THE WORLD READS WHITE PLAINS CITIZENETREPORTER — 8,324,077 VISITS IN ONE YEAR

WPCNR PLAYLAND TODAY. By John F. Bailey, June 8, 2022 UPDATED June 9, 2022::

Standard Amusements is scheduled to open Playland at 10:00 A.M. and closing at 3 P.M. On Friday Saturday and Sunday this weekend the new Playland opens at noon and closes at 10P.M. Next Week Playland will be open from 4 to 10 P.M. each evening on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and resume 12 to 10 P.M. hours on Friday. Admission information are at the bottom of the Pre-opening pictures shot by WPNCR yesterday.

June 10th is the last day to get the 2022 Season Pass (Includes Rides / All Ages) at the $84.99 EARLY BIRD PRICING (Regularly $129.99).

Buy your Playland Season Passes today and save before it’s too late.

The Season Pass gives you:

– Unlimited Visits

– Unlimited Rides

– No Public Blackout dates

Construction crews have made significant progress to ready Playland, the last of the oldtime amusement parks (opened in 1928) for opening tomorrow, with the old favorites, the Carousel, the Steeplechase, Kiddyland, the Log Plunge, and the lagoon, and of course, the Dragon Coaster.

Here are the rides at the New Playland as Standard Amusements opens the park today, bear in mind not all rides may be open:

THRILL RIDES: Dragon Coaster, Dragonator, Go Karts, Log Flume, Old Rye Motorcycle Factory(coming new ride), Catch a Wave, Crazy Mouse, Derby Racer (I call it the Steeple Chase), Double Shot, The Plunge, The Whip, Yo Yo.

CHILDREN’S RIDES KIDDY LAND: Kiddy Scrambler, Kiddy Whip, Motorcycle Jump, Mushroom Rider, Playland Express (train), Red Baron, Jolly Caterpillar, Himalaya, Jump N Bean, Jungle Jammin, Antique Cars, Boat Ride, Convoy, Crazy Submarine, Flying Dragons, Fun Slide, Swing Around, Sun and Moon

FAMILY RIDES: Kite Flyer, Music Express, Ye Old Mill (old favorite, back again), Tornado, Zombie Castle (oldie but a scary).

Go to playland.com for more details on the Rides, click on “Rides.”

Poor fall weather produced significant delays due to rains each week followed by a winter with more rain and steady cold temperatures. The county changed contractors in January and since then the new contractors have done come from behind construction.

Westchester County has not announced an opening ceremony, and Standard Amusements has not advised WPCNR of the status of the park going forward, or any ceremonies recognizing the beginning of Standard Amusements Playland and what new rides will be opened and when the new pool will be opening and its status.

(Editor’s Note: On the website myrye.com, in early May, Ernie Blundell, the recently appointed General Manager of Standard Amusements, said, “We’re excited for visitors to see all the hard work that has gone into revitalizing this beloved community treasure.” Blundell told the Rye website that work on the colonnades would “resume” next fall and a Plaza retail store would be added and a Plaza Restaurant would be constructed.

In that article, MyRye.com reported there is a new arcade, new Midway Games and 3 more games would added later in the summer plus 3 new rides and a new fountain light show.)

There have been outstanding efforts by the construction company to make up lost time due to the weather with weekend work for the last three weeks I believe. Here is how Playland looked yesterday.

Governor Kathy Hochul today signed new legislation (S.4937C/A.6262B) to create more flexible rules for converting underutilized hotel space into permanent housing. Governor Hochul signed the bills with Senator Brian Kavanagh, New York City Mayor Eric Adams, and housing and labor advocates.

“As New York’s housing crisis continues to impact families, we’re taking bold action, embracing innovative ideas and thinking outside the box to help ensure that New Yorkers can access safe, livable, and quality affordable housing,” Governor Hochul said. “This new law allows us to tackle the affordability crisis head-on and convert empty, underutilized spaces into homes. I thank Assembly Member Cymbrowitz and Senator Kavanagh for sponsoring this bill and taking this step to ensure that New Yorkers have a place to call home.” 

“Converting underutilized hotel space into affordable housing will provide thousands of struggling New Yorkers an affordable home in locations that otherwise would have been inaccessible to them,” said Lieutenant Governor Antonio Delgado. “Creative solutions like this provide equity in housing and help families who are experiencing homelessness or instability.”

State Senator Brian Kavanagh said, “Allowing conversion of underutilized hotel space into affordable permanent housing represents another critical step we are taking toward ending the crises of unaffordable housing, evictions, and homelessness that have gripped New York for far too long. I thank Assemblymember Steve Cymbrowitz for his partnership in getting this bill through the legislature, Governor Kathy Hochul for her strong leadership and her commitment to delivering on the promise of ensuring that everyone has access to an affordable place to live, Mayor Eric Adams for his advocacy and for the work his administration is prepared to do to convert hotels to homes, President Rich Maroko and the Hotel Trades Council for embracing this cause and always fighting for good jobs, Ted Houghton of Gateway Housing for his expertise and tireless work to get this done, and the many providers of affordable housing and advocates for housing, homes and services for homeless New Yorkers, and sensible land use policies that balance the need for housing and economic opportunity, who all played a critical role in enacting this legislation.”