It's hard to believe that Fantasy Island officially shuttered its doors in February of 2020. That was 15 months ago and since then, the park on Grand Island has been decimated by rides being taken down and countless acts of vandalism.

There was hope local buyers could bring back the theme park from the dead, but after months of nothing on the news front, it's been forgotten by many in Western New York.

But there was serious hope on Tuesday.

According to WGRZ, via Buffalo Business First, Chicago investor Gene Staples is negotiating with Store Capital Real Estate Investment Trust Co. of Scottsdale, Arizona for a long-term lease to take over the now-defunct amusement park, and reopen it.

But why is this good news, you ask?

That's because Staples is the same guy who bought and reopened the Indiana Beach Boardwalk Resort in Monticello, Indiana, from Apex Parks Group LLC. Yes, the same Apex Parks Group that closed Fantasy Island in early 2020.

It was a shocking blow when Fantasy Island closed its doors for good in February of 2020. Nobody really saw it coming at the time and I remember so many people in Western New York being crushed, not just in Niagara County and Grand Island.

Fantasy Island is where so many memories were made and it was the first theme park in Western New York I went to as a kid. Hopefully, it gets resurrected again.

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