New Park: Behind the fence

New Park, a notoriously mysterious property in the town of Ulysses, changed hands earlier this year. New owner Sara Abernethy hosted a ribbon cutting with the Tompkins County Chamber of Commerce last week to welcome locals to what she is now calling the New Park Event Venue and Suites.

The business is a collection of four unique lodging cottages and two event venue spaces surrounded by dense trees and manicured gardens. It’s located at 1500 Taughannock Blvd. behind a tall, wooden fence that hides the property from the road.

Abernethy has hosted several events so far this season including graduation parties, weddings and the Trumansburg High School prom. She’s owned smaller vacation rentals in Lodi and Interlaken since 2017 but didn’t have much event experience before this year.

“If I have a property and it’s shouting at me to do events, that’s what we’re going to do,” Abernethy said of New Park. “I was a little nervous getting into it. It’s not an easy thing to do, but once I did one wedding, I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, this is amazing!’ I absolutely love being a part of these people’s day. It’s a really fulfilling thing. It’s a higher level of stress, but it’s not a difficult place to do it.”

Abernethy, a Pennsylvania native who made a career in marketing in New York City, said the wine tasting and waterfalls of the area blew her away on her first visit to Ithaca. She made a plan to someday relocate to the Finger Lakes, which the pandemic finally made possible.

“My day job didn’t have to be in NYC anymore, so I was able to make the change and move up here permanently,” Abernethy said. “At the moment, I live in the laundry room, which was not really the plan. The plan was to get here and buy a house, but that hasn’t happened yet for a variety of reasons, one being the crazy housing market.”

Abernethy purchased the buildings and 18 acres from Trumansburg native Jamie Kehoe. Jamie and his brother Michael Kehoe have both worked in Hollywood and the movie business for many years and frequently had friend Whoopie Goldberg stay at the property.

Contrary to local lore, Goldberg has never been an owner of the property, but her presence in the community added to the intrigue of what was behind the fence at New Park.

The estate draws even more curiosity due to the construction and decoration of its structures, which can truly only be described as unique. All the dwellings are connected by a stone path, and each one’s interior features incredibly detailed woodwork, mosaics, stone tiling and stained glass.

Each space is very different from the next, and some even have themes, such as the Balloon Room. Highlights include a shower with a tile wall in the pattern of the Finger Lakes, multiple phone booths, a purple Brazilian wood floor, a keyhole-shaped door and a key hidden in the floor (an homage to the last name Kehoe), a fireplace modeled after a wishing well and a room-size clock on a stone floor.

Abernethy said the buildings have proven difficult to redecorate because of their unusual style, and she admits they haven’t changed much.

“Every decision has been kind of laborious for me; there’s such a magic there, and I didn’t want to mess it up,” Abernethy said. “For example, there are gnomes all over the property, and I’ve started taking down some crumbling ones. But every time I take one down, I find another one. I’m kind of afraid to take them down now because they might be holding the magic of the property together.”

The property sits on a busy road but feels quiet and hidden away, especially at the wedding ceremony spot. A clearing in the trees next to the stream that runs through the whole property offers a secluded, shaded area for the exchanging of vows.

Abernethy said a wedding cocktail hour usually spreads out across the grounds, and then dinner and dancing move to the pavilion, the larger of two communal spaces.

At last week’s event, Abernethy did a ribbon cutting outside and then gave a tour through the grounds and buildings while touching on fun facts and local history she’s picked up on, including that the property used to be a much less-fancy establishment called the Cayuga Motel. Many tour attendees had never been to the property but commented that they had always wanted to see it.

“I had thought about doing a press release on my own in the beginning to let people know I’m here, but something about it didn’t feel right,” Abernethy said. “But one of the Chamber staff had come to the prom and suggested doing a ribbon cutting, and that felt right. They met me and wanted to introduce me to the community. But New Park needs no introduction. I feel like a celebrity when I drop New Park’s name.”

Abernethy said she will keep the property open for bookings throughout the winter for the first time and wants to add more small events to her calendar such as baby and bridal showers and birthday parties. She also hopes to fill up more weekdays with work functions when possible.

“We just finished installing Wi-Fi in the pavilion, which enables us to do more business events and retreats,” Abernethy said. “Why should it be empty? I want to get people in there and enjoying it. It’s my long-term goal to get my staff working more hours.”

To book an event or learn more, visit newparkeventvenue.com.