Rod Serling Fans Praise Binghamton’s Newly-Revealed Statue

Hundreds of people attended the dedication event for Binghamton's Rod Serling statue and thousands more have viewed the event online.

The six-foot-tall statue honoring the creator of The Twilight Zone was unveiled during a ceremony on Sunday at Recreation Park on the city's West Side.

Nick Parisi, president of the Rod Serling Memorial Foundation, said the event was "great." The foundation worked for years to obtain necessary approvals and to raise the funding for the statue project, which had a total cost of about $140,000.

Parisi said the event in the park was "great." He expressed relief that the efforts to make the statue a reality paid off.

Parisi was pleased with the reaction from those who saw the statue in person and those who have viewed images of it. He said "everybody loves the statue."

Assemblywoman Donna Lupardo helped to secure some state funding for the effort to honor Serling. She told WNBF News she was excited by the reaction of the crowd at the park. She said "their applause and the way they are reacting to the statue is worth all the work that went into it."

Lupardo noted many people traveled from outside New York state and even from other countries to be on hand for the dedication ceremony.

Binghamton Mayor Jared Kraham said the statue "will forever be here in Recreation Park looking out over the neighborhood that Rod called home."

The statue is in the southeast corner of the park, a few steps from the intersection of Laurel Avenue and Seminary Avenue. It's a short distance from Rod Serling's childhood home on Bennett Avenue.

WNBF NEWS VIDEO: Rod Serling fans gathered around the new statue in Recreation Park after a dedication program on September 15, 2024.

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Contact WNBF News reporter Bob Joseph: bob@wnbf.com. For breaking news and updates on developing stories, follow @BinghamtonNow on Twitter.