PLATTSBURGH — This year’s Teddy Bear Picnic celebrated the grand opening of the Three Bears Cottage, a brand new playhouse at Cumberland Bay State Park.
Bright colors, storybook details and whimsical architecture drew steady crowds to the campgrounds throughout the day, Monday, May 26.
Located beside the main playground, the new structure is themed after the fairy tale, “Goldilocks and the Three Bears” and includes details from other classic children’s stories as well.
During the event, Heather Thompson, a Park Naturalist at Point Au Roche State Park read stories to the children, taught them teddy-bear picnic songs and also how to identify bears.
The one-room playhouse is designed for young children, but open to all ages, featuring plushies, a mock-kitchen, as well as other games and toys.
Many families were visiting the park for the first time.
“We go to Point Au Roche a lot,” Steven Lenhart, parent, said.
“This is our first time here, it’s beautiful. Our daughter is running around right now. She’s got one of the teddy bears.”
Lenhart says they will be coming back.
“This is pretty awesome. It’s gorgeous,” Josh Trombley, another parent who frequently visits local parks said.
“It’s nice to see the funding being used for good things.”
When asked about the new playhouse, his son gave a head-nod of approval before running back to play with other kids.
Trombley was surprised by the turnout.
“This is three times the turn out I’ve seen in the last four years of coming here,” he added.
According to Kathy Woodward, who attended the picnic with her grandchildren, the new playhouse “almost looks out of place,”
“It looks like it’s from Disneyland, or even better. The kids love it,” she said.
The playhouse does not yet have set hours, but staff hope to open it on summer weekends from June through August.