The second part of the Western New York Coaster Club's Flying High weekend was an optional day at Niagara Amusement Park and Splash World in Grand Island, New York. I was looking forward to this park, which started life in 1961 as Fantasy Island. When Karen and I first visited, it was under the management of Martin DiPietro and was named Martin's Fantasy Island. And we really enjoyed our visits. In 2016, DiPietro sold the park to Apex, which added a few rides but then began removing some and closing off areas of the park. In 2019, Apex suddenly shuttered the park and removed most of the rides, abandoning the park to vandals who swooped in and damaged much of the park. They smashed up the bathrooms and concession buildings and it looked like this little jewel in upstate New York was going to vanish. But in 2021, in stepped Gene Staples, who's become a hero to park enthusiasts. He previously saved two other abandoned Apex parks, Indiana Beach and Clementon Lake. In a surprising move, he also decided to save Fantasy Island. He renamed it and last year got some of the water park up and running. This year his crew focused on the amusement park. Karen and I didn't know what to expect when we arrived, but I was just grateful that the park was saved. The drive from Erie took less than two hours. We had a modest breakfast at a rest stop McDonald's and arrived in Grand Island at about 10:30. The park didn't open until noon, so to kill some time we drove down Grand Island Boulevard to check out where our Holiday Inn hotel was. We followed West River Road, which paralleled the Niagara River. There was a spacious bike and walking path there. So we parked and walked around there for a little bit. There was a nice view across the Niagara River to Canada. We drove back toward the center of town and did a little shopping, then headed over to the park. The long entrance road bypassed the three little parking payment buildings that Apex had installed. Parking was free. We were one of the few cars there and were able to park right in front of the ticket booths. There was still a half-hour before the park opened, and evidently they didn't open the ticket windows until that time. So instead, we walked across the vast parking lot to an area marked with orange traffic cones. Behind the cones were piles of metal and fiberglass, all sections of rides that were eventually going to be installed in the park. The most prominent objects were sections of a Schwartzkopf shuttle loop coaster and its giant flywheel. Coaster enthusiasts were really excited about that because those coasters were some of the most intense ever built. There was also what looked like tracks for a kiddie train ride. There were some odd freshly-painted vehicles of some sort suspended on metal frames. And near those were pieces of the Flying Witch dark ride from Rye Playland. So it looked like the next few years were going to be busy ones at the park, with a lot of major rides going in, and some of them eagerly anticipated by park enthusiasts. The ticket windows opened and we paid the modest $20 entry fee. Immediately inside the entrance gates was the little waterfall with the park's logo. The park reused the same diamond design as Fantasy Island, which I think helped give it a sense of familiarity. Just past that was the park's Venetian carousel in the middle of a landscaped circle. To the right was the Iron Horse miniature railroad station. In the distance, we could see the train attempting to return to the station. But it kept stalling on the slight incline it had to navigate. A maintenance worker came over and had the engineer reverse the train, then come at the incline at a higher speed. The train finally made it all the way around. Karen and I continued walking. Next to the train station was the Kiddieland Cafe (formerly Basgetti's). All of the buildings appeared to have been given a fresh coat of paint. The pavement had been redone. The park looked new. We took a right at the cafe and headed into the Kiddieland section. To the right was the mini-golf course, which appeared to be in good shape and was operational. There was a brightly-painted antique Herschell helicopter ride, along with several newer kiddie rides arranged around the area. It all looked really nice. In the back corner of the Kiddieland section was a little A-frame house with a balcony that appeared to be a puppet theater. Circling around toward the west end, the pavilion for the antique Mother Goose ride was still there, but the ride wasn't. Behind that where the Wacky Worm coaster used to be was a flashy bumper car arena. We continued west up the hill, which in the last few years of the park had been blocked off. There were the storybook structures from Charlie Wood's era. They were freshly painted and looked great. On the left was the whale from Pinocchio. Opposite it was a giant Alice popping out of a house in Wonderland. Beyone that in a grove off to the right was another set of newer kiddie rides. Next to that were three small buildings from the storybook days: the seven dwarfs', the three pigs' and the crooked man's houses. The path then curved to the left where there was another section with more kiddie rides, including a classic Herschell auto car ride. There was also the pedestal where the tall Jack-in-the-beanstalk sculpture used to stand. There was also a kiddie drop tower that was still being assembled by the maintenance crew. Nearby was a well surrounded by a winding yellow brick road. There was also a small building that was a stage for a pirate show that ran throughout the day. And that brought us back to the main concourse. From there we continued north along a path at the east end of the park. It wrapped around the Western Town area and brought us to Eagle's Landing, which used to be the park's canoe ride in a pond around a small island that used to be populated by Native American figures. The big teepee was still on the island, shrouded by overgrowth. The pond itself was covered with algae and was obviously not being used. The Eagle's Landing dock had weeds growing up through it. Northwest of that where a food trailer used to be was now a Scrambler with a unique wooden fence surrounding it. I thought the fence worked well because it tied in the ride with the nearby western-themed area. We then walked across the bridge and up the hill toward the far northwest section of the park, which used to be the most ride-heavy area. When we got to the top of the hill, there was the Silver Comet, the park's terrific wood coaster. And it was running. Next to it, in place of the Mind Warp spin-and-barf ride, was a classic Flying Scooter ride. And that (for now) was the end of the midway. The rest of the northwest section of the park that vandals had trashed was being used as a staging area for the rides that would be coming. Far in the distance, the Ferris wheel was still standing but not operating. Karen and I walked over to the queue line for the Silver Comet. As we approached, one of the ride attendants called down to us from the station and said the ride was having a slight delay. But we didn't mind; it was a way to get out of the sun. So we walked up the stairs to the ride entrance. Within a few minutes, the attendants got the go-ahead to reopen the ride and we were able to get the front seat. The ride in the past was pretty aggressive. I saw grease on the track, which was a good sign. Within a few minutes our train was dispatched and we rolled to the lift. From the top, the drop seemed steeper than I remembered. We flew down and at the bottom I was suprised to find it was really smooth. There was a lot of new track in place. We flew through the rest of the course, filled with airtime and strong laterals. But the overall ride was really smooth and enjoyable. It was thrilling without being punishing. Kudos to the park for doing a great job getting it back in shape after three years of dormancy! We were both getting thirsty, and food offerings in the park were few and far between. We headed back toward Western Town. On the way we saw Rich from the WNYCC, so we knew that club members were starting to filter in. When we arrived When we got to Western Town, one of the shows there was in progress. So we circled around and headed for the Kiddieland Cafe. When we got to the main concourse, we saw Geff, the club's event organizer, and his wife Noreen. They were talking with Dana, the park manager. We all chatted for a while. Dana was talking about the challenges of getting the park open, and the big plans they had for the coming years. She told Geff that club members could go to the BBQ Barn and have a complementary meal, which was really nice of her. Of course, since Karen and I were vegetarians, there wasn't much for us to eat there besides some of the side dishes. But we thanked her. Karen and I then headed over to the Kiddieland Cafe. I got a bottle of Gatorade and Karen got a Diet Pepsi. We sat at a table where there was a nice breeze blowing through and relaxed. Afterward, we checked out the gift shop. They had some nice t-shirts, but almost all were in kiddie sizes. So instead we strolled over to the Iron Horse for a relaxing ride around the park. We arrived there shortly before the train pulled into the station. A sign there advertised a 5:00 show on the train, which I'd bet the kids would really enjoy. We climbed aboard and made the full circuit. The train didn't stop at the KOA campground gate, nor did it stop at the station next to the Silver Comet's turnaround. It was obvious why: the park still needed a lot of work there. When we returned to the station, we decided to call it a day. Our main reason for coming to the park was simply to support them as they got back on their feet. We hadn't eaten since breakfast, and since there was nothing in the park that appealed to us except ice cream, we needed to go elsewhere. But I was thrilled to see the park reopened. It seemed like it was in really good hands and I was excited to return in 2023 to see what else they were able to accomplish. Incidentally, the Holiday Inn Express that Karen and I stayed at that night was one of the nicest hotels we've ever been to. The room was beautifully appointed. And the bathroom was huge. All of the staff were friendly and gracious. That made for an enjoyable end to the trip. The next morning, Karen and I were up before the crack of dawn and headed back for home, with the last coaster trip of the season receding in our rear view mirror.

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