On Sunday, a sign appeared on the fence at the Thor Equities lot on Stillwell Avenue leased to the BK Festival announcing the opening of “Steeplechase Amusement Park.” We’ve known for several weeks that rides and amusements were planned for the former flea market this summer, but details were pending.
Will McCarthy, event director of the BK festival, tells ATZ that the flea market didn’t mesh with the Coney Island location and this season the BK Festival will bring in rides and amusements in addition to a smaller number of vendors. The flea market is expected to continue until the rides debut in May. Among the old school carnival flat rides confirmed for the event are a Himalaya, Ring of Fire, Trabant and Cakewalk. There will be also be a climbing wall, McCarthy said. Additional rides and amusements will be announced soon. The BK Festival’s partners went to the carnival convention in Gibsonton, Florida, last month to recruit ride operators for Coney Island.
Why did they choose the name Steeplechase Park? “We want to bring back a lot of things that used to be on the property,” says McCarthy. “It’s a tribute to Steeplechase Park.”
And why not? Coney Island’s three grand amusement parks of the early 20th century were Steeplechase, Dreamland and Luna Park, and the names of the last two are already taken. When Joe Sitt brought carnivals to his property in the summers leading up to the 2009 rezoning, he called it Dreamland Amusement Park. Zamperla named their park after Thompson and Dundy’s Luna Park. Although the new parks bear very little resemblance to the originals, the familiar names evoke memories and exert a powerful pull. We’re just happy the BK Festival, which has a three-year lease, will not be a flea market this summer. We wish them well. Evidently one person wasn’t thrilled with this iteration of the Funny Face. The sign, which has a couple of unfortunate misspellings, was almost immediately defaced.
The park will be the third Steeplechase. In 1967, Norman Kaufman leased part of the Tilyou’s Steeplechase site from Fred Trump and called his park Steeplechase Park, according to Charles Denson’s Coney Island: Lost and Found. The Jumbo Jet, Cortina, Bumper Cars, Go Karts, Batting Cages and a Miniature Golf Course were among Kaufman’s attractions over the years. Kaufman’s Batting Range and Go Kart City was on this piece of land until he was evicted by Thor Equities in 2007.
Another sign on the fence announced “Cha Cha’s Club Atlantis Opening Soon,” setting the stage for two clubs with the same name. Cha Cha, one of the Coney Island 8 evicted from the Boardwalk by Zamperla, is opening a restaurant on Surf Avenue as well as a reincarnation of his Cha Cha’s Club Atlantis. His former Boardwalk location, which will become Tom’s Restaurant, was the site of the original Club Atlantis. Across the way, the former Steve’s Grill House and Beer Island are set to become Zamperla’s Club Atlantis. Last month, Zamperla CEO Valerio Ferrari told the NY Post that a new beach bar called Club Atlantis would offer beer, wine and dancing.
Related posts on ATZ…
April 2, 2012: BK Festival’s 1st Amusement Rides Arrive in Coney Island
November 15, 2011: Coney Island 2012: What’s New on the Boardwalk
May 16, 2011: Thor’s Coney Island: Aqueduct Flea Vendors Make Dismal Debut
March 3, 2010: Thor’s Coney Island: What Stillwell Looked Like Before Joe Sitt
As everything that has happened on the piece of land since Sitt acquired it has been a bust I’m not especially hopeful. Something is either going to go wrong, or simply not happen at all.
Yes, after the evictions, empty lots, temporary rides, much-hyped flea-by-the-sea that failed and empty lots again, I think it’s natural for people to have low expectations. I’m rooting for them to succeed and show that amusements make money where retail failed. The first temporary fair that Thor brought in to that lot with rides from Reithoffer and Geren carnivals was actually pretty good as far as the rides.
Contrary to my usual gloom and doom, (as somebody pointed out), I have high hopes for this. Having more amusements in the amusement zone can only help showing that there is money to be made in amusements. This is only going to make this summer even better and more fun! Hooray for the new Steeplechase Park!
We can only hope that the rides that are supposed to be on the site aren’t the inflatable that were there before. Anything that brings Coney back I wish well. I do have one question…..Is the cartoon character on both signs supposed to resemble Mr. Joe S-itt?? I don’t think we really need to be reminded about his FUGLY Face after the things he has done to Coney Island
My guess was the cartoon was supposed to be Cha Cha, although it doesn’t really look like him. It’s the same face on both signs.
[…] while three potential contenders in the 2013 mayoral race made the same trip in SUVs. [Daily News]Steeplechase Amusement Park will open at the Thor Equities lot on Stillwell Avenue in Coney Island. [Amusing the Zillion]The […]
I’m looking forward to more rides. I hope it works out. I wouldn’t mind the return of the batting cages. I used to love doing that before Cyclones games.
I hope the prices come down,so that ordinary people and families can go.It now appears to be another place for the rich!!!
Hopefully they spell amusements correct
Tricia- I never saw Cha-Cha smile like that……I never saw Cha-Cha smile at all come to think of it! Cartoons are supposed to be funny right? Nothin’ funny about S-itt. I think a problem with the batters cages might be space available….would like to see them come back & maybe the ring the bell sledge hammer. When I was a kid, there was a hammer/nail game on Henderson Walk.. The object was to drive a nail into a block of wood in three shots. My father came close a couple of times. Found out years later, a tin plate had been inserted in the wood block! Does anyone remember it?