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Coney Island’s “Mr Cyclone” Gerry Menditto Elected to People’s Hall of Fame

Posted in Amusement ride, Events, tagged award, City Lore, Coney Island, Cyclone, Gerry Menditto, People's Hall of Fame, roller coaster on September 25, 2009| Leave a Comment »

Gerry Menditto, Manager of the Cyclone, visits the History Project on the Coasters Opening Day 2009. Photo © Tricia Vita/Coney Island History Project via flickr

Gerry Menditto, Manager of the Cyclone, visits the Coney Island History Project on the Coaster's Opening Day 2009. Photo © Tricia Vita/Coney Island History Project via flickr

Congrats to Gerry Menditto, manager of the Coney Island Cyclone Roller Coaster! An email from our friends at City Lore informed us that Gerry has been elected to the People’s Hall of Fame.

Gerald Menditto, for enabling New Yorkers to experience the thrills and chills of the world’s greatest roller coaster, the Coney Island Cyclone, by “walking the tracks,” and keeping it safe and running for more than three decades.

Each inductee will receive a larger-than-life-size token of esteem — that is, a large bronze cast of an actual subway token — from City Lore. The ceremony will be interlaced with performances honoring the honorees. Following, we will celebrate our honorees with light refreshments, music and dance. Red Baraat, a “Bangin’ Bhangra and brass funk” band will perform, and a brief Bhangra dance lesson will be offered to guests. Call 212-529-1955, x 0 for tickets ($15 for members, seniors, and students, $20 for others).

City Lore’s 11th People’s Hall of Fame induction ceremony and party is set for Sunday, October 25th from 3- 6 pm at the Museum of the City of New York. In advance of the celebration you can watch this video profile of Gerry Menditto from Thirteen.org’s new online series “New York On the Clock.” The mini-documentary webisodes about “New Yorkers who make the City work” premiered on September 14 with this feature on Coney Island’s “Mr. Cyclone.”

In a similar vein, City Lore’s annual People’s Hall of Fame awards celebration honors the contributions of local people to New York City’s cultural life and was established in 1993. In addition to Gerry Menditto, the 2009 People’s Hall of Fame inductees are James V. Hatch and Camille Billops, Dionisio Lind and Michael Smith, Margarita Kagan, and “DJ Rekha” aka Rekha Malhotra. Honorees are selected by a committee working with City Lore’s Board of Directors. If you would like to nominate your New York City cultural hero to the 2010 People’s Hall of Fame, email a note to City Lore along with the reasons for your nomination.

Previous honorees with Coney Island or amusement industry backgrounds include Pete Benferamo, the Lemon Ice King of Corona Queens; The Ross Family of Coney Island Bialys, the oldest bialy business in the city; Rudy King for bringing the steel drum to New York City; Dick Zigun for founding the Mermaid Parade and Coney Island USA; and Hovey Burgess for mentoring a new generation of circus artists.

Michael Jackson’s Neverland Ride for Sale in Coney Island!

Posted in Amusement ride, tagged Butler Amusements, California State Fair, carnival ride, Coney Island, Dragon Wagon, Dreamland, Michael Jackson, Michael Jackson's Birthday, Neverland on August 26, 2009| 3 Comments »

$95K Will Buy You the Dragon Wagon from Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch. Photo © Tricia Vita/me-myself-i via flickr

Got an extra $95,000 lying around? You could celebrate Michael Jackson’s August 29th birthday in style by acquiring one of his carnival rides from Neverland Ranch. After spending the summer at Thor Equities Dreamland Park in Coney Island, the Dragon Wagon Kiddie Coaster from Jackson’s private amusement park is being advertised for sale on usedrides.com. Since Dreamland closed and is unlikely to reopen (see “Coney Island is Open, Only Dreamland is Closed”), the ride’s owner decided to sell the Wisdom Dragon Wagon rather than truck it all the way back to California. ATZ spoke with Candy Strong, who placed the ad for the coaster and three other rides owned by Butch Butler of California-based Butler Amusements.

“It cost him $55,000 to bring them here. It would be beneficial and less stressful for him not to take anything back,” said Candy, who with her husband John Strong operated “The Strangest Show on Earth” in Coney Island’s Dreamland this season. Since Butler is busy with four state fairs running concurrently–the California State Fair, Western Idaho State Fair, Eastern Idaho State Fair, and Washington State’s Evergreen State Fair–Candy Strong took on the job of advertising the rides. The Strongs have been friends with Butler for over 30 years and were the ones who got him to bring the rides here from California.

For Sale on Usedrides.com: the Dragon Wagon Kiddie Coaster from Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch

When ATZ spoke with Butler earlier this season, he told us about some of the rides he’d purchased from Michael Jackson’s ranch last year. One of the Jackson rides happened to be among the four sent to “test market” Coney Island. The Dreamland Dragon Wagon’s history was not initially publicized, but Jackson’s death in June thrust the former Neverland rides at carnivals and parks across the country into the media spotlight. Butler had hoped to put his kiddie rides in Thor Equities “Flea by the Sea” tents on Stillwell Avenue for the Christmas season.

For Sale in Dreamland: Dragon Wagon from Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch. Photo © Tricia Vita/me-myself-i via flickr

“Like everybody, Butch thought there was an opportunity for another year. Or two or three. But now it doesn’t look like it’s going to happen,” Candy said as she and her husband were getting ready to leave New York for a Tennessee fair. Coney Island’s Dreamland Park was abruptly locked down last weekend due to a dispute between property owner Thor Equities and the park manager, but Butler’s rides are still set up and may be viewed by prospective buyers, Candy said. The other three rides for sale are not from Neverland Ranch. The additional rides are the Star Dancer, a 101-foot tower ride by Larsen International ($250,000) a Barrango carousel with horses and menagerie animals ($125,000), and an interactive play zone called Jungle of Fun ($85,000). I made a flickr set of Butler’s rides in Coney Island in case anyone wants to check them out.

Butler Amusements Carousel in Coney Island. Photo © Tricia Vita/me-myself-i via flickr

At the California State Fair through Sept 7: Balloon Samba Ride from Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch. Photo courtesy of Butler Amusements

Meanwhile at the California State Fair, which runs through September 7, the King of Pop’s amusement rides are in the spotlight thanks to a “Fairgoers Can’t Beat It!” promotion. On Fridays, Butler Amusements gives the first 5,000 visitors to the state fair a “golden ticket” good for a free ride on one of four rides from Neverland. The rides are the Balloon Samba, Jeeps, Wave Swinger and Dinosaurs. According to the fair’s press release, the Dinosaur ride features a total of eight revolving dinosaurs and elephants that riders can control to make the animal go up or down.

Here in Brooklyn, filmmaker Spike Lee’s party in honor of Michael Jackson’s 51st birthday is set for Saturday from noon to 5 p.m. in Prospect Park. Here’s the invite to the free event, which will feature DJ Spinna spinning Jackson music and Brooklyn Borough Prez Marty Markowitz declaring August 29th “Michael Jackson Day.”

At the California State Fair through Sept 7: Wave Swinger from Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch. Photo courtesy of Butler Amusements

Update, December 26, 2011…

The Neverland Bumper cars were permanently installed at Cal Expo in Sacramento for which Butler Amusements provides the carnival for the California State fair. The other rides from Neverland Ranch–Lolli Swings, Jeeps, Dinos, Balloon Samba and Dragon Wagon– travel with the carnival’s different units, which play events in seven states in the West.

The Neverland Bumper Cars, owned by Butler Amusements, were first installed at Cal Expo for the California State Fair in July 2011. Photo courtesy of Butler Amusements.

Coney Island 2010? Carnival Gambles on Roller Coaster

Posted in amusement park, Amusement ride, tagged Coney Island, Geren Rides, rides, roller coaster, Schwartzkopf, Thor Equities, Wildcat on August 8, 2009| 5 Comments »

On location in Coney Island: Reverchon Himalaya recently purchased by Geren Rides from Cumberland Valley Shows. Photo © Tricia Vita/me-myself-i via flickr

In anticipation of a third season on Thor Equities property in Coney Island, carnival operator Glenn Geren recently purchased a Schwarzkopf Wildcat Coaster, Reverchon Himalaya, Watkins Swinger and Tempest, and Bumper Cars from Cumberland Valley Shows through usedrides.com. For the past two summers, Geren Rides of Valdosta, Georgia, has operated 10 rides in “Dreamland,” the temporary amusement park on Thor Equities vacant lots in Coney Island.

The news that real estate speculator and Thor CEO Joe Sitt is close to selling his Coney Island property to the City doesn’t worry Geren. Does the carnival operator know something we don’t know? “I’ve just got an assurance is all I have,” says Geren, who admits he doesn’t have a contract with Thor. “I was told if we don’t set up on this side of Coney Island, we’d set up on the other side of Coney Island. I’ve been testing the waters and I’ve already made a pretty good investment for next year.”

The five rides were purchased from Cumberland Valley Shows of Lebanon, Tenn., which had the equipment in storage at their winter quarters for several years. Jeremy Floyd of CVS confirmed that the coaster purchased by Geren was a Wildcat owned by his family’s carnival. A coaster website had previously listed CVS’s portable coaster as a Pinfari Zyklon. The first steel coaster made by famed roller coaster designer Anton Schwarzkopf, Wildcat coasters can be found at Washington State’s Puyallup Fair and the Jolly Roger Amusement Park in Ocean City, Md.

Wildcat at Jolly Roger Amusement Park in Ocean City, Maryland. Photo © www.CanobieFan.com via flickr

Schwarzkopf Wildcat Coaster at Jolly Roger Amusement Park in Ocean City, Maryland. Photo © http://www.CanobieFan.com via flickr

photo via Canobie Fan, flickr

Early this season, the Coney Island Rumor Mill was sayin’ a Zyklon was coming to Dreamland. Thor Equities CEO Joe Sitt promised “two dozen rides” in a statement in Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz’s summer newsletter and Sitt’s spokesman kept insisting the rides were on the way! It turns out Geren had expected to close on the rides before the Fourth of July, but financing was delayed. When can we expect the Wildcat in Coney Island? “I’m gonna see if I can get it here for Labor Day but if not it’ll be for sure Easter of next year,” says Geren. “Actually it would probably be better if the park were closed to set up because it takes 7 semis to haul it.”

ATZ talked with Geren after his Wisdom Himalaya packed up last week and Coney ride fans began to ask if this year would be a repeat of last. In 2008, Thor Equities much-hyped Dreamland Park on Stillwell Avenue was supposed to run through Labor Day, but Geren’s Himalaya left Coney Island in mid-July for a Tennessee fair and the rest of his rides soon followed. Thor’s so-called “Dreamland” disintegrated into empty lots while the rest of Coney Island’s amusement rides and attractions remained open through September.

This year Dreamland will remain open, Geren says. The Wisdom Himalaya left Coney Island for Tennessee’s Putnam County Fair and the Spin Out will follow, but the rest of his rides—the Ring of Fire, Scrambler, Trabant and kiddie rides will stay for the rest of the season. “I’ve got other rides coming in. Actually I’ve already got my Bumper Cars here parked behind Nathan’s and there’s two more trailer loads of Himalaya parked over there too.” The Reverchon Himalaya, which takes three trailers, is currently on site being sanded and painted in preparation for set up. If you’re planning a visit to Coney, don’t let that dissuade you because Coney Island currently has 56 rides and 30 more days of summer!

Just Arrived... Bumper Cars & Himalaya Parked Behind Nathans. Photo © Tricia Vita/me-myself-i via flickr

With only 30 days left till Labor Day, the question is will Dreamland’s replacement rides be set up and ready to open before the season is over? Geren hopes to have the rides up and running within a couple of weeks. As for whether the season will be extended through September, Geren says “I’m kind of in uncharted waters here.”

In fact, all of Coney Island is uncharted waters since the City’s Rezoning passed in the City Council. But Geren’s certainty that he’ll be back in Coney in 2010 doesn’t surprise us in the least. As a reporter for the trade publication Amusement Business, I’d interviewed Geren and found him to be a risk taker. The show owner made waves in the fair industry in 2003 when he bought 13 fair and festival contracts for $114,010 plus 15% of ride grosses at the bankruptcy proceedings of United Shows. He’s kept some of these spots, but he’s also lost some. “I’m either a gambler or a fool,” Geren says with a laugh.

The biggest gambler or fool may turn out to be the City for going ahead and passing the Coney rezoning before a deal was in place with Thor Equities. Now that Sitt’s land has been upzoned, it’s going to be vastly more expensive to purchase and the City has lost bargaining power. Is Sitt under any obligation to sell to the City? What’s stopping him from flipping it to another developer just as he did with Washington Baths and Albee Square Mall? As Joe Sitt famously said last month, “I’m the guy who controls this – it’s my sandbox.” Nice spot for a Schwarzkopf.