Fireworks plan applauded

Park official welcomes fundraising

By Karen Carr Keefe

Senior Contributing Writer

The new operator of the park formerly known as Fantasy Island is solidly behind a community effort to resume July 4 fireworks there next year.

“That’s obviously one of our top priorities for the 2025 season,” said Tom Crisci, vice president of Risk Management for IB Parks and Entertainment.

His company reopened the park in August 2021 and has renamed it Niagara Amusement Park & Splash World at Fantasy Island.

Grand Island Moose Lodge 180 will host a fundraising jam session by local musicians at noon Saturday, Sept. 7, at the lodge, 2524 Grand Island Blvd. The goal is to cover the 2025 cost of resuming the park’s dazzling pyrotechnics display that was, until recent years, an exclamation point on the holiday.

The park changed hands several times since its opening in 1961, eventually fell on hard times, and closed in 2020. Then in 2021, IB Parks entered a long-term lease to run the amusement park and has been working ever since to restore and enhance rides, entertainment and food offerings.

Fireworks would be a welcome addition, Crisci said.

“We think it’s great. We appreciate Mary Ehde from the local Moose Lodge reaching out to us with some fantastic ideas on exactly how to bring fireworks back. … The fact that the community wants to be involved really, really helps us to expedite the ability for us to bring it back in 2025,” he said.

A committee of community members, spearheaded by the Moose Lodge, has launched the campaign to help the park restart the fireworks tradition.

“We’re trying to grow the attendance; we’re adding new rides,” Crisci said. “Outside of getting the new rides that we have on property and up and running for our guests – obviously that’s our first and foremost priority – the fireworks is, literally, next in line.”

“So, the fact that the community want to help us expedite that, bring those back as quickly as 2025 – we’re all on board and we’re able to give support where we can, and we really appreciate it,” Crisci said.

The company’s long-term goals, he said, include having longer hours and funding fireworks, possibly more than once per season.

“Obviously, we’ve learned through community efforts that July 4 is the biggest day that everybody wants to see those fireworks. As of right now, and the past handful of years, they’ve been having to leave the Island to go see fireworks,” he said. “It’s going to be every July 4,” back at the park. “We take it very seriously. We want it back on the Island.

“I think the community effort kick-starts it for 2025, and I think 2026 and beyond, you’ll see that being a regular event Niagara Amusement Park and Splash World at Fantasy Island.”

Crisci said the 2024 season is going well.

“There’s obviously challenges to get everything up and running – some of the newer rides. … We want to get everything up safely,” he said. “We’re moving in the right direction. Attendance has obviously gone up year after year since we’ve taken over the park. We’re adding more attractions, more shows, more food outlets. So, just things that were there or things that people want us to have available.”

He said the company responds to feedback from attendees: “We’re cognizant of what the community wants, and so we’re trying to get it there as quickly as possible.”