Westchester, Explained 08: How to SAVE Your Dragon - Inside Playland and Bringing the Dragon Coaster Back to Life

As an extension of our weekly "This Week in Westchester - The Podcast" we welcome you to Westchester, Explained. In this special long-form series we take you deeper into the headlines, decisions and policies shaping Westchester County and their impact on your family, your neighborhood and your future. Here we slow it down, dig in and bring in the people doing the work, and we explain not just what the County is doing, but why it matters.

Because government should be clear. This is your County. 

And this is Westchester, Explained. 

On this episode, we’re taking you inside one of Westchester’s most iconic destinations: Playland Park -- as it gears up for a major comeback season. We sit down with the County’s Department of Parks and Recreation First Deputy Commissioner, Peter Tartaglia -- to talk about what it really took to bring this historic park and its beloved Dragon Coaster -- back to life.

From behind-the-scenes restoration work to new rides, lower prices and a renewed focus on safety -- this is the story of how Playland is returning stronger than ever -- and how the wait is finally almost over to again experience the Playland that you remember and love.

And with opening day around the corner, we’ll share what visitors can expect and why this summer you won’t want to miss out on the magic. If you’re ready to learn everything you ever wanted to know about the 98 year old amusement park on the Sound -- where Tom Hanks got big, Mariah made herself a star and you had your first taste of cotton candy – just say meet me at the Dragon Coaster and we’ll get this ride moving.

So, Let's begin.

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Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:06

Hi, Westchester. I'm Westchester County Government Communications Director Catherine Chaffee. And as an extension of This Week in Westchester, the podcast, we welcome you to Westchester Explained. On this episode, we're taking you inside one of Westchester's most iconic destinations, Playland Park, as it gears up for a major comeback this season. We sit down with Peter Playland himself. I mean Peter Tartaglia, the County's Department of Parks, Recreation and Conservation First Deputy Commissioner. We talk to him about what it's really like to bring an historic park back to life and restore the historic dragon coaster. From behind-the-scenes restoration work to new runs, lower prices, and a renewed focus on safety, this is a story of how Playland is returning stronger than ever, and how the wait is finally almost over to again experience the playland that you remember and that you love. And with opening day just around the corner, we'll share what visitors can expect and why this summer you won't want to miss out on the magic. If you're ready to learn everything you ever wanted to know about the 98-year-old amusement park on the sound, where Tom Hanks got big, Mariah made herself a star, and you had your first taste of cotton candy, just meet me at the Dragon Coaster and we'll get this ride moving because this is Westchester explained. So let's begin. Here today with somebody that we affectionately call Peter Plateland, but that is not your official title, although it maybe should be. Here today with the first deputy of the Department of Parks, Recreation and Conservation, Peter Tartaglia.

SPEAKER_00 1:47

Hello there, friend.

SPEAKER_01 1:48

Hello there. So there's a lot on your plate these days.

SPEAKER_00 1:54

We're year-round, but when spring comes, everything's happening. Everything's happening. Everything's opening one by one by one.

SPEAKER_01 2:01

We got one big park opening very soon. Yeah. The end of the month, end of May. Yes. So let's get into it. Let's talk about our favorite park.

SPEAKER_00 2:11

Playland.

SPEAKER_01 2:11

Playland. It's back.

SPEAKER_00 2:13

It's back. And it's beautiful. It's beautiful. Yeah, it is.

SPEAKER_01 2:16

So let's start from the beginning. So this is the second second season that Playland is back under County. Correct.

SPEAKER_00 2:24

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 2:25

We're running it. We're running the park again. Um last year we didn't have everything open.

unknown 2:30

No.

SPEAKER_01 2:31

We had a lot of bumps in the road. Um, but this year we're back.

SPEAKER_00 2:35

Yeah, we're back. Tell me about that. Well, you know, just to go back for a second, um Playland really is we call it everyone's park, the people's park, the memory maker. We can go on and on and on. So many people have called it different things. Um, but it is really a jewel and a gem. And you know, last year we had to uh, you know, pick up the pieces from a you know a failed partner contract and we got it open. So we've been spending the last off season since then getting everything uh ready for this season. It's a Herculean task. There's so many people involved, um, but it's it's a wonderful park and it's worth every second of it. So we've been working, our staff and contractors and consultants have been working uh mostly on the rides and the facilities at the park because that's what needed the most attention. So some of the rides that maybe you didn't see open last year are going to be opening this year. So so that's a great thing. Um, the park, the amount of work that's been done in there, the beautification, the buildings, the history, millions and millions of dollars for the public so that it's there for generations. It's gonna be a wonderful 2026.

SPEAKER_01 3:46

So last year we got a lot of heat because all the rides weren't open. Yes. But why don't you tell everybody? And I know we've said it before, but let's just say it again. Why could we not open all the rides last year?

SPEAKER_00 3:55

Well, the rides, each ride is really this individual, living, breathing, mechanical piece.

SPEAKER_01 4:02

And they're vintage.

SPEAKER_00 4:04

A lot of them are vintage. And some of the newer rides, which are a little bit more technical, they all deserve and need different disciplines and need their own love and care. And unfortunately, that love and care wasn't given to those rides over, you know, a several year period. So when we took the park back over, we had to try to get those rides back to where they needed to be. And it was very hard, a lot of reasons because you can't find ride parts.

SPEAKER_01 4:29

You can't go to Home Depot.

SPEAKER_00 4:31

You can't go to Home Depot for ride parts. Uh, you can't go to Home Depot to buy wood for, say, the Dragon Coaster. It's got to be special wood that's made just for coasters, no knots in the wood, so on and so forth. So we found this on every individual ride. For the most part, most of them had an issue where they weren't maintained properly, or we did not have the parts in the shop to be able to fix them. So that's what we've been spending the off-season doing. And it still has not been easy. It's been a long, long go. But we're very proud of where we are and what's going to be open. And then we're going to introduce more things as we go out on throughout the season. So it's going to be great.

SPEAKER_01 5:06

So the the analogy that I used last year when people asked about what happened to the rides, why could they open? I said, you know, picture if you opened every window and every door in your home and you left everything completely open for an entire year to all the elements and OPS, that house is also on the shore of the Atlantic. So you're dealing with all the elements and you're dealing with salt water. And that's pretty much what happened.

SPEAKER_00 5:33

That's exactly what happened. And it really goes to show you that the daily and yearly, and that I'm talking about 365 days a year maintenance that has to go on at Playland or any amusement park that's by the water, and there's many of them. You know, there's many boardwalk amusements by the water. It takes that much care, whether it's paint, whether it's electronics, whether it's steel, whether it's wood. And, you know, our suspicions were it was longer than one year where it wasn't maintained, but we could at least prove that it was the one year that it was not. And it took a long time to get it to where it is. I mean, they're out there working day and night. We did not stop during the two snowstorms they were working for.

SPEAKER_01 6:14

They really I mean, I think that the parks employees who work at Playland deserve all of our love and respect for the work that they have put into that park for, like you said, all winter in snow, in rain.

SPEAKER_00 6:29

Never stopped.

SPEAKER_01 6:30

Never stopped.

SPEAKER_00 6:30

Never stopped. And they they they're dedicated, they care about what they're doing, uh, they take pride in it. Um, and they're also very conscious of safety and what we need to do and how we need to move forward. Uh so you know, we're lucky to have who we have. I mean, we it's great that you see me, but the all the people that do all this are, you know, the Frank Carreries of the world, the the people who worked at the park, our consultants, all the pe different people that we have, other divisions in our departments, so many of them have come together because we're still one department, so there's a lot of services that Playland relies on from the overall parks department. So, you know, we've got lots of people involved, lots of really good people, and it's it's it it shows. Yeah, yeah. It definitely does.

SPEAKER_01 7:17

And you mentioned the safety, and I think that's such a a huge part of this. You know, I um uh have three sons, as you know. And when Playland was under county ownership and when the county was running it, I felt so safe and so confident in putting my children on all of these rides because I knew the men and women who inspected them, who took care of them. And I trusted them. I trust them. And now that we're back, we're back, the county's back, you know, I feel that same sense of confidence. Like my boys can go on any of those rides. And I and I know the men and women who take care of them, and I know how much they love and take pride in what they do. And that's so huge.

SPEAKER_00 7:55

Yeah, and it's and it's and that's the thing about Playland. You talk about how you bring your family there. Everyone has a story.

SPEAKER_01 8:01

Yep.

SPEAKER_00 8:02

Everyone has a story from grandparents on down, the kids, and everybody in between of when they went there, that they're going there now. I mean, I worked at Playland when my children were younger and they thought I was, you know, king when they when they came by the park. But I had that same um that same comfort that you just spoke about at that time. Because it's so important to make sure that everything is safe for anybody who goes on it. So that's always that's a big important, you know. That's you know, whether it's playland or a beach or a pool or anywhere that we have, it's really it's important for everything that we do.

SPEAKER_01 8:36

We're always you're always in good hands when you're in the county hands, always. Um so this summer, as we mentioned, more rides. Yes. Or we're we're we're back and you know, we're we're rocking it. What are some of the rides that were closed last year that are going to be open this year, and then save our favorite one till the end?

SPEAKER_00 8:52

Oh, the fact, yes. Okay. All right. Well, the big wheel will return, which is the big Ferris wheel. The Ferris, believe it or not, Ferris wheel is a trademark name. It's a company name. So the big wheel, the 90-foot wheel uh will return, which wasn't there last year. The double shot uh ride, which is the one that you know that shoots you up and down. Um we have something new coming. We're not going to talk about that yet, but that's gotta keep some supposed to be. Love the Derby Racer. Yes. Um, you know, and there are some rides that will be a little later in the season because of the same issues that we're faced with, like the yo-yo. Uh, and then our water rides, the log flu and the plunge are due to open right before the July 4th weekend when it gets warmer out. And then, of course, um the Dragon Coaster.

SPEAKER_01 9:39

The Dragon Coaster. It's back.

SPEAKER_00 9:41

The Dragon Coaster's back, and the most um labor-intensive ride that we have, regardless, the size of it, size of the track, uh, what it's made out of, um, two different kinds of wood, um, and the scope of the ride, the 3,400 uh feet of track. Uh, there's track wood specifically for that. There's the wood we were talking about earlier that that is the structure wood that cannot be made with any wood knots or things that you're makes sense, but I never thought that's true. Yeah, so only a certain amount of companies make that, you know, or produce that kind of wood in the in the country. Um also the mechanics of the rides have been looked at, meaning the the trains have been refurbished. Because at the end of every year, what you need to do with ride parts and ride cars is take them apart. You need to go down to the bearings, you need to look at the structure, you need to do non-destructive testing on the metal parts to make sure there's no fatigue. And then, of course, there's the facade of the dragon and the the whole dragon, which is basically the feature of going through the tunnel, you go through the dragon's mouth and out. So that is that is still being worked on, but we'll be ready in time for when we open.

SPEAKER_01 10:51

So let's get one thing out of the way because we have it was a hot topic a couple of months ago, a month or two ago.

SPEAKER_00 10:56

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 10:56

Um, the facade that was there was not, not not not the original dragon.

SPEAKER_00 11:03

Not not not.

SPEAKER_01 11:03

Not not not. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 11:05

A couple of iteration like two or three iterations since the original.

SPEAKER_01 11:09

So we were replacing the last one went up, I think you said it was in the 2000s?

SPEAKER_00 11:15

Yeah, I was actually working at the park. So it was the early 2000s. And uh we, you know, we had uh uh, you know, the one prior had been at the end of its life cycle. So this was replaced, you know, at the time with what was considered um, you know, good materials, you know, some of it fiberglass and so forth. Um and even that didn't hold up, you know, too long. Again, the elements that you're on.

SPEAKER_01 11:38

It's a it's a rough spot.

SPEAKER_00 11:40

It's a rough spot.

SPEAKER_01 11:41

Because of the ocean, because of New York weather and all of those things. So it was fiberglass. Let's just tell everybody one more time, it was fiberglass.

SPEAKER_00 11:49

Fiberglass.

SPEAKER_01 11:49

And it was falling apart.

SPEAKER_00 11:51

Falling apart, and it's that you know, some of that spray foam that that you see used on materials. And it basically covers the structure of what is the tunnel that you go through. So even the tunnel, we had to take everything off because all of the wood under that and the tunnel had to be replaced. That's all marine plywood. So that plywood is made marine, it's supposed to be you know for water use. Even that was spongy and needed to be taken out and replaced. So that's why we had to go to the bottom. And we went to the bottom, we saw that the dragon and and the scales were sharp at the edges, they they had mold on them. Um, they were not reusable. And they really needed to be disposed of, and that's what we did.

SPEAKER_01 12:29

Aaron Powell And not kept because anybody who um unfortunately I have touched fiberglass that is weathering, and you feel it in your hands, it gets in your skin.

SPEAKER_00 12:38

Yeah, even though it's a hard fiberglass, it still does tend to fall apart when it's you know outdoors in uh you know seawater conditions for so many years.

SPEAKER_01 12:46

Aaron Powell But we got a new dragon.

SPEAKER_00 12:47

We got a new dragon. He looks like the last one, so it's good. He's look it's more vibrant in the color, the brighter. And the materials um are similar, but but a newer kind and you know, are s are supposed to hold up better to the elements. But what you know, now that we're back in the park, you start with the wood. So, you know, you're not gonna ever have that same issue of the marine plywood of the actual structure of the tunnel get to the point that it was at. Because what's over that, it was the facade of the dragon. Okay, so that protects it a bit. Yeah, yeah. So the marine plywood will, as needed, first of all, be maintained and will be replaced as needed. It won't be let to go.

SPEAKER_01 13:24

What is so tell me more about the wood that has to be used for the dragon coaster.

SPEAKER_00 13:30

Yeah, it's um, you know, it's it's it's a a strong wood that does not have any um usually when you, you know, when you buy wood at Home Depot or or you you have a nice wooden table and you have a refinish and you see the knots in the wood. Well, the knots of the wood are nice to look at, but they're also um, you know, it could be strength point issues. So this wood is specifically made to be able to sway. Wooden coasters sway, they move. They they contract a little bit with the conditions, they move a little bit with the wind. So it's specific. Only a few companies in the in the country make them, so we had to order that. It took weeks and weeks and weeks to get some of it, but we also had to order specific bolts that hold that wood in that were made for the dragon coaster.

SPEAKER_01 14:15

And they're huge.

SPEAKER_00 14:16

They're 9 and 11-inch bolts. Now we even called other amusement parks that had uh wooden coasters to see if they had the same, but everybody has like different bolts, so we couldn't find the same bolts that we used. The fabrication of those bolts took an awful long time as well.

SPEAKER_01 14:30

Because this is a coaster that was at the time made for that space. Was it like ordered, you know, ordered out of the room?

SPEAKER_00 14:37

No, no, it was um it's it's very similar to the cyclone at Coney Island. These are one-of-a-kind rides that were made specifically for those locations. They're like a year apart in age, too. So, you know, it's they're they're very close to uh we're close to a hundred. We're not at quite at a hundred yet, but we're two years from now we will be. So the other part is there's other kind of wood, which is the track wood, which has to be bent properly to be able to move back and forth with the track that was created for the ride. So that's a second second kind of wood that has to be fabricated and then placed correctly, you know, with carpenters that have worked on coasters or at least having some carpenters who can supervise those who are working to get the things correct. It's really a work of art. It is. And even after all this is done, and even after we get our New York State um permit, which we do for every ride legally, that ride will be the track will be walked every single day before we open.

SPEAKER_01 15:35

You know, that is such an interesting point. And I want you to talk a little bit more about that. So we are we have to be licensed by New York State. They have to come, they have to look inspect the rides. We cannot operate or do anything until New York State looks at everything. But you and I I remember you saying this always that there is somebody or a team of people who walk that coaster every single day. Tell me what they do.

SPEAKER_00 15:57

Well, they actually walk the entire track and they look for any inconsistencies or movement or split wood that may have occurred from the cars being on, you know, the the train cars being on the track. It's an awful lot of movement that goes on there. They're also looking at the structure of the structural pieces to make sure that nothing is um out of place or is cracked. We have really an inventory of wood that we constantly use and replace, even though all the work we've done, you will still need to replace wood throughout the season and always have to have an inventory of wood on site to be able to do this. So they walk it every day. Uh and they they don't not only walk it, uh we also have to test to make sure that the lift hill is working properly. That's the only basically area that you need electricity to get the car up the hill to get the trains up the hill. Then it's also trifle force when it goes down.

SPEAKER_01 16:51

It's such an engineering marvel.

SPEAKER_00 16:52

It is. It really is. And I mean, actually, it started. The first uh people who designed coasters were uh people who were railroad people, because it was similar to to railroads. And at the end of trolleyways and small railroads, they were coming up with these small parks with people for people to do things, and that's where the first coaster started to come from. So it's an interesting history.

SPEAKER_01 17:14

It is. I didn't I didn't know that. And you know, some people might say, oh, you know, it's so much work to deal with all the wood and the bolts. Why not just make it plastic, make it metal, make it like six flags?

SPEAKER_00 17:25

It's it's not it's not a it's not a wooden coaster then. It's a totally we have one of those, you know, it's it's you know, we have the crazy mouse, and that is that is a metal coaster. It's a totally different feel, totally different maintenance. Uh, but the dragon coaster is special. There's not one of one of it in the world. It's the only one. It's made specifically for playland. It's also it's also uh landmarked. It's part of the National Historic Landmark status. And you can go on that ride on a sunny day, on a windy day, and a rainy day, and it feels a little different.

unknown 17:56

Wow.

SPEAKER_00 17:56

Could be a little faster, could be a little shakier because of the the conditions. That's when I say shaky, it's always safe. There's many redundancies the way that it's built.

SPEAKER_01 18:05

I could hear the crack.

SPEAKER_00 18:08

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 18:09

But so shaky because of the wind.

SPEAKER_00 18:11

A little bit of the wind, yeah. You know, it has a little movement. I mean, you go in any tall building, there's always um, you know, they're made to to sway a bit, you know, and so are coasters in that regard.

SPEAKER_01 18:22

Wow.

SPEAKER_00 18:22

But it's really a wonderful it's a wonderful experience. Happens to be still my favorite ride, to be honest.

SPEAKER_01 18:29

So do you go on it every year?

SPEAKER_00 18:31

Uh I was going on it every year, and I will I will go on it again this year.

SPEAKER_01 18:34

Well, do you remember the first time we went on it?

SPEAKER_00 18:36

Oh, I think I was a kid, I was a kid, yeah. Yeah. Yeah, we would um I grew up in Westchester, so um little did I know I'd be working for county parks. But I'd been to Playland and Glen Island and Kensigo Dan Plaza and Spring Ridge Pool when it opened up. So I have a lot of a lot of history um even before I worked for the for for parks.

SPEAKER_01 18:57

You know, it's um there's some things that are just you have to experience, I think, to consider yourself a real Westchester resident. Um and one of them is the Dragon Coaster, for sure.

SPEAKER_00 19:10

I agree. I agree. It's i iconic, you know. I mean, we have seven historic rides there, and probably the most historic ride is the carousel because of its history and it existed before Playland uh opened and it's it's got you know what I don't think I know the history.

SPEAKER_01 19:25

Why don't you tell us?

SPEAKER_00 19:26

Yeah, sure. The the the carousel um was in a different park in Connecticut and the county had purchased it, and the building that it's housed in it built that house specifically for the carousel to be in it. And all of the um the the horses and the three chariots are hand carved by Charles Carmel, who was a very famous carver of of wooden horses back then. And each horse is separate and different, does not want the same. So it's it's it's really a beautiful piece to have. And across the way from that is the Derby Racer, which is the faster of the carousels, which basically um is racehorses, also wooden, and you're on a turntable and it goes much faster. There's only three of those rides in the world and only two of them operating. And one of them. So we have a great array of historic rides. But when you think of Playland, the most famous ride is the Dragon Coaster. Or mascot is Coaster the Dragon. Uh we have the Dragonator now. You know, we we it's part of the theming, it's also part of the history. You see it when you come into the parking lot and you can hear it from most parts in the park. So it's it's it builds excitement, and that's what Playland is about. It's about you're coming to Playlin, or whoever comes to Playland is coming to forget their day. They're coming to have a good time. They're coming to just enjoy themselves, whether they're going on the rides, whether they're watching someone go on the rides, whether they're eating food or cotton candy, listening to music, playing a game, uh, looking at the beautiful Long Island Sound, going to the beach or pool, uh, having uh something to eat at the tiki bar on the water, going back to Edith Reed Wildlife Sanctuary in the back, going inside of the children's museum, or going in the ice casino. There's something for everyone there. It is truly Westchester County Parks Entertainment Center.

SPEAKER_01 21:19

It is.

SPEAKER_00 21:19

We have everything there.

SPEAKER_01 21:20

The thing that always amazes me is I I also grew up going to Playline. I don't even know it was the first time I was there. Do you I do remember going on the dragon coaster as a kid though and being terrified? But the first time. The first time. Well, I think I still get terrified. But you know, I roller coasters are like that for me. But um, but every time I go to Playline, no matter, you know, the fact that I've been going there my entire life, there's always this one moment where I think, oh my gosh, this is so beautiful. And it like really surprises me every time. You know, I think the last time I was there, um, the boys were were in the park, and my husband and I went to the tiki bar and we were just sitting. Outside by the water. And all of a sudden you think to yourself, Oh my gosh, we're right. We have this. This is amazing.

SPEAKER_00 22:07

I I feel the same exact way. The views there, especially from the scenic views from the boardwalk, whether you're looking uh, you know, a little north to Connecticut or right at you at Long Island, they're some of the best views in the country. Not just in the area. And we, Westchester County, the people own that. It's not private, it's public. That boardwalk is open year round. The people people use that constantly. You know, the amusement park seasons are always shorter than anything. I mean, that's just the way it is in the Northeast. But the park itself is open year-round. You can go down there anytime. Sometimes we have to, you know, bad storm, we might have to close things, you know, down for safety. But other than that, it's open. And it and it is. And the the investment that Westchester County, you know, through the county executive's office to the Board of Legislators, um, you know, and through us and the other department, we work with every department, has shown that playland is that important to the landscape of Westchester County, that it's here for the people to enjoy. It's now poised for generations to come with the amount of work that's done there. So we can be rest assured that, you know, some things will change. You know, rides may change, the economy may change, um, the the the you know the temperature changes a little bit here and there, but playland is there for the long haul, right? So we're gonna we're gonna face whatever it is that comes next with really a rebuilt park that is, you know, people that can't get on a plane and go away go to Playland.

SPEAKER_01 23:41

Well that's that's an important part, yeah. That we should we should highlight. Well, first, you know, we we should highlight that the county executive, county executive Ken Jenkins, has said um, we are not privatizing this park again.

SPEAKER_00 23:53

It doesn't work. Direct forward gave us the direction in our department to do what we needed to do. We're so grateful for the right direction. I mean, we agree with the direction, but um his clear direction is helpful to the public.

SPEAKER_01 24:08

Yep.

SPEAKER_00 24:08

And it's also helpful to our staff.

SPEAKER_01 24:10

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_00 24:11

You know, and and that's what I can say so much, so much, so much about when you hear it from the county executive, that there's sort of a comfort, okay, we're we're doing this and there's a reason why we're doing it.

SPEAKER_01 24:21

We're doing it, we're here to stay in the world.

SPEAKER_00 24:22

We're doing it to stay. And that's so important. And at the end of the day, even our staff, the best time is when people come to the park. The best time is when it's open. Yeah. When it's closed, it's like, okay, we got to get ready to, but when it's open, and then when people come down and you see them having a good time, a crowded park is a fun park. You can hear the laughter, you can hear the screams on the rides, you can hear the games, you can hear the music coming from rides, or see the fireworks, or if there's a band playing somewhere, whatever's going on, it's a mixture of people enjoying themselves. And that's physical and mental health. That's everything.

SPEAKER_01 25:00

That's everything. Exactly.

SPEAKER_00 25:01

And we preach that in all of our parts. And every park's different. You know, we have farms and that's a different experience. We have the civic center and the county center. We have so many different, we have golf courts, we go on and on and on. We have beautiful, we have an un I can't, I I'm in awe of what we have sometimes. That I can be a steward for that for a period of time is um is worth is there's no price to put on that.

SPEAKER_01 25:25

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_00 25:26

Yeah, for the public.

SPEAKER_01 25:27

So let's talk a quick about um price structure. Um so how uh obviously under um when the county was not running Playland, the prices were high.

SPEAKER_00 25:37

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 25:38

Um but now we're we've brought that all back to where it needs to be. So once you and and and it's done by design because this park is for everybody. Everybody. Everybody. So tell us the price structure. Parking, all of it.

SPEAKER_00 25:52

Well, here's the best part. Um we went back to free admission.

SPEAKER_01 25:57

Mm-hmm. Okay. That's huge.

SPEAKER_00 25:58

Which was really most of the history of Playland.

SPEAKER_01 26:01

Because it's a park.

SPEAKER_00 26:02

It's a park. So free admission means I don't need a band to walk through, I don't need a wristband or or an entry fee to walk through the amusement park. I can walk through the amusement park and enjoy everything there. I may not like to go on rides. Or I may be with people who are going on rides. Or I just want to go in and get an ice cream, or I want to play games. I just want to walk and listen to everybody. It's free. It's a better park. More people come. Then um on the parking end, uh, it's $15 to park, which is still way cheaper than it uh was um prior. And I I dare say from you know one of the local parks next door, which is a great park, but um, you know, we're we're lower. And then for Westchester residents for a wristband for all the rides is uh $27. And for non-residents it's $32.

SPEAKER_01 26:54

And they're and they're riding all day.

SPEAKER_00 26:55

They're riding all day, you can stay all day, you can you can leave and come back as long as you keep that wristband on. Uh, you know, you can you can do what you want, basically. And it's it's just a better park. And while you're there, you know, we had a lot of people who said, Oh, I want a hot dog. Well, you'd have to pay to go in to, you know, go get a hot dog. You don't have to do that anymore. You know, you can go in and just enjoy the park. You get a lot of sightseers, you get a lot of local, a lot of local people, a lot of Westchester people just want to come down and sit on a bench or walk around, you know, do some of their exercise. And they, you know, they walk around and they're people watching, and it's and it's all fun. And then the beach and pool are going to open too. You know, the beach opens on Memorial Day weekend.

SPEAKER_01 27:37

We always forget to talk about the beach and pool because we get excited about the park. Yeah, but it is. So the beach and pool are phenomenal. I mean, the pool is incredible.

SPEAKER_00 27:47

You know, it was another capital project. And again, we do this, I can't say it enough. We, you know, we, you know, you know, Kathy, O'Connor, myself, I mean all the staff of the department, um, but we work with other departments too to get things done. The design of the, you know, the beach and pool, all the capital projects that we're doing with the Department of Public Works and Transportation are so important to the future. Then we have the county police down there. We have the transportation division with with the buses down there, we have uh emergency services with EMTs that we work with everyone. We work with the budget office, the law department. IT is so important. I don't want to forget anybody, D E D E F. Every department there's not one department in the county that doesn't touch playlin in our parks.

SPEAKER_01 28:34

Right.

SPEAKER_00 28:34

Where there it's just so important that we do it together and everybody respects everybody. And I have to tell you, it's it's a wonderful experience all the way around. But the beach and pool are opening. Beach opens Memorial Day weekend. Uh the pool opened uh the last Friday of June when the kids get out of school. Pool is is uh zero depth entry to about four and a half feet now. It's more of a family pool. A lot more people go to this pool because it's got more for them to do. There's a there's a there's a kitty area when you go in. Uh we'll have more food there. We'll have more food in the park this year. Uh so it's great. The views from the pool looking back at water. It's just like a you you feel like you're in a resort there, you know, and the beach is, you know, that beach is raked every day. And you know, people are, you know, who want to sunbathe go, you know, we rake it in the morning with the, you know, make sure that the sand is all clean and everything's cleaned up every night. And then the public goes out there as well. And then fishing, people go out on the pier and they fish. They just bring their own bait and they go and fish. So it's great.

SPEAKER_01 29:33

It's such a great spot.

SPEAKER_00 29:34

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 29:34

So you were saying, and I and then I interrupted you. Um, you were talking about the historic rides in the park. Name them for me again.

SPEAKER_00 29:39

Sure, there's seven of them. It's the um the dragon coaster, the carousel, the derby racer, the whip.

SPEAKER_01 29:46

The whip.

SPEAKER_00 29:47

Yes, the whip, which is the simplest of rides, but it spins you around.

SPEAKER_01 29:51

So fun.

SPEAKER_00 29:51

The old mill, and then the kitty coaster and kitty land, and the kitty carousel. And the whole idea of kitty land, the history of kitty land, and we try to keep that going, is that that's where we you start as a kid. You go on a miniature version of the dragon coaster and the kitty coaster in a miniature version of the carousel. There's also a miniature version of the whip, kitty whip, right? And then you graduate. So, you know, it's sort of it becomes um, it follows you through life as well. And then when you have your own kids, you go back. Yeah. You know, so so and then grand, you know, grandparents go, friends go together, you know, it's it's people, friends go. A lot of people have, you know, once in a while they'll they'll have a reunion and meet friends down there, you know, go to the tiki bar and then go there. And then you have the children's museum on the boardwalk now, which has added a whole nother layer of exploration for children. Um, and in the world that we're living in, where everybody's living on a screen, the children's museum is very important because it's hands-on experience. The rides are literally hands-on and experiences, depending on what you go on. So we're we're getting you away from the screens when you come to our parks tour when you come to playland. You know, and if you really want to go for a wonderful nature walk, go to the back end of the park and you go to Edith Reed uh Wildlife Sanctuary. There's trails back there. You don't even know, you don't think you're a playlist. Yeah. Then you come out on the water in the back on the sound and you look and you see the park in the distance. So it's just no matter where you go there, it's just it's a beautiful piece of property.

SPEAKER_01 31:29

It really is. We're so lucky. We're so lucky to have it.

SPEAKER_00 31:31

Yeah, we are.

SPEAKER_01 31:32

What are you most looking forward to this season? Because you've been through a lot of seasons.

SPEAKER_00 31:37

Yeah, I've been through a lot of seasons. Um, well, I have to say that reopening the dragon coaster is I know we've talked about it a lot, but um, you know, uh we all felt like something was missing, you know, last year. And there were many things missing last year. But not to have that, that was that's something to have back. Um I'm looking forward to hearing it.

SPEAKER_01 31:56

Me too.

SPEAKER_00 31:57

I'm looking forward to hearing when I'm walking by in the distance. The kitty train is coming back too. We didn't we didn't talk about you know kitty land too much, but the kitty train, we had to rebuild the track, and the locomotive is being rebuilt now, and you're gonna hear the the horn. So those sounds add up to and you still hear the seagulls on the water. You put all these sounds together, they're all, you know, people um you listen to a lot of influencers today, and a lot of people telling you, get outside and experience. And we tell you that in parks every day. Come outside and experience. And since COVID, people have remembered that. They came out a lot during the pandemic because they were everything was closed, and we kept um, you know, under George Latimer at that time, you know, as many parks as we could keep open with George and Ken at the helm. And people came out and rediscovered it. People who maybe belonged to a gym but were going three times a month, now we're walking in our parks or jogging in our parks. A lot of those people have stayed. So the more you're outside, you know, playland again, you might not want to go on the rides, but go for a walk on the boardwalk.

SPEAKER_01 33:02

So beautiful.

SPEAKER_00 33:02

Go for a walk on the boardwalk.

SPEAKER_01 33:03

And I feel like it's never super hot.

SPEAKER_00 33:06

It definitely, there's always a breeze. There's always a breeze. Yeah, I mean, you you know, you bother and that that breeze is what also carries that salt air and salt water. Um, you know.

SPEAKER_01 33:13

There's another problem.

SPEAKER_00 33:14

Yeah, to everything. And we're surrounded by that. You know, the park is really three sides on water. So, so um, you know, that's another reason why the the the constant maintenance is just, you know, we bring our show indoors during the winter when we start to take apart the coaster cars and other ride parts and things like that. But it goes on year-round.

SPEAKER_01 33:31

Yeah. And we just did, I mean, we just did a really lovely mini documentary on what has been happening at Playland and how we got to where we are today. If anybody would like to see it and we encourage you to see it, it's not super long.

SPEAKER_00 33:44

Nice, nicely done.

SPEAKER_01 33:45

It's it's a it's not because I'm in it. You're in it, and then you're the star.

SPEAKER_00 33:48

Um it was very nicely done by by your team.

SPEAKER_01 33:51

It shows the full story of how we got to where we are. It's on YouTube, it's on the county's social media channels. Please find it. Um, but it's gonna be such a great season, and the fireworks are coming.

SPEAKER_00 34:02

Fireworks coming back on July 4th, and then every Friday uh through Labor Day uh weekend. So it's gonna be a great season.

SPEAKER_01 34:10

It's gonna be a great season. Um tell them about opening day, opening preview weekend, all the details.

SPEAKER_00 34:16

Yeah, we're opening uh a preseason weekend of the 16th and 17th, Saturday and Sunday. And then the grand reopening is is Saturday Memorial Day weekend, the 23rd, which is when the Dragon Coaster will have a little event at the Dragon Coaster. And you will hear the Dragon Coaster from there on out for the rest of the season.

SPEAKER_01 34:35

Can't wait.

SPEAKER_00 34:36

Yeah, then we're open weekends and for school groups, um, you know, and then we go into, as we get into the summer, a Tuesday through Sunday schedule through Labor Day. So, you know, a lot and a couple of surprises on the way. We're now ready to talk about them, but you know, you'll see a couple of things that that might be new coming.

SPEAKER_01 34:52

Um it's gonna be so great. Yeah, and I can't wait. What's the first thing you're gonna do when the park opens?

SPEAKER_00 34:57

Um, go on the dragon coaster.

SPEAKER_01 35:00

Of course, of course.

SPEAKER_00 35:01

Yeah, and drawing it. And walk, you know, I I walk, you know, I'm there a lot. So I I walk through it. I it's a diff it's uh it's always interesting to me. Um the feel when no one's in it, you know, like now, or even in the winter is really, you know, you hear things, the wind blowing.

SPEAKER_01 35:18

I have to say, playland of the winter is yeah, it's it's a wild thing. Nothing's so beautiful about it.

SPEAKER_00 35:22

It's beautiful, but it's it's it's sort of an abandoned feeling in the amusement park, not in the park, the outskirts. Uh and then as it's coming together, but then during the season, you have the daytime crowd, but then at night, when the lights come on, it's sort of everything pops and comes alive when you have the sound is, I don't know, deeper maybe, uh and the lights are on. And it's just uh it's just a wonderful experience to be a part of.

SPEAKER_01 35:49

It is.

SPEAKER_00 35:50

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 35:50

Well, if anybody considers themselves a Westchester resident, they have to absolutely come on down.

SPEAKER_00 35:57

Look online, look at social media, look at our website. Um, you know, and our other fit we have 54 parks, and we love all of them.

SPEAKER_01 36:05

We love all of them, but we love playland in a different way.

SPEAKER_00 36:11

It's different.

SPEAKER_01 36:11

You know, we love it more. They're like children.

SPEAKER_00 36:14

No, it's they're all yeah, they're all, you know, I mean, you know, when I go to Muscoot, I have a certain feeling. Or, you know, when I'm in the county center, I get a different vibrant feeling of an indoor, you know, arena. Or our golf courses. There's there's sort of a piece at the golf courses, you know, because it's a different pace and it's a different way. Well, then any of our not just our pools at Pool and Beach at Playland, you can go to the Lazy River or Tibbetts, or you can go on and on. I mean, I can go on and on and on. I mean, we have we have the coolest things.

SPEAKER_01 36:43

We do. And I feel like they're always there for us through through a lot of crazy times. I mean, you mentioned the county center. County center was a hospital.

SPEAKER_00 36:52

The county center became a hospital and then um a vaccination it used really used for the vaccination.

SPEAKER_01 36:58

And then I remember being in there and um scary times, but it was very scary times. But you know, and you're there and you're you're looking around and you're like, okay, this is a hospital now, and I'm getting tested for COVID. But you know, I saw the new kids on the block there when I was a teen, you know, a kid. So it's just whatever phase of life you're in, it means something else and it's there for you. The parks are always have always been there for us.

SPEAKER_00 37:20

You know, we've talked to the staff specifically at the county center that the whole pandemic period is part of the history now.

SPEAKER_01 37:27

It really is.

SPEAKER_00 37:28

It's it's as much part of the history as being open during World War II was. You know. It's wild. So it it really is something. And that, you know, that building too is is close a couple of years behind, but we'll be a hundred years the next five years.

SPEAKER_01 37:41

Yeah. And even Playland. Playland was during COVID, was there for us.

SPEAKER_00 37:45

Yeah. Except that the amusement park, unfortunately. And that was nobody's that was not in Westchester County anyway. They never gave guidance on the New York State level to open amusement parks. So amusement parks that open, but that did not stop us from having that beach open every single day. Yep. And people came down the walk. If you remember, people were having small picnics in the parking lots and all, you know, whatever we could do. We had some movies in the parking lot.

SPEAKER_01 38:12

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 38:12

So we adapted, you know, we used Kensico Dam that way too that year. Um, because it's so important to have these things. This is the fabric of why you live in Westchester County.

SPEAKER_01 38:24

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_00 38:25

And we we couldn't fail. And it wasn't, I don't care what the circumstances are on it. We can't fail. We need to be there for the public. That's that's what we should be doing.

SPEAKER_01 38:34

All right. Well, we're here for the public now, and we're all going on the dragon coaster. So I will meet you at the dragon coaster.

SPEAKER_00 38:40

I'll meet you at the dragon coaster. All right.

SPEAKER_01 38:42

Thanks so much for meeting here today.