Hoopes Memorial Park
“All the world’s a stage,
And all the men and women merely players.”
(William Shakespeare, As You Like It)
Look up the description of any park, and you’re likely to find a dutiful catalog of physical features. Acreage and monuments. Picnic shelters and overlooks. Water ways and walking paths.
But there’s another way to look at parks. They’re also theaters upon whose grassy stages people come to play various parts. Parents shepherd teetering toddlers. Proud owners promenade with their fur buddies. Joggers nod as they huff past. And usually, someone remembers bread for the ducks.
Ringed by historic homes and graced with a fine gazebo, pond, and gardens, Hoopes Memorial Park is a postcard-perfect stage. It evokes the days when the Erie Canal brought great wealth on barges, and William Seward (Abraham Lincoln’s Secretary of State) built his spectacular Victorian mansion on nearby South Street. But it’s also a vibrant place where today’s Auburnites live out their dreams and memories. At various times throughout the year, Hoopes hosts wedding and concerts, art shows and Easter egg hunts. Most recently, it was transformed into a “Field of Hopes and Dreams” when local volunteers installed over 1200 flags for the Memorial Day weekend. Organizers created the tribute as a way to support a local school while honoring loved ones and armed forces veterans.
Perhaps The Bard was right and we are all “mere players.” But what a fitting place to watch the drama unfold.
For events listings throughout the year, visit Hoopes Memorial Parke calendar.
Hoopes Memorial Park
358 Genesee Street (Route 5, just east of downtown Auburn)
Auburn, NY 13021
(315) 255-4737
