County Executive George Latimer joined campers at Cranberry Lake Preserve’s Nature Camp today to announce the official name of Playland’s newest attraction.
Dubbed a “Disk’O 24” model by Zamperla, the Italian manufacturer, the county put out the call last month for local children to submit their ideas for what the new ride should be called now that it’s found its new home in Rye. After more than 400 submissions, a list of five finalists was selected, and after careful selection “Dragonator” was chosen as the ride’s ultimate moniker.
“Last month, I asked the people of Westchester to submit their name ideas — and we received 409 submissions,” Latimer says. “While some were nutty — like Ridey McRideface and I-95 — most were fun. But what makes ‘Dragonator’ so special is that the final name was chosen by children of this county, which is who Playland is all about.”
The winning name was submitted by Larry Gottlieb of Mount Pleasant.
“Having spent many hours at Playland with family and friends,” says Gottlieb, “it’s a truly unique honor to name a ride that will hopefully bring joy to thousands of park attendees for years to come,” adding “Long live the Dragonator!”
The ride straps two-dozen park guests into a motorcycle-like seat, facing outward around the periphery of a round base, which then rotates while also rocking back and forth along a vertical, semicircular track. You can check out a video of the ride in action from Zamperla’s website below.
Shipped from Italy in three parts, according to Latimer, the ride cost the company over $300,000 to install and will be contracted for at least 5 years, over which time Westchester County will keep 50% of profits from the ride (after repaying Zamperla’s initial investment).
This is the first new ride to be added to the historic amusement park since the Playland Yo-Yo and Music Express were added back in 2008. The addition comes amid the ongoing legal battles between Westchester County and Playland’s former management company, Standard Amusements (SA), after County Executive Latimer voided SA’s contract earlier this year.
Read more: Latimer Cans Contract With Standard Amusements Over Playland Management
