Amusing the Zillion

Photo Album: Coney Island Tribute to Andy Badalamenti

July 29, 2011 by Tricia

Coney Island Floral Tribute to Andy Badalamenti. July 27, 2011. Photo © Lou Dembrow

At the wake for Coney Island ride maestro Andy Badalamenti, our eyes were drawn to this special floral tribute featuring photos of Coney Island’s Cyclone, Wonder Wheel, Parachute Jump and Polar Express. It was sad to say goodbye to Andy, whose casket was adorned with touching photos and mementos from the past. If there’s a midway in heaven, we’re sure he already has “the ex” on the Himalaya. Thanks to photographer Lou Dembrow for this photo and the one below taken on closing day of Jimmy Prince’s Major Meats, Coney Island’s oldest butcher shop, which shuttered after 60 years in 2009.

Andy Badalamenti with Major Meats sign on closing day at Jimmy Prince's Mermaid Avenue shop. February 28, 2009. Photo © Lou Dembrow

The exquisite floral tributes at the wake also included a rosary with beads made of rosebuds and a horseshoe from Andy’s friends in the NYPD mounted police unit. An honor guard of mounted police kept watch outside the funeral home and an officer stood at attention by the casket. Andy worked for the past 11 years in the stables at Brighton Beach.

Historian and Coney Island History Project director Charles Denson’s moving photographic tribute features many photos with his friend’s beloved horses and cat. Watch for the photo of Andy riding the Steeplechase horse into the clouds as Pavarotti sings the aria “Nessun dorma” from the final act of Puccini’s Turandot.

Coney Island Lost A Good Friend: RIP Andy Badalamenti

July 27, 2011 by Tricia

Andy Badalamenti Tries Out the 120-year old chair at the Coney Island History Project, August 29, 2008. Photo © Tricia Vita

Coney Island lost a good friend on Monday. Andy Badalamenti, who operated such legendary rides as the Tornado and the Bobsled, and lived in the house under the Thunderbolt roller coaster when he worked as its caretaker, died on Monday after battling cancer. “Coney Island was Andy’s life and obsession,” wrote Charles Denson, in a moving tribute to his friend, who is featured in his books “Coney Island: Lost and Found” and “Wild Ride: A Coney Island Roller Coaster Family.”

“Andy grew up working in Coney Island. He possessed a pure devotion to whatever ride he worked on and the people he worked for,” Denson writes in “Wild Ride.” When the Tornado roller coaster was set afire by arsonists in 1977, Andy climbed to the top and stood beneath the Christmas cross screaming “We’re gonna fix it! The Tornado will be back!” But the coaster was doomed. “The image of Andy Badalamenti high atop the smoldering ruins of the historic roller coaster, triumphant and defiant, promising rebirth, remains a part of Coney Island folkore,” writes Denson.

This photo of Andy Badalamenti trying out a 120-year-old chair from Feltman’s Maple Garden Restaurant was taken at the Coney Island History Project on August 29, 2008. Astroland was set to close forever on the next weekend. After winning a one-year reprieve, many of us felt despondent about not being able to save the park again. But Andy wasn’t about to give up hope. He had dreams of moving the rides a few blocks away and was busily talking up the idea. His eyes always glittered when he smiled.

The 120-year-old chair had a sign telling people not to sit on it, but if anyone had earned the right to sit on a Coney Island museum piece it was Andy Badalamenti. Rest in peace, Andy. Coney Island will miss you.

The wake will be at 2-5pm and 7-9pm on July 27 and 28 at Cusimano and Russo Funeral Home, 2005 W. 6th St at Avenue T, in Brooklyn. The funeral will be at 9:45am on Friday, July 29, at the Church of Saints Simon and Jude, 185 Van Sicklen St at Avenue T.

Andy Badalamenti with Louise Bonsignore, whose family owned and operated the Bobsled, at the Coney Island History Project. September 8, 2008. Photo © Tricia Vita

A Century After Rose Pitonof, Swimming to Coney Island

July 24, 2011 by Tricia

Rose Pitonof. circa 1910-15. Library of Congress Photo

On August 13, 2011, six swimmers will recreate an historic 1911 swim from Manhattan to Coney Island’s Steeplechase Pier. The event was organized by Deanne Draeger, who got the idea when she did the 17-mile swim last year on the 99th anniversary of a celebrated swimmer’s feat. “I’ve been thinking about it all year,” says Draeger. “It’s a really cool event. It’s the 100th anniversary of when a 17-year-old girl, Rose Pitonof, did that swim and became Swimming Champion of the World in a time when most people – men and women – didn’t know how to swim. To give you an idea, there were 50,000 people waiting for her at Coney Island when she finished.”

The Rose Pitonof Centennial Swim will start from East 26th Street on Saturday, August 13, at 8:45 am. The swimmers will pass under the Williamsburg, Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Verrazano Bridges and will benefit from a tidal assist most of the way, says Draeger. You will be able to view them from the following vantage points. Viewing times are estimates based on the swimmers’ speed:

–East River Park, 9am on the north end of park until between 9:30-11am at the south end of the park
–Pier 14 at South Street and Brooklyn Bridge Park under the Brooklyn Side of the Brooklyn Bridge, 10:45-11:30am
— Shore Road Park under the Brooklyn side of the Verrazano Bridge, 12:45-2:45pm
–Coney Island’s shore after the swimmers round Norton’s Point, 2:45-3pm
–Steeplechase Pier, 3-6pm

Route of Rose Pitonof Centennial Swim

Each swimmer will be accompanied by a motorboat and a kayaker as a guide. “I think that starting at 26th Street and finishing at the pier in Coney Island is a great treat. I can’t imagine a better finish than the Coney Island Boardwalk,” says marathon swimmer Lori Carena, who grew up in the Bronx.

While Rose Pitonof’s nourishment consisted of a chicken sandwich and a cup of coffee, Draeger says she fueled her 2010 swim with half-hourly “Iron Cocktails,” a high carb drink with a shot of protein. This year’s swimmers, who swim at varying speeds, are expected to arrive at Steeplechase Pier between 3 and 6 pm.

Deanne Draeger. Photo by Susan Egan

Draeger, 43, tells ATZ that before she began training for Ironman in 2008, she had no athletic background. After an injury while training for her second Ironman event left her unable to cycle or run, she decided to focus on swimming. She has participated in the Manhattan Island Marathon Swim, the Liberty Island Swim and the Brooklyn Bridge Swim, among others.

“As I was searching online for a long distance swim event, I came across an article about Rose Pitonof and her swim, and knew immediately that was what I wanted to do,” says Draeger. “The bio that I’ve put together is the first time that I’ve seen her story whole.” Her blog Rose Pitonof Centennial Swim features highlights of Rose Pitonof’s life, photos of Coney Island as it was a century ago, and info about the swim. “We are looking for volunteers, sponsors, and spectators for the centennial celebration,” writes Draeger.

Back in 1911, the New York Times hailed Pitonof as the swimming marvel from Dorchester, Massachusetts, and published a vivid account of the tumultuous reception she received in Coney Island:

From the time she first made her appearance around Norton’s Point thousands gathered along the shore to watch her progress and cheer her on to victory, and all bathing was suspended for practically the last hour of her swim. At Steeplechase Park the crowd swarmed on and around the pier to such an extent that the attendants were totally unable to hold the people in check, and it required ten minutes from the time the girl walked along the sandy beach at the end of her long swim until she was in her dressing room, less than 200 feet away. This was accomplished only by the efforts of a flying wedge of attendants, who forcibly worked their way through the human wall of thousands trying to get a glimpse of Miss Pitonof. A lane about twenty feet in width had been arranged for her arrival, but just as Miss Pitonof reached the point where she was expected to turn in, the crowd of bathers swarmed around her, and she was compelled to swim under the pier to complete her long trip.