Granby, N.Y. — A Central New York couple is getting ready to take over Thunder Island amusement park near Fulton after a nationwide search to find the next owners.
Shane and Gale LaBeef, of Bernhards Bay, are already working at the park, cleaning up, making repairs and replacing items because they hope to open in the next two to three weeks.
Thunder Island abruptly shut down in August 2021 after the previous co-owner Ron Falise, 50, of East Syracuse, died while working on a tractor at the Oswego County water park. Ron and his wife, Lisa, had run Thunder Island since 2018.
The park sits on over 113 acres, and has eight water slides, five pools, three go-kart ride configurations, a zipline, a miniature golf course and a banquet facility. Harry and Tammie Perau opened Thunder Island in 1979 and sold the business to the Falises in 2018, records show.
Lisa Falise decided to sell the park after her husband died because it was just “heart-wrenching for her to be present on the site,” said real estate agent Paul Mackey.
“Lisa felt the best way for Thunder Island to continue on was to sell it to a fresh, enthusiastic party,” said Mackey, who worked with fellow Cushman Wakefield Pyramid Brokerage real estate agent Mark Austin to sell the park.
The park, at 21 Wilcox Road in Granby, was listed for $2.75 million, according to the online listing.
Austin called the LaBeefs, who own AAA Paintball Park in Constantia and Shane & Son’s Heating and Cooling in North Syracuse. The timing was perfect. Shane and his wife, Gale, had already seen the ad and they were seriously considering the possibility of buying the park. They just hadn’t gotten around to making a call yet, they said.
After touring the amusement park and thinking about it, the couple made an offer.
The LaBeefs had an advantage over other potential buyers who reached out from as far away as Colorado, Utah, Nevada and California, Mackey said.
“They know the area, they know the people in the area,” Mackey said. “Many of the people in Oswego County (and Onondaga County) are their customers now. They have an extensive relationship with multiple people and you don’t get that when you’re calling in from California or from Nevada.”
Shane and Gale LaBeef said they have agreed to buy Thunder Island for $2 million, although the paperwork to finalize the sale has not yet been completed. In the meantime, they have a license to operate Thunder Island and are temporarily leasing the park from Chestnut Properties, which lists Lisa Falise as the proprietor, until the sale is finalized, Mackey said.
The LaBeefs were at Thunder Island on Monday when contacted by Syracuse.com | The Post-Standard.
They said they have been working hard to get the park ready to open in the coming weeks.
Thunder Island closed during the coronavirus pandemic in 2020 and opened for only part of the season last year, so the LaBeefs say there’s a lot to do.
“Everything has to be pressure washed and everything has to be wiped down, certain things have to be repaired and certain things have to be replaced,” said Shane LaBeef, 54.
“It’s needing a lot of work, but we’re up for it,” added Gale LaBeef, 47.
Once they get the water park up and running, the LaBeefs said they have plans to expand Thunder Island.
They want to add laser tag and gel ball, a family-friendly version of paintball for younger kids, on an empty 10-acre lot adjacent to the park. Down the road, they also want to add a petting zoo with goats, rabbits, a mini cow and a pot-belly pig, but said they’ll first need to get town approval. They’d also like to add extra parking in that area.
If business is successful, they plan to expand the number of rides eventually, Gale LaBeef said.
“The more people who come support the business, the better it will be,” she said.
The LaBeefs are still working on pricing, but promise they won’t charge any more than what visitors paid to go to the park previously. They will offer season passes, as well as senior, military and first responder discounts.
They’re also installing new ice cream machines, and plan to keep an ice cream stand open longer each season than the waterpark.
“We focus on families and we want to make sure everybody comes in here is happy,” Shane LaBeef said.
During the warmer months, the LaBeefs expect to employ roughly 20 people; during the cooler months, they’ll employ about eight to 10 people.
“We wish we could open tomorrow, but there are too many things to do,” Gale LaBeef said. “We have a lot of people helping us.”
The LaBeefs say they are excited to bring Thunder Island back to the community.
“We’re trying to get things back to the way it was,” Shane LaBeef said.
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