Ring of Fire

Held on Canandaigua Lake the Saturday before Labor Day each year, the Ring of Fire is a magnificent sight you won’t want to miss.

 

This year, 2010, the bonfire on Bare Hill, as well as lighting flares around the lake, will take place on Saturday, September 4, at 9:00 p.m., exactly fifty-seven years to the day it was first celebrated.  We anticipate a Native American will speak at the bonfire lighting.

History of the Ring of Fire and Genundowa Day

 Genundowa Day, or Festival of Lights, according to Middlesex historian Ruth Clark, was first celebrated September 5, 1953.  Through the efforts of Mrs. Ralph Shrader of Rochester, the president of the Cottagers Association of the East Shore (now Canandaigua Lake Association, Inc.), and Dr. Arthur Parker, this event was so successful it became a tradition that continues to this day.

The Ring of Fire expressed gratitude for the beauty of the lake and re-enacted the celebration of the Seneca Indians who, more than a hundred years before, had lit their festival fires on Bare Hill and around the lake to give thanks for being saved from the Great Snake and for good hunting and fishing.  Up until 1880 a few Senecas had still gone to Bare Hill where they burned sacred tobacco on a rock.

Those who watched the first Ring of Fire described it as “the most beautiful thing they had ever seen.”  Director Ted Carman, awestruck as a young boy, explains that the lake was lit, not with flares as it is today, but with cattails soaked in kerosene and strategically stationed around the lake.

Although the Festival of Lights has been continuous since 1953, the lighting of the fire on Bare Hill had lapsed until the Town of Middlesex Heritage Group, through the efforts of Stuart Mitchell and Peter Jemison, reinstated the practice in 1989 and joined Canandaigua Lake Association, Inc. as a co-sponsor of the event.

How to Get to the Ring of Fire

When:     Saturday, September 4, 2010
Time:       9:00 p.m.
Where:    Bonfire on Bare Hill; flares lit around the lake

Directions to Bare Hill: Take Route 364 (East Lake Road) south and turn right toward Canandaigua Lake on North Vine Valley Road (Yates County Road 10) by the Overackers Corners School House. Go about a mile, then turn right onto Bare Hill Road and go a short way before turning left onto Van Epps Road. Travel west to the parking lot; parking is limited.

If you would like to watch the bonfire lighting on Bare Hill, plan to arrive at the Van Epps Road (off Bare Hill Road) parking circle before 8:00 p.m. because you’ll need to walk a mile before reaching the top of the hill, the summit of which is 865 feet above the lake.  Transportation to the top of the hill will be provided for the elderly and disabled.

Organizers recommend bringing a blanket and flashlight to the bonfire but discourage alcohol out of respect for the ceremony, which is regarded as sacred. In case of wind and rain, listen for news of the Overacker School House Celebration for Seneca Heritage Day.

Where to Purchase Flares

Canandaigua Lake Watershed Association, Inc. makes flares available for purchase at various retailers throughout the Canandaigua area. (This list may vary slightly from year to year, but will be updated in summer 2010.)

Cases Convenient Mart (County Rd. 28)
Beacon Farm Market (Routes 5 & 20 East)
The Company Store (Cheshire)
German Brothers Marina (West Lake Rd.)
Margaret's Market (Middlesex Hamlet)
Naples Pharmacy
Pelican Point Marina (East Lake Rd.)
Rank’s IGA (West Ave.)
Robesons East of Eden (Vine Valley)
St. George's Grocery & Deli (Crystal Beach)