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January in Coney Island: Public Meeting, Live Music & More

Posted in Events, tagged Coney Island, Footprints Cafe, Freak Bar, free event, live music, public meeting, Round Robin, Save Coney Island on January 17, 2010| Leave a Comment »

Coney Island’s amusement rides reopen for the season on Palm Sunday, March 28. We’re already counting the days! But Coney Island the neighborhood is open year round. ATZ’s calendar of upcoming events includes a Save Coney Island meeting and country bluegrass jamboree fundraiser, live music at Footprints Cafe and the Freak Bar, and much more. The New York Aquarium, Nathan’s, Williams Candy and Coney Island Beach Shop are among the businesses that are open every day. During the winter, the Beach and the Boardwalk remain a popular destination for residents and visitors, including photographers, walkers, joggers, cyclists and even swimmers–if you happen to be a Polar Bear!

THURSDAY, JANUARY 21

Public Meeting on the Future of Coney Island sponsored by Save Coney Island

Info and discussion about efforts to landmark historic buildings such as Nathan’s and prevent the permanent reduction of the size of the amusement area. Learn about initiatives underway to bring in additional amusements for the 2010 season and other key projects to revive the amusement area as the Playground of the World.

January 21, 7:30 pm, Save Coney Island Meeting, St. Paul’s Evangelical Lutheran Church of Coney Island, 2801 W. 8th Street, Coney Island (F train to Neptune Ave)

Footprints round robin

TUESDAY, JANUARY 26

Arabian Knights Round Robin at Footprints Coney Island

Footprints Cafe, one of our favorite places to dine in Coney Island, just happens to be open year round and has live music on weekends. Sign up for their e-news to find out about upcoming special events like Brooklyn’s premier Round Robin on Tuesday, January 26. The round robin is held at over 18 bars and lounges in Brooklyn at a different location every week. This year’s theme Arabian Knights includes an appearance by a belly dancer. Pop/reggae singer Primadonna is the evening’s featured performer. ATZ highly recommends the seafood and vegetarian dishes on the cafe’s Caribbean fusion menu. Everything is carefully prepared with the freshest ingredients and always delish.

January 26, 9 pm until, Arabian Knights Round Robin at Footprints Cafe, 1521 Surf Ave between 15th & 16th Sts, Coney Island, 718-265-2530. No cover, no minimum. (B, D, F & Q trains to Stillwell Ave)

SATURDAY, JANUARY 30

Gone Country for Coney: Save Coney Island Benefit

Country bluegrass jamboree and Wild West variety show featuring five bands–Animal Pharm, Central Valley Wildfire, Rob Hecht, Pinataland and Citigrass. Plus the Prospect Cowgirls dancers, burlesque show and food from Jake’s BBQ.

Proceeds from the fundraiser benefit Save Coney Island’s advocacy efforts on behalf of the People’s Playground. Tickets are $20, $15 till 5 p.m.

January 30, 3- 9:30 pm, Save Coney Island Benefit at Galapagos Artspace, 16 Main Street at Water Street, DUMBO. (A & C trains to High, F to York)

SUNDAY, JANUARY 31

Apres Polar Bear Swim: Live Music by Canonball at the Freak Bar

After the weekly Polar Bear Club Swim at 1 pm, the Bears and friends will adjourn to Coney Island USA’s Freak Bar for brunch and live music by Canonball. This is the band that rock and rolled on the Boardwalk in front of Ruby’s on New Year’s Day. Bagels, cream cheese, coffee, espresso and cappucino will be available for purchase at this Sunday’s Polar Bear Brunch at
the Freak Bar.

The Coney Island Museum and Gift Shop at CIUSA are also open. Where else can you find a vintage Mermaid Parade poster or a Madame Twisto Tee? Winter hours are Saturday and Sunday, 12-5 pm.

January 31, 1:30-5 pm, Canonball at Coney Island USA’s Freak Bar, Coney Island USA, 1208 Surf Ave, Coney Island. No cover, no minimum. (B,D, F, Q trains to Stillwell Ave)

Zamperla Ride-O-Rama: Rock the Disko Music Video

Posted in Amusement ride, Music Video, tagged amusement operator, amusement park, carnival ride, Coney Island, Disko, Zamperla on January 14, 2010| Leave a Comment »

While we wait for the City’s Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) to announce the new Coney Island Amusement Operator, we’ve been going overboard watching Zamperla ride vids on YouTube. In “The Contenders from A to Z” (November 23, 2009), ATZ noted that the Italian ride manufacturer is considered the front runner by other CIAO bidders. Now the Coney Island Rumor Mill is sayin’ Zamperla is one of the finalists and will be the one to win the job. Next question: Does that mean Zamperla’s rockin’ and spinnin’ Disko ride will come to Coney Island?

ATZ’s Disko playlist includes Zamperla’s original promo vid for the Giant Disko, a surrealistic Disk’O TV commercial from Chile’s Fantasilandia, Crazy Surfer (aka the Disko) from Germany’s Movie Park and a Rock the Disko music vid from blastaman..

John Strong Sideshow Aims for Coney Island Comeback

Posted in sideshow, tagged amusement park, Butler Amusements, Coney Island, freak show, John Strong, Oddity Museum, Strange Girls, ten-in-one on January 13, 2010| 2 Comments »

Texas-based sideshow operator John Strong has launched a new website replete with photos to announce he’s booking his 2010 season. Coney Island is clearly at the top of his wish list. A one-page proposal on the site outlines Strong’s pitch to return to Coney Island in 2010 with shows similar to his “Strangest Girls in the World” ten-in-one circus sideshow and his Oddity Museum.

July 2, 2009: John Strong Sideshow in Coney Island. ©2009 Norman Blake. All rights reserved by NB Photo Flash via flickr

The flamboyant showman’s traveling museum boasts dozens of live and preserved freaks of nature, including Double Trouble the Two Headed Rattlesnake, a Four Tailed Iguana and a Five-Legged Puppy. Nope, it’s not the adorable-looking, headline-grabbing 5-legged Chihuahua mix that was “saved” from being sold to Strong’s freak show last year. It’s a Yorkie and she’s looking forward to being in Coney Island and written up in the New York Times.

Strong’s two shows were booked into Thor Equities-owned Dreamland Park on the former Astroland site in 2009. Now he hopes to be able to book the same locations with the City’s soon-to-be designated amusement operator. At the end of 2009, the City paid $95.6 million to purchase 6.9 acres of Thor’s property in Coney Island and issued an RFP for an amusement operator for the parcels. “Contingent on the award of the NYC Contracts and negotiation with the Amusement Operator, the current John Strong Shows Proposal for Coney Island 2010 has three primary components,” according to the proposal on Strong’s website.

Night Shot of Banner Painted by Jorge Rivero and Takeshi Yamada for John Strong's Strange Girls Show. Photo © Tricia Vita/me-myself-i via flickr

The third part of Strong’s pitch is “A Cirque-style/Las Vegas class, choreographed, Circus Sideshow production…. with fire eaters, family friendly dance revues and similar live amusements with a definite plot and thematic development.” Strong and his friend Butch Butler of Butler Amusements jointly own the equipment (seats, lights, etc.) for the 2000 seat, 1-ring circus. Last summer Butler brought four rides all the way from California to Coney Island’s Dreamland, including Michael Jackson’s Dragon Wagon from Neverland Ranch.

The proposed site for the Cirque is Thor Equities tented property on Stillwell Avenue where “For Lease” signs went up last week. “Joe Sitt, Digna Rodriguez and Sam Sabin of Thor Equities have been very supportive of this use of Thor’s tents and properties on Surf,” Strong says in his proposal.

ATZ has already committed to hoping for rides and more rides and even more rides on Stillwell to replace the demolished Bumper Boats and bulldozed Go Karts and the long vanished Tornado roller coaster and Bobsled ride. But we do look forward to seeing John Strong’s drop-dead gorgeous Strange Girls and Mermaid and Giantess sideshow banners once again.

UPDATE April 29, 2010:

John Strong’s deal to rent the Grashorn is off! We’re sorry that rumors of Joe Sitt’s plans to demolish historic buildings which we reported in last week’s post “Thor’s Coney Island: Tattered Tents, Deathwatch for Historic Buildings” (ATZ, April 21, 2010) have turned out to be true. This is one time we would have preferred for the rumors to have remained just rumors.

Today, in response to a flurry of queries from reporters about Sitt’s still unleased empty lots and vacant properties, Thor Equities pr flack Knickerbocker SKD issued a press release announcing Sitt’s intention to begin demolishing the buildings and to replace them with other structures by May 2011. According to the release, “These structures will be replaced with more attractive, retail-friendly and up-to-code shops for the type of retailers Coney is famous for.” See “Thor’s Coney Island: Joey “Bulldozer” Sitt Is Baaack Playing Games!” (ATZ. April 29, 2010)

Translation: More Bull-Sitt from Thor Equities. More deliberately created empty lots.