“We had a fabulous weekend at Playland. The weather was perfect for going to the amusement park , perfect for going to a beach, and we had really tremendous attendance at Playland,” Westchester County Executive George Latimer said in reporting on the park”™s first weekend back in operation after having been closed for a year due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
On opening day, Saturday June 27, 7,100 people went to Playland, with another 6,832 in attendance on Sunday for a weekend total of 13,932.
“This is a reduced season for Playland so we”™re going to have less attendance in the aggregate than we would in other years,” Latimer said.
The county”™s beach at Playland drew 714 visitors on Saturday and 1,417 on Sunday for a weekend total of 2,131. Overall, the county”™s beaches and pools drew a total of 8,346 people over the weekend.
“The parks and recreation of Westchester County, part of the quality of life in this county, really was cranking on all cylinders over the weekend,” Latimer said.
Leading up to opening day at Playland, invited officials, other guests and members of the media went to the park the afternoon of June 25 for a preopening opening.
There was a reminder that the virus still is lurking in the form of an electric road sign advising visitors who have not been vaccinated to wear masks while at the park.
Another visible sign of change came in the form of a construction fence at the end of Playland Parkway, where work is underway to reconstruct the Playland pool and rehabilitate the beach bathhouse.
More than $100 million is being put into physical facilities at the park. In addition to the pool work, entrance towers, the administration building, other buildings, restrooms and electrical switching gear are undergoing repairs and upgrades.
At the event, Westchester County Executive George Latimer celebrated the park”™s history, outlined plans for the season and took note of the fact that the 106-year-old carousel has finally been fully restored and put back into service following a fire in 2017.
The carousel originally was built by W.F. Mangels with animals carved by Charles Carmel. It originally went into service at an amusement park in Connecticut before being moved to Playland for the park”™s 1928 opening.
Latimer also announced that the Derby Racer, a steeplechase ride that has been at Playland from its beginning also has been restored. The ride, built by ride designers Tom Prior and Fred Church at their company in Venice, California, is one of only three steeplechase rides still in existence. Unlike the carousel, Derby Racer rotates at comparatively high speed with horses that move back and forth as well as up and down, as if they were in a full gallop.
Both of the rides were operating for the event, as was Playland”™s famous insignia ride, the Dragon Caster. Latimer thanked a costumed dragon character, Playland”™s mascot, for opening the classic wooden roller coaster so that those guests who wanted to brave it could take a preview ride.
When Latimer succeeded Rob Astorino, one of his early actions was to cancel the contract that had been negotiated between the company Standard Amusements and the Astorino administration to operate Playland. Standard went to court to fight the contract cancellation and at the same time filed for bankruptcy. The case was eventually settled and a new agreement between the county and Standard was approved by the bankruptcy court. The county operates the park for the current season with Standard moving into the management role next year.
Among the provisions of the settlement are that beginning on Aug. 31, 2022, and each year thereafter, Standard Amusements will pay the county a management fee, which in the first year is $300,000, rises to $400,000 in the second year and each year thereafter is adjusted by the change in the Consumer Price Index. On top of that, the county is to receive 5% of the money that comes in above a $12 million target.
Latimer said that the park has shown signs of neglect but now the necessary capital projects are moving forward to create a revived Playland.
“What you specially will see that we”™re very proud of is the work that”™s gone into reopening our historic carousel, which reopens this year after a major fire decimated it,” Latimer said. “There had to be major construction on the roof and major repair of these historic horses.”
Latimer discounted views that had been expressed by some in the past that it was time to close down Playland and open the land for development.
“We believe that restoring it as close as we could to its former glory was the right strategy, that there”™s a new generation of Westchester residents, and for that matter Bronx and Connecticut residents, anybody from these neighboring communities, that could come and enjoy this park the same way that I did when I was seven years old living in Mount Vernon,“ Latimer said.
The formal ribbon-cutting to celebrate the park”™s forthcoming season opening was punctuated with sparklers shooting a dozen feet into the air and blasts of confetti fired from miniature cannons.
After the ceremonies, Latimer and his wife, Robin, were among those going for an inaugural ride on the carousel.
