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Posts Tagged ‘Coney Island’

Flooded Aquarium’s Toy Drive Moves to Tom’s Coney Island

Posted in Events, News, tagged Coney Island, local, New York Aquarium, Tom's Restaurant, toy drive on November 23, 2012| Leave a Comment »

Donate Here: Toys (New Only) for Coney, Tom Restaurant, Coney Island. November 17, 2012. Photo © Tricia Vita via flickr

Last weekend at Tom’s Restaurant on the Coney Island Boardwalk, ATZ spotted this sign for the Wildlife Conservation Society’s annual toy drive. A hand-lettered note says “Toys (New Only) for Coney” and there’s a donation box on the floor. From November 17th through December 31st, the WCS is accepting new, unwrapped toys at the Bronx Zoo, New York Aquarium, Central Park Zoo, Prospect Park Zoo and Queens Zoo. Due to recovery efforts at the Aquarium, which was flooded by Hurricane Sandy and remains closed, donations in Coney Island are instead being accepted at Tom’s.

“Thank you for joining the New York Aquarium along with the newly formed Alliance of Coney Island to collect toys for families in need this holiday season,” says a post on the WCS website. “Toys donated will benefit families in need as a result of Hurricane Sandy. Donations can be dropped off at Tom’s Diner on the Coney Island boardwalk.” Donors will receive one free general admission ticket to the Bronx Zoo for every donated toy.

Tom’s Coney Island is open daily from 8am till 5pm with weekend hours till 7pm. The new restaurant, which opened only a few weeks ago, was miraculously spared damage from Hurricane Sandy and is one of the few stores in the area with electricity. Owner Jimmy Kokotas was able to quickly reopen and be here for the community. Tom’s has served as a command center for volunteers and a host for breakfast meetings about storm relief for Coney Island business owners.

Tom’s Coney Island, 1229 Boardwalk (at Stillwell Avenue), Brooklyn, NY 11224. Phone 718-942-4200

Black Friday Shopping: Coney Island Kiddie Rides for Sale

Posted in Amusement ride, tagged carousel, Coney Island, Ferris wheel, kiddie ride, used rides on November 23, 2012| 2 Comments »

Kiddie Ferris Wheel at McCullough’s Kiddie Park, Coney Island. June 14, 2008. Photo © Tricia Vita via flickr

Black Friday is here and it’s time to shop for toys to put under the Christmas tree. If the tree is growing in your backyard, a kiddie ride would fit just fine though you’d better check zoning regulations. Generations of kids have grown up riding this little Ferris Wheel at McCullough’s Kiddie Park on the Bowery at West 12th Street in Coney Island, but now it’s for sale. As previously reported by ATZ, the family-owned park closed in September after fifty years when the owners weren’t able to come to a lease agreement with property owner Thor Equities. The park’s rides are being offered for sale by usedrides.com. The Wheel is ten grand and the much-photographed Bumblebees are $42,000. Among the other rides are a Mini-Himalaya ($17,000), Alan Herschell Carousel ($50,000) and Zamperla Rockin’ Tug ($42,000). The rides were moved to the broker’s lot in Greer, South Carolina.

Although McCullough’s Kiddie Park has operated on 12th Street since the 1960s, the family’s history in Coney Island goes back much further. Four generations of McCulloughs have owned and operated amusement rides here. They are related to the Tilyou family of Steeplechase Park as well as to the Stubbmann family, whose Coney Island carousel became part of the one in Flushing Meadows. The McCulloughs are also the former owners of the B&B Carousell, which will reopen in Coney Island’s new Steeplechase Plaza next year. It’s sad that McCullough’s is closing and that Coney is losing another indie operator. They will be missed and so will their bees. But Coney Island isn’t losing all of its kiddie rides: Deno’s Kiddie Park on the Boardwalk has 17 rides for children, including the beloved Mangels Pony Cart and Fire Engine, and will reopen in the spring.

Bumble Bees and Herschell Carousel at McCullough’s Kiddie Park, Coney Island, September 3, 2012. Photo © me-myself-i/Tricia Vita via flickr

Coney Island Post-Sandy: Flooded Spook-A-Rama to Get New Stunts

Posted in amusement park, Amusement ride, News, tagged Coney Island, dark ride, Deno's Wonder Wheel Park, Hurricane Sandy, Scare Factory, Spook-A-Rama, storm damage on November 21, 2012| 3 Comments »

Power-Washed Spook-A-Rama Cars and Murals Drying Out at Deno’s Wonder Wheel Park. Coney Island. November 5, 2012. Photo © Tricia Vita via flickr

Coney Island’s oldest dark ride, which dates back to the 1950s and is part of Deno’s Wonder Wheel Park, was severely damaged due to flooding during Superstorm Sandy. Spook-A-Rama’s electrical, interior props and the floor inside the ride were destroyed but park owners Dennis and Steve Vourderis have vowed to rebuild the attraction. At last week’s IAAPA Attractions Expo in Orlando, they contracted with Scarefactory, Inc. to come in and lay out new props, according to Dennis Vourderis. The giant skeleton on Spook-A-Rama’s roof is a product of the design and fabrication studio, which specializes in creating haunted attractions and everything that goes into them.

Giant Skeleton from Spook-A-Rama’s Roof Recuperating After Superstorm Sandy. November 17, 2012. Photo © Tricia Vita via flickr

Sadly, some of the destroyed props original to Spook-A-Rama and other historic Coney Island dark rides cannot be replaced. If it’s possible to save them, the old props will be put on static display (February 2013 Update: some of the rescued props will get new electronics!) The good news is that the legendary Cyclops, which came out of retirement two years ago to be inducted into the Coney Island History Project’s Hall of Fame, was unharmed. Another old-timer at the Wonder Wheel, the 1920’s fortunetelling machine Grandma’s Predictions, suffered water damage, but is being restored by an expert in antique arcade machines. Grandma’s “boyfriend” Zoltar was not so lucky –the popular machine which debuted at the park in 2011 will be replaced by a brand-new one.

Also destroyed in the flood waters and being replaced is the Scarface-themed shooting gallery next to Spook-A-Rama. The new shooting gallery will be themed with some of the same spooky characters that visitors will see inside the refurbished dark ride. While the Wonder Wheel side of the park and the area beneath the kiddie park were inundated with 5 to 7 feet of flood waters, the 92-year-old landmark Wonder Wheel and the rides and games in Deno’s Kiddie Park on the Boardwalk escaped serious damage though a lot of work remains to be done. The park will re-open with its 25th Annual Blessing of the Rides Ceremony on Palm Sunday, which is Coney Island’s opening day and falls on March 24, 2013. (Update: On opening day, rides on the Wonder Wheel will be free of charge for one and all.)