At Playland In Rye, A Nod To Tradition — And Start Of Something New

RYE, NY — The reviews are in from the critics who matter the most, and the new "Old Rye Motorbike Factory" ride at Playland Park is a blockbuster hit.

The people responsible for the first new attraction at the historic park looked every bit as excited as the kids invited to christen the park's first new ride since Standard Amusements took over the Westchester County-owned fun park. While the ride brought obvious joy to the faces of kids from the Boys and Girls Club New Rochelle, area Boy Scouts and Standard executives alike, the ride is envisioned as the beginning of a new legacy for the nearly century-old park.

The just-opened, nearly $3 million ride built in Italy, has all the bells, whistles (and even working horns and throttles) to make it a must-do attraction for parkgoers. But the feature that lets riders control the vintage motorbikes as they race around the Old Rye Motorbike Factory's working smokestack isn't the most impressive thing about the latest thrill ride — despite its decidedly modern interactive features, the motorbike factory looks at home in the iconic Art Deco park. Park officials said that the congruity with the Playland's signature esthetic is very much by design.

"We are very proud of this ride and to contribute to the Westchester Playland," Standard Amusements founder Nick Singer said. "I grew up in Harrison and Playland was the center of my life. It's a real privilege today to be here today to give back to the park. It's also a privilege to be partnered with Westchester County. The county and ourselves are undertaking a very ambitious project to really set Playland up for the next hundred years."

David Tubiolo, chair of the county's Parks & Recreation committee, echoed Singer's remarks, noting that the new multi-million-dollar attraction is just one example of how the unique public/private partnership is paying lasting dividends that will be seen by generations to come.

The vision he described wasn't so much a reimagining of Playland as it was building on an asset where families have built lifetimes of memories as children, parents, grandparents and even great-grandparents. The park's revival is taking shape in a way most couldn't imagine, even just a few short years ago.

Landmark towers and rides are lovingly restored, and new structures and attractions look like they could have been around since those great-grandparents' time in the sun. The work in progress hasn't stopped the fun, however. Screams of delight and the aroma of fair delicacies fill the air while the next big unveilings remain under construction.

"I am feeling very nostalgic," County Legislator Damon Maher said. "I've been here with my parents, my grandparents, my kids, my four siblings. I even worked here when I was a kid ... This is just beautiful, I can't wait to get on it. "

The ribbon-cutting was a nostalgic event for another touching reason — the Playland tradition of giving youth groups first dibs on christening the new ride. Excited Boys & Girls Club New Rochelle members and local Boy Scouts lined up for the honor — and bragging rights — of being among the first to experience the new thrill ride.

"Everyone wants to be the driver," one gleeful young rider exclaimed. "But riding in the sidecar is so much fun, and it shows trust."