Fred Delucco could not be reached for comment.

Fourth of July fireworks that normally take place at the park instead will happen at Pine Lake this year.

"It's a major loss for the town," Supervisor James Selmser said of Sherman's being closed this summer.

Selmser said Sherman's used to be a major employer in the town and used to attract people "like a magnet" from all over. The Abdellas, he said, had done a good job improving the facilities and making it as presentable as possible.

The property, Selmser said, could be used for a variety of things. Its real estate listing says it has a two-story entertainment pavilion and a restaurant kitchen in additional to its rides and lakefront location.

He said a potential buyer also could construct infrastructure for an RV area at the site, and said it could also be turned into a housing development.

"It still has a lot of possibilities for entertainment and either a dining or party atmosphere, so potentially it could be used, and we hate to see it not be used in some capacity," Selmser said. "Usually what happens, a lot of times, is that after a couple of years it becomes less and less viable and people tend to forget about it, which we hope is not going to happen."

Still, Selmser said, the best possible scenario would be for the amusement park to remain an amusement park so a festive atmosphere can be maintained at the property on the shores of West Caroga Lake.

Janet Shepard's grandfather, Frank Shepard Sr., was the original owner of Sherman's, and Shepard grew up working at the park.

News of the park's potential sale, she said, is bittersweet. But things change, she said, and she has accepted that.

"We had the most wonderful childhood that anyone could have working there," Shepard said.

Zach Subar covers rural Fulton County news. He can be reached at ruralnews@leaderherald.com