Lily Dale

Well, the season is upon us. No, not the Christmas season! Today marks the opening day of the summer season at Lily Dale http://lilydaleassembly.com. I wait for this all winter long. (In the sign to the above you can see that Lily Dale is also known as "The City of Light" because it was one of the first places in New York where every home was hooked up to electricity.)

Lily Dale is a community of Spiritualists south of Buffalo, NY off Rt. 60S near the Fredonia/Dunkirk exit of the Thruway. During the summer season (last full weekend of June-Labor Day) there is a full slate of daily events to keep our guests occupied. Most people come for the message services (in which Spiritualist mediums give greetings and readings from our dearly departed), the healing services, and the workshops with people like Deepak Chopra, James Van Praagh, and Wayne Dyer. But I love the place for the peaceful spirit it engenders in me.

This is the Healing Temple. Twice a day, healers practice the gift of the laying on of hands for a crowd of visitors that may number a hundred or more people per service. Next to my home, this is probably my favorite place in the Dale.


(L) Inspiration Stump. Twice a day (weather permitting) Message services are held in front of this stump in the heart of an old growth forest.

(R) Once a day (again weather permitting), message services are held here at Forest Temple. Although I don't have a photo of it right now, the Forest Temple is very near the entrance to the Fairy Trail. We must be very quiet there so as not to disturb the fairies!

(L) This is the Mediums' League. It is one of only eight octogon buildings in New York. We hold meetings and worshops here.

(R) The Assembly Hall is another meeting and workshop site. In the "off" season, my church holds its services here.

(L) The Maplewood Hotel is THE gathering place in the Dale. In the evening, a good number of Dale residents join the hotel guests in sitting in the rockers on the verandah, looking out on the lake and chatting the evening away. The accommodations at the hotel are "primitive": most of the rooms share a bathroom in the hall and there are no phones, TV or A/C in the rooms. And yet...the place has a charm all its own.

(L) This gazebo is behind the Hotel. It really doesn't serve any function beyond being picturesque but sometimes that is enough.

(L) A view of Cassadaga Lake from in front of the Hotel.

(Above) The Lily Dale Museum.

(R) The Skidmore Library. Yes, THAT Skidmore Family. This library is the largest repository of information on the Spiritualist religion in the world. It is a closed stack research library.

That's it for now. When I remember, I'll post photos of the Pet Cemetery and the Auditorium.