Hudson Valley On The Water: Playland Memories For Sale

HUDSON VALLEY, NY — Westchester childhood memories are for sale at a nondescript location near the shore of Playland Lake; whether or not new memories will be made at the art deco "ferry terminal" at the amusement park, only the future can tell.

For someone who might hope for the best, the sight of the Playland Lake "steamship" with a "for sale" sign on it could simply mean a bigger, better vessel is planned for excursions around the lake (more properly referred to as Manursing Lake at Read Sanctuary). Alas, the retirement of the captain who operated the cruises and family business for the better part of six decades, also means the retirement of a Westchester rite of passage.

"We had a long run — a good run," Louis Tolves told Patch of his retirement and the end of an era. "It's sad to say good bye, but it was time. I'm a grandfather, I'm ready to spend more time with my grandkids."

Tolves explained with the pandemic disrupting two seasons and new management taking over at Playland Park, it was time to hang up the captain's hat and start a new chapter away from the family business his father started nearly 60 years ago.

The next chapter for Tolves will be something of a change of circumstances for Hudson Valley families and tourists as well. Boat excursion cruises have been a constant on the lake since it was constructed in the early 1920s.

The iconic vessel, nicknamed the "Queen of Playland," was commissioned and purpose-built specifically to spread joy and glimpse at undisturbed nature while cruising the sheltered waterways near the Playland boardwalk in Rye, Tolves said. The boat is now for sale at $30,000, making it is as much a business opportunity as an act of preservation.

"There was a guy who was going to buy it, take it to somewhere in New Jersey, but he wasn't able to come up with the money," Tolves said. "So, it's still for sale."

So, someone who might hope for the best, could see this as a sign that a floating piece of Hudson Valley history has a chance of staying in the Hudson Valley — if someone is willing to make a reasonable offer.