My parents, Sylvia and Len Hasman founded Fun Tours of Webster in 1985. Their first bus trip was to Hawaii in Pittsburgh. Sylvia partnered with Trailways bus company. She hung flyers on bulletin boards all around Webster including grocery stores, restaurants and the public library. She also talked about her new business to friends at St. Rita's church and around town. The first bus trip was a success and Fun Tours of Webster was officially off and running. After their first few trips, my mom started brainstorming for a name for her new company. One night, she said to my brother Jim and me, "Well, your father and I are the tour guides and people tell me that they are having a lot of fun on our bus trips, so I'm going to name the company Fun Tours." It was such a simple name but Jim and I agreed that it was a good fit and thus "Fun Tours" was born. Over the next 30 years, they would travel all over the country visiting Dollywood, Nashville, Atlantic City, Mackinac Island in Michigan, and taking journeys on the Mississippi Queen along the Mississippi river. They would also enjoy many day trips to Seneca Niagara Casino in Niagara Falls, NY which became one of their most popular trips that they were traveling to Seneca with a full bus nine times a year.
My parents continued to host bus trips until my mom's passing on May 4, 2013. Many current and past Fun Tours customers came to my mom's wake to pay their respects and share memories from her many bus trips. Many of them asked me what would happen to Fun Tours and they commented on how much fun they had on the trips. After my mom's funeral, I talked to my dad about scheduling a trip in August 2013 as a way to honor my mom. My dad agreed that it would be a great way to honor her and the dedication she had for Fun Tours in her 27 years as co-founder and hostess. I had planned on making this the final trip before closing Fun Tours but things would quickly head in another direction. After the first bus sold out in three weeks, a second bus was added. This bus too sold out within the next month. On August 19, 2013, two charter buses picked up 110 passengers who were ready to have a lot of FUN and to honor my mother, who put her heart and soul into Fun Tours. Throughout that day, as I thought about how much fun people had, I wondered if I could keep Fun Tours going. I talked it over with my dad and he agreed that we should give it a try. As both buses were ready to head home at the end of the day, I made the announcement that my dad and me would continue running Fun Tours as long as the people on the bus wanted us to. I was amazed at the amount of support we received. Cheers and clapping filled both buses. We would schedule three more trips in 2013.
A full schedule of trips was on tap for 2014 and again for 2015. My dad and I ran the trips together and he celebrated his 30th anniversary as co-host of Fun Tours in the spring of 2015. We continued to play the games my mom loved to play on the bus including BINGO and the horse races. I have even added "bonus BINGO" on the way home from the casino in honor of my mom. She would always give us a bonus gift at Christmas and I wanted to make this tradition a part of Fun Tours. Bonus BINGO was well received and continues to this day.
My dad continued hosting the bus trips with me until his passing on July 10, 2015. I dedicated the November 16, 2015 bus trip in honor of my father. A sold out bus heard some bad jokes throughout the day (the way my dad would have wanted it) and played the horse races game (his favorite). I chose the November trip as my dad was a Marine who served in combat during the Korean War. I thought that honoring my dad close to Veteran's Day would be a fitting tribute.
My parents ran Fun Tours for a combined 30 years but never officially registered the name as a business. In honor of my parents, I registered Fun Tours LLC as an official business in New York State on September 24, 2015. I continue to book trips to Seneca casino and have added occasional trips to Turning Stone casino as well. Many passengers have asked me "where else do you go?" For now, I have a full-time job and "moonlight" as a Fun Tours guide in my spare time so for the time being, day trips to casinos are the only destination on my itinerary. However, when I retire, maybe Fun Tours can expand and head to some of the destinations that my parents traveled to many years ago. Until then, see you on the bus!
My parents continued to host bus trips until my mom's passing on May 4, 2013. Many current and past Fun Tours customers came to my mom's wake to pay their respects and share memories from her many bus trips. Many of them asked me what would happen to Fun Tours and they commented on how much fun they had on the trips. After my mom's funeral, I talked to my dad about scheduling a trip in August 2013 as a way to honor my mom. My dad agreed that it would be a great way to honor her and the dedication she had for Fun Tours in her 27 years as co-founder and hostess. I had planned on making this the final trip before closing Fun Tours but things would quickly head in another direction. After the first bus sold out in three weeks, a second bus was added. This bus too sold out within the next month. On August 19, 2013, two charter buses picked up 110 passengers who were ready to have a lot of FUN and to honor my mother, who put her heart and soul into Fun Tours. Throughout that day, as I thought about how much fun people had, I wondered if I could keep Fun Tours going. I talked it over with my dad and he agreed that we should give it a try. As both buses were ready to head home at the end of the day, I made the announcement that my dad and me would continue running Fun Tours as long as the people on the bus wanted us to. I was amazed at the amount of support we received. Cheers and clapping filled both buses. We would schedule three more trips in 2013.
A full schedule of trips was on tap for 2014 and again for 2015. My dad and I ran the trips together and he celebrated his 30th anniversary as co-host of Fun Tours in the spring of 2015. We continued to play the games my mom loved to play on the bus including BINGO and the horse races. I have even added "bonus BINGO" on the way home from the casino in honor of my mom. She would always give us a bonus gift at Christmas and I wanted to make this tradition a part of Fun Tours. Bonus BINGO was well received and continues to this day.
My dad continued hosting the bus trips with me until his passing on July 10, 2015. I dedicated the November 16, 2015 bus trip in honor of my father. A sold out bus heard some bad jokes throughout the day (the way my dad would have wanted it) and played the horse races game (his favorite). I chose the November trip as my dad was a Marine who served in combat during the Korean War. I thought that honoring my dad close to Veteran's Day would be a fitting tribute.
My parents ran Fun Tours for a combined 30 years but never officially registered the name as a business. In honor of my parents, I registered Fun Tours LLC as an official business in New York State on September 24, 2015. I continue to book trips to Seneca casino and have added occasional trips to Turning Stone casino as well. Many passengers have asked me "where else do you go?" For now, I have a full-time job and "moonlight" as a Fun Tours guide in my spare time so for the time being, day trips to casinos are the only destination on my itinerary. However, when I retire, maybe Fun Tours can expand and head to some of the destinations that my parents traveled to many years ago. Until then, see you on the bus!
Sylvia Hasman, leading Fun Tours to Nashville, TN.
May 23, 1990