‘Seasons at the Lake’ Explores the American Vacation Through Oquaga’s Resorts

In 1869, James and Elvira Scott purchased a farmhouse and 98 acres of farmland on what was called Sand Pond in upstate New York. The two moved in and within a year began boarding visitors at their spacious lake farm house. Today, nearly 150 years later, many area families still venture to the crystal clear waters of what is now known as Oquaga Lake near the Village of Deposit and the remaining Scott’s Family Resort.

Seasons at the Lake is a one hour television documentary by WSKG Public Media. Filmmaker Brian Frey, looks at the remarkable history of Oquaga Lake and its resorts that drew vacationing families from every corner of the country, for decades. This helped Oquaga Lake become one of the most popular and cherished vacation spots in the region.

The film also looks at how the family vacation changed during the twentieth century and the role air conditioning and large themed amusement parks played in that evolution. Seasons at the Lake is also a story about food and the role it continues to play in binding families and their vacation traditions together. And how one Oquaga Lake resident used her family’s favorite recipes to create a popular cookbook to help support her community.

Seasons at the Lake utilizes hundreds of archival photos and film footage with dozens of first-person memories of Oquaga Lake. This film is a wonderful nostalgic look back at the way we once spent our time away and how food continues to play a role in keeping those family memories alive.