Dozens of eager kids waited with parents at the small train station of Huck Finn’s Playland after it officially opened its gates to customers.
Eight months after the local icon Hoffman’s Playland closed its doors for good, Huck Finn’s Playland officially opened in downtown Albany Thursday, June 18. All but the rollercoaster was up and running for kids to ride from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. last Thursday. Regular park hours will be from noon to 9 p.m.
Although the workday was just ending and school not yet over, kids and parents were ready with tickets in hand to take a spin on the carousel and test out the new view from the train.
Sisters Patti Huba and Laurie Burkhard from Guilderland took pictures of the brick bought in their Boston-based sister’s name for her birthday for the Hoffman’s commemorative walkway.
“We used to come here when we were little, when it was up at the other place,” said Huba. “Then we brought our kids, and they brought their kids, so it’s been a family tradition.”
The Playland was filled with such memories as kids and parents alike got in line for favorite rides. Huba said her children used to love the carousel.
“We’re just checking it out. We wanted to see if they put up all the rides, where to park and all that before we bring the kids,” said Huba.
Burkhard said they were pleased to see the amount of parking and how the site was set up with the furniture warehouse just beside the park. “We wondered how they would fit everything here, but it’s really nice. You can see it from the highway, too.”
The park’s opening didn’t come without expectations. Huck Finn’s bought the park rides after a rallying cry from the community to keep the equipment together after David and Ruth Hoffman officially announced their retirement in 2013.
Hoffman’s Playland held a 62-year legacy within the Capital District and beyond. After the Hoffmans’ retirement announcement, people nationwide joined the Facebook group “Save Hoffman’s Playland.”
At first, it was thought that the park equipment would need to be auctioned off to separate buyers after selling the park at its Latham location proved not to be an option with recent surrounding developments.
Huck Finn’s then stepped up and bought the equipment. “It was very, very important to the community,” said Jeff Sperber, Huck Finn’s president.
The business received a $250,000 grant from National Grid, a $250,000 grant from Empire State Development and $150,000 from Albany County Industrial Development Agency to cover part of the $1.8 million opening cost.
“It was just something we wanted to do so that the legacy could go on for future generations,” said Sperber.
Following in the footsteps of Hoffman’s, the park will provide over 100 seasonal jobs. At the Colonie Chamber of Commerce’s annual dinner, where the Hoffmans received the Spirit of the Community Award, David Hoffman recalled the hundreds of young teens who worked their first jobs at Hoffman’s. Some, like the Hoffmans themselves, even met future spouses working at the amusement park.
On Thursday, those young employees in Huck Finn’s uniforms helped children onto carousel horses, strap into the tilt-a-whirl and stopped foot traffic for the train to chug on by.
Sperber estimated about 600 to 700 people stopped by for the opening night. “People were just thrilled. They loved the park and loved the layout. Kids were having a ball. It was all extremely positive. We couldn’t have asked for more,” he said.