by Jay Lawson
Friends and family of Parker Snead will be taking time on Saturday, December 19th, to honor the late Town of Forestport Supervisor at a Celebration of Life gathering at Forestport Town Hall.
Bill Corrigan, whose family has had a camp on Kayuta Lake since 1939, said he will miss Parker for many reasons, including his love of Forestport and his desire to make the town a better place to live and visit.
Bill met Parker years ago as a customer of his boat company, but said their relationship grew, years later, after an encounter at the Forestport Diner.
“I was sitting at the [counter] talking to some people about starting a Christmas parade. We were hoping to get something festive going in town, but weren’t sure how to go about it,” Bill said.
“Parker happened to be nearby, and said, ‘Why don’t we have a light-up horse parade?’ I thought it was a great idea.”
Parker not only envisioned the festivity, he quickly got moving, according to Bill.
“The next thing I know, he and I are working on that Christmas parade,” he said.
Parker had ideas, he had visions for the future, and he couldn’t wait to get them going and to see them to fruition, according to Bill.
And it was a pleasure working and spending time with him, he said.
“He became a great friend. It’s been a lot of fun, and I’m going to miss him,” Bill said.
Bill said one of the great things Parker did was helping replace Forestport’s historic Twin Bridges, which had been condemned for years.
“He made that happen,” he said.
Bill said a lot of people had probably forgotten how important those bridges were to the community, and the beauty that was lost when they were closed.
“When those bridges were replaced and reopened, people were able to enjoy the waterfalls and that beautiful scenery again.”
Parker used the bridges to help signal special occasions, buying and affixing strings of colored lights for Christmas and Halloween.
In the summer, the bridges were lighted patriotic red, white and blue.
And the bridges triggered a chain reaction of community pride and improvements, according to Bill.
“The whole waterfront started to become a better place. Parker was very active in making it nice. He made sure there were flowers planted. He worked very hard on that.”
He also cut back bushes and opened up the green spaces, Bill said.
“The public waterfronts became more of an attraction and, as a result, they became quite busy. Lots of people were stopping, lots were looking at the waterfalls. Many were picnicking now, so Parker had put picnic tables there, along with charcoal grills. It became a very pretty spot to sit and enjoy the falls and to enjoy the water,” Bill said.
Groups including touring cyclists and landscape artists found it an ideal spot for resting and inspiration, Bill said.
“It was nicely done.”
Parker also improved the boat launch with landscaping and facilities, according to Bill.
“It was more useful for boaters and the kayakers who began frequenting the lake more often.”
Bill said Parker also focused on tidying the Town Barn property and the Town Hall.
“He did a great job with the Town Hall. He made it look nice, including a new sign out front. He made sure it was decorated for Halloween and Christmas.”
“He was willing to do anything to make the town more attractive and a nicer place to live in,” Bill said.
“He worked on the little school in Woodgate. He wanted to make it nice so the kids could have a playground out back and a place for activities. He bought games so they could have croquet and volleyball.”
Parker also addressed Forestport’s baseball field across from the Catholic church.
“He redid that whole field for volleyball and soccer and croquet and kickball. He made the area better for a variety of recreation. He really did a lot for Forestport.
He loved this community and poured his heart into it. He was really a caring person,” Bill said.
Reflecting on Parker Snead, Bill said he is exceedingly thankful to have known him and shared experiences with him.
“In a relatively short time, he became the best friend I’ve every had. He was an extremely nice person.
He was very helpful to the community, and he was helpful to me personally. He’s been an absolutely great friend,” he said.