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Take a trip down Fantasy Island memory lane, with a former Wild West Shootout cowboy

Posted at 11:38 PM, Feb 19, 2020
and last updated 2020-02-19 23:38:22-05

GRAND ISLAND, N.Y. — You may know Rob Lederman as the co-host of Morning Bull Show on 97 Rock, but he used to be known as "Marshall Rob." Lederman performed in Fantasy Island's signature Wild West Shootout shows from 1976-1981.

"It was the greatest job I ever had," he said.

He was devastated to hear the news that Fantasy Island closed. Like many Western New Yorkers who worked at the park over the years it was much more than a job. Lederman said that was especially true if you were a Fantasy Island cowboy.

"It was almost like you were a celebrity," he said. "You'd get recognized if you were at the mall, we had a baseball team called the Western Town Tumbleweeds, and we would play baseball against high schools."

He said today's kids won't get to experience a summer of "fun, wow."

"Parents could go to one place and enjoy themselves, and not have to worry about where their kids were, there weren't fights, there weren't loud crowds, there was a real family feel to it," he said.

Performing in the shootouts was where Lederman got his first taste of performing.

"Those years at Fantasy Island made me who I am now," he said.