The Port Chester Showboat may have more of a history than you know.
The boat, a private entertainment boat on the Byram River, was once known as The Canadian – a sternwheeler kept on the Great Lakes at a historical Bronx theme park, Freedomland U.S.A., said Mike Virgintino in a submitted article.
Freedomland had seven themed areas – Little Old New York (1850-1900), Chicago (1871), the Great Plains (1803-1900), San Francisco (1906), the Old Southwest (1890), New Orleans (Mardi Gras) and Satellite City (the future).
Almost 50 years from the year Freedomland closed, the park will be now be commemorated with a plaque on Bartow Avenue in the Bronx where it used to be located. The unveiling of the plaque will be held Aug. 17 at noon, Virgintino said.
Historians and past park attendees and employees will be at the ceremony to talk about Freedomland, which was created by C.V. Woods, a man who had worked on planning and building Disneyland. Lynn Lavalette, the daughter of 1950s and 60s kids TV show entertainer Claure Kirchner who used to perform at Freedomland, will be a guest at the unveiling and will bring along Kirchner's old puppet sidekick, Clownie.
Bill Frenz, owner of The Showboat, will also be at the ceremony. Though Frenz has made changes to the boat, the basic structure is the same and is usually recognizable by people who went to Freedomland. One of the original seats has also been restored and preserved, Virgintino said.
Call 516-885-3875 or email freedomlandusa@yahoo.com to learn more about the ceremony. For more about Freedomland U.S.A., visit this website dedicated to its memory.
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