Ghost Lettering, Coney Island Boardwalk. October 23, 2011. Photo © Tricia Vita/me-myself-i
On Sunday in Coney Island, we happened to take a few photos that are linked by end of season color and the melancholy passage of time. Last week, the ghost lettering of a forgotten arcade was revealed on the brick facade of the building on the Boardwalk at West 12th Street. As previously reported, Gyro Corner Clam Bar took down their signage and moved it to their second location on Coney Island’s Bowery. Gyro is one of the Mom and Pops which must vacate their longtime locations on the Boardwalk by November 4th.
At first we thought the lettering dated back to the old Playland Arcade and so did some of our friends. By Coney Island standards, it was the equivalent of an archaeological find! People have fond memories of Playland, which occupied the store from 1957 through 1981, according to its operator Stan Fox. But Stan informed us the ghost lettering is actually of more recent vintage: It belongs to an arcade that shared the corner with Gyro Corner for a spell in the late ’90s. You can listen to his memories of managing the Playland at this location for 20 years and other arcade stories in his audio interview in the Coney Island History Project’s Oral History Archive.
Balloon Dart, After the Season Is Over. October 23, 2011. Photo © Tricia Vita/me-myself-i via flickr
This weekend is Coney Island’s last of the 2011 season. The rides and games and arcades are still open, and yet this solitary Balloon Dart game has already been abandoned by its operator. As a carny kid, my first job was picking up darts and replacing busted balloons in Mom’s dart game. Although the painterly composition made me stop and take a photo, there’s something sad about seeing the remnants of the balloons left on the hooks.
Back wall of Ruby's back wall... October 23, 2011. Photo © Tricia Vita/me-myself-i via flickr
When you walk into Ruby’s Bar on the Coney Island Boardwalk, you’ll notice the back wall is already stripped of its vintage photos of friends and fans. The task of packing up decades of memorabilia has already begun for Ruby’s owners Michael and Melody Sarrel. The photos behind the bar are still intact as you can see in the picture below. Rain or shine, Ruby’s “Final Closing Party” is scheduled for Saturday, October 29th Sunday, October 30, starting at 11 am and going on till ??? Of course, everyone is hoping for another reprieve, this time in the form of a multi-year lease from Luna Park operator Zamperla. If the deal gets done, Ruby’s owners will still have to pack up because all of the Boardwalk stores are expected to undergo extensive renovations. We’re not against renovations, we’re against loss of character. Goodbye, dear old Ruby’s! Will we recognize you if we’re lucky enough to meet again next season?
UPDATE October 27, 2011, 11:40 am
Ruby’s “Final Closing Party” was changed to Sunday, October 30, due to weather forecast for Saturday. Same time–11am till ??–same place. Check Ruby’s Facebook page for updates. Friends keep asking poignant questions that Ruby’s owners cannot possibly answer yet like “Will you be open for the first Polar Bear swim?” and “are we going for good, or just for the season????” We’ll keep on hoping, but 2012 is def not a done deal! We recommend coming out to say “Goodbye” this weekend to the seven Boardwalk Mom & Pops.
Ruby's Bar, late afternoon in October. October 23, 2011. Photo © Tricia Vita/me-myself-i via flickr
Related posts on ATZ…
October 14, 2011: Photo of the Day: Vernacular Signage by Lindsay Wengler
October 13, 2011: Photo of the Day: Coney Island Americana Looking for New Beach
October 10, 2011: Photo of the Day: Coney Island’s Famed “Hey Joey!” Doomed
September 29, 2010: Saved or Not? Signs from Coney Island’s Henderson Building
Amusing the Zillion 
Tricia, that arcade housed skee-ball and ‘claw’ games until it became the site of Sideshows by the Seashore—a place that holds very fond memories for me.
I met Dick Zigun, the artist Philomena Marano, and stage designer Bill Stabile, and Ross Steinhardt there, created an ‘entrance’ out of painted unstretched canvas—AND that is where, as Art Director of the ’85 Mermaid Parade, Zigun gave me the crowded musty basement as a studio to paint all the pieces for the parade. 90 degrees outside—in that basement 45 degrees, musty, and the endless muffled sound of disco music, rides clacking and humans screaming coming through the cinder blocks!
There are so many layers of memories associated with this place. It is like a canvas on which the original lettering has been covered up or effaced to make way for a succession of different texts. Thanks for sharing your vivid memories. I wonder if any trace of your work remains in the basement?
My clearest memory of the store as Sideshows by the Seashore is going backstage to hang out with and interview old school performers Otis Jordan, billed as the “Human Cigarette Machine,” and Melvin Burkhardt, who introduced the blockhead act to a new generation of freaks. And of John Bradshaw, the show’s talker, a carnival man who brought the sideshow back to Coney Island in 1986! RIP John Bradshaw
http://www.coneyisland.com/fhof.bradshaw.shtml
Yes, the balloons are sad & the images beautiful.
I performed as a ventriloquist (with my dummy, Jack E. Wood) at Dick Zigun’s Sideshows By the Seashore sometime in the mid-80s. Had a short run, maybe five or so performances. After an almost-empty show one night, Dick took us to ride the Cyclone. I’d always been scared of roller coasters, but I loved it so much that after each ride, we’d just get right back on and ride it again. Performing at Coney Island was sheer magic, and remains one of my favorite theater experiences ever. Long live Dick Zigun & Coney Island. (My beautiful tin wind-up ferris wheel with Tille is on permanent loan at the Coney Island, USA museum, although I don’t know if it’s on display right now or not.)
OWTD, you and Jack are long overdue for a Coney Island Comeback! Thanks for the memories.
I’ll be at Ruby’s for sure romorrow, thanks for all your great Coney Island posts!
Thanks, Marty. I will look for you. Last year was so jammed, I missed seeing some folks and later realized it after seeing them in photos!