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Coney Island to Get Flying Coaster from Denver’s Elitch Gardens

Posted in Amusement ride, Redevelopment, tagged American Eagle, Elitch Gardens, flying coaster, Luna Park, Volare, Zamperla on October 17, 2010| Leave a Comment »

The coaster that NY1 described last week as a “new, cutting-edge roller coaster” coming to Coney Island may be relocating from a park in Denver. Theme park website Screamscape reported on Saturday that the Flying Coaster from Elitch Gardens was bought back by Zamperla with the intention of refurbishing it and installing it in Coney Island in 2011.

Zamperla calls the coaster the Volare, which means “to fly” in Italian. The Elitch Gardens coaster was a prototype that made its debut in May 2002. The ride has been SBNO (standing but not operating) since 2008 and since the cars were removed coaster fans have been tweeting that it’s headed for Luna Park. The Coney Island Rumor Mill had speculated for months that the Elitch Gardens coaster would come to Coney. Zamperla flying coasters can also be found at Rye Playland (“Super Flight”), Canada’s Wonderland (“Time Warp”), Vienna’s Wiener Prater, Genting Theme Park in Malaysia and Kaeson Youth Park in North Korea, among others.

Last month, ATZ attended a panel discussion in which Zamperla USA’s CEO Valerio Ferrari unveiled a rendering of the flying coaster “American Eagle” aka the Volare in a presentation about new rides slated for Coney Island’s Scream Zone. Zamperla/CAI’s Scream Zone will be located on “Parcels B & C, ” the City-owned property at Stillwell and the Boardwalk.

When Scream Zone is completed, Coney will have four of the 12 variations of coasters shown on Zamperla’s website: Luna Park already has Zamperla’s Twister Coaster (“The Tickler”) and Speedy Coaster (“Circus Coaster”). In addition to the Volare, Scream Zone will have a Pony Express-configured Moto Coaster (“Steeplechase Cavalry Coaster”).The thrill park is expected to open in 2011.

Zamperla's American Eagle Coaster aka The Volare will be the second coaster in Coney Island's Scream Zone. Photo © Jim McDonnell via smugmug

According to Elitch Gardens’ original press release for the flying coaster in March 2002: “If you’ve always wanted to skydive or hang glide…or just want a unique thrill that is really out of this world this is it. This one-of-a-kind thrill is perfect for Guests who want to be the first in the world to experience a ride like this. They’ll flat out FLY!”

Thru Oct 17: Blues & Rock Salute to JT at Cha Cha’s of Coney Island

Posted in Events, Redevelopment, tagged Bluesball, Cha-Cha's, Coney Island Boardwalk, John Thomas, Kenny Lombardi, Robert Ross, Ruby's, Zamperla on October 16, 2010| Leave a Comment »

Robert Ross Band at Cha Cha's of Coney Island. October 15, 2010. Copyright © Kenny Lombardi 2010. All Rights Reserved.

ATZ enjoyed some great music and great company last night at Cha Cha’s in Coney Island. The fact that both the 2010 season and the leases of the Boardwalk businesses end on October 31 makes us appreciate the good times even more. Last night, Robert “Bluesman” Ross and his Bluesmanian Devils played some smoking hot blues and kicked off a weekend tribute to JT.

John Thomas, who passed away in September, was the general manager of Cha Cha’s and its predecessor Club Atlantis for many years. He gave quite a few bands their start, which is reflected in the line up for Sunday’s all-day jam session: Classic Rock with Girls on Top, Bridgid Bibbens of Viper Vixens, Mel “Guitar” Williams, Amy Madden, Phoenix Rivera, Stephen Porro and Paul Sanchez are among the musicians who will perform beginning at 2:30 pm.

ATZ will be back on the Boardwalk tonight to hang out at Ruby’s with South Brooklyn bloggers Brian Hedden of BK Southie and Ned Berke of Sheepshead Bites, among others. Then we’ll adjourn to Cha Cha’s to catch Bluesball’s set. The group performs music by Muddy Waters, Otis Rush, Little Walter, and Howling Wolf. Perhaps they will play “How Many More Years”…

Cha Cha's Bar & Cafe on the Boardwalk in Coney Island. June 1, 2009. Photo © Tricia Vita/me-myself-i via flickr

Last night we asked John “Cha Cha” Ciarcia, owner of Cha Cha’s and nearby Beer Island, if he expected to be back next year. “I’ll be back,” he vowed, “If they let me.” Ciarcia and other longtime business owners on the Boardwalk were required to submit business proposals to new landlord Luna Park/Zamperla to qualify for a 9-year lease. The City purchased the land from Thor Equities last year. Zamperla USA CEO Valerio Ferrari tells us some of the Boardwalk businesses will be back in 2011 and some won’t. Will the good times roll in 2011 at Cha Cha’s and Ruby’s? An announcement is expected on October 31. In the meantime, go and enjoy the last few weeks of the season. If you have a sentimental favorite, take some photos as a souvenir. Word on the street is the Boardwalk is going to look a lot different next season.

Is Lynn’s Trapeze Still Lynn’s? What about the B & B?

Posted in amusement park, Amusement ride, Redevelopment, tagged B & B Carousell, Coney Island, Luna Park, Lynn Kelly, Lynn's Trapeze, naming rights on October 11, 2010| 6 Comments »

Sign for Lynn's Trapeze at Luna Park. October 10, 2010. Photo © Eric Kowalsky

UPDATE… October 11, 9:20 am…Yes, Lynn’s Trapeze will remain Lynn Kelly’s even though she’s leaving Coney Island for Staten Island! We received word on Monday morning from Zamperla CEO Valerio Ferrari: “A customer broke the sign. It will be replaced once we decide to renew or not all safety signs.” The altered sign was the object of intense speculation over the weekend…

On Sunday, ATZ received a flurry of messages from the Coney Island Rumor Mill about the sign on Lynn’s Trapeze in Luna Park. Something had happened to it overnight: The name of the ride had been sawed off the top! Take a look at the photo of the Mermaid Parade Kiddie flume below, for an example of intact signage.

Lynn’s Trapeze is a Wave Swinger with a center pole graced with historic images of Coney Island. It was named after Lynn Kelly, the president of the Coney Island Development Corporation, when the park opened in May. Kelly oversaw the redevelopment of Coney Island and was fond of referring to Luna Park as her park. But last week she resigned to take the job of CEO with the Snug Harbor Cultural Center in Staten Island. Our sources wondered if Kelly lost the naming right to the ride when she left her job with the City?

ATZ contacted Luna Park CEO Valerio Ferrari to ask about the sign, but we haven’t heard back yet. We can only speculate that Luna Park is about to add a commemorative plaque thanking Lynn Kelly and the flying carousel is not about to be renamed for somebody we’ve never heard of.

Or should naming rights to Luna’s rides be put up for sale to generate revenue? After all, stadiums like Coney Island’s former Keyspan, now MCU Park, aren’t the only ones to sell naming rights. Westchester County- owned Rye Playland offers annual naming rights for the park’s Dragon Coaster and other rides. The new Luna Park is a partnership with the City of New York, which owns the land and receives annual rent plus a percentage of the gross; the arrangement represents a new model for government-owned amusement parks, which are a rarity.

This brings us to a related question on the minds of Coney Island Rumor Mill members. When the restored B & B Carousell is set up in the new Steeplechase Plaza next year, will it still be called the B & B Carousell? Or will naming rights be sold? The initials belonged to Bishoff and Brienstein, who owned and operated the carousel from the 1930’s through the early 1970s. The ride was sold to Jimmy McCullough, who sold it to the City of New York in 2005. Carousell with two “L’s” was the spelling favored by Coney Island ride designer and builder William F. Mangels.