Lakeside Park - So Many Memories
To those unaware, Port Dalhousie's Lakeside Park might just seem like many of the other waterfront parks that straddle the shores of Lake Ontario, this is however, very much not the case! Lakeside Park was an extremely influential place for many of the locals who called Port Dalhousie home, but one in particular went on to become one of the greatest musicians that would ever come out of Canada.
Neil Peart ("The Professor") September 12th 1952 - January 7th 2020
The year is 1968, and a 16 year old Neil Peart is working his part-time summer job just meters from ground zero of this Geocache. It is hard to imagine it now, but at one point in time much of this area would convert itself into a bustling midway every summer. Neil would spend many of his days interacting with locals and tourists who came from all over to experience what the park had to offer. He was an outgoing, laidback guy, a slacker some may say. This would ultimately lead to him being fired. Neil's love and memories of Lakeside Park continued into his adult life as he toured around Southern Ontario playing with various bands. It wasn't until the summer of 1974 when he would audition for a little-known band at the time by the name of "Rush" to replace their former drummer, John Rutsey.
Neil's first album with the band, Fly By Night would begin to put Rush into the spotlight in the Canadian music scene, and as Rush headed back to the studio in 1975 to record Caress of Steel, Neil reminisced upon his youth spent in Lakeside Park and penned one of the most memorable tracks off the album. Many of the landmarks you will notice in your visit to the park are mentioned!
Rush went on to achieve international success in the years following, and to this day, many critics will consider Neil Peart to be one of (if not the) greatest drummer of all time. Following his passing in 2020, the city of St Catherines decided to begin memorializing his legacy and connection to Lakeside Park.
And that is why I bring you here today. To log this cache, visit the posted coordinates. The first thing you will notice is the beautifully restored Lakeside Park Carousel. It's over 120 years old, and well worth the ride if you are here during its operating season!
1. On the side of the carousel building, you will notice a plaque listing the funders of the project. Please send me the year in the bottom right corner of this plaque via my profile page (do not include this information in your log).
2. Head to the Neil Peart Pavilion (waypoint provided) and take a picture of yourself (you do not have to show your face) or a personal item with the "Neil Peart Pavilion" sign clearly in the background. Post this with your log.
Any logs that do not meet these criteria will be deleted.
Virtual Rewards 4.0 - 2024-2025
This Virtual Cache is part of a limited release of Virtuals created between January 17, 2024 and January 17, 2025. Only 4,000 cache owners were given the opportunity to hide a Virtual Cache. Learn more about Virtual Rewards 4.0 on the Geocaching Blog.