With rides like the “Ring of Fire” and other Thor Equities amusements disappearing midway through the summer of ’08, many in Coney Island are wandering if the vanishing act isn’t a gloomy precursor to next year at “America’s Playground.”
The only “rides” operating inside Joe Sitt’s barren property on Stillwell Avenue last Sunday afternoon were the ones visitors left in the spacious new parking lot.
The effect has many nervous about the future.
“At this point we’re in precisely the same position as last year,” said Joe Carrella, spokesperson for Astroland owners Carol and Jerome Albert. “No lease has been offered. We’re in limbo.”
A year ago, Coney Island braced for a summer of absolute desolation as Astroland’s owners prepared to clear off of the 3.1 acres they sold to Thor Equities in 2006.
With no chance of any new rides being built on the vacated site this year, the prospect of empty barren lots loomed large.
Thor Equities ultimately came through with one-year leases for both Astroland and eight boardwalk vendors in October.
The fear now, however, is that the transient “Summer of Hope” rides and attractions Thor Equities and its principal Joe Sitt brought in this season to occupy land that was cleared last winter, will become the fate of Coney Island’s amusement district for many years to come.
Thor Equities spokesperson Stefan Friedman insisted that the company’s “Summer of Hope” would continue through August with “a number of sponsored events paying respect to the community organizations that work so hard every day on behalf of the people of Coney Island.”
“One would think the landlord would let the tenant know whether they would be offered a lease,” Carrella told the Bay News.
Carol Albert is reportedly under increasing pressure to arrange for the final dispensation of Astroland’s big-time rides, as well as informing longtime staffers whether or not they’ll have jobs at Astroland next year.
“There is a bit of an emotional aspect with our dedicated fulltime employees who want to know as soon as possible,” Carrella said.
In addition to some 200 seasonal workers, the Alberts employ a team of front-office workers who have been with Astroland for as much as 25 years.
Combined, employees like Gerry Menditto, Mark Blumenthal, Lois Colon, Carole O’Donnell and Charles Denson have over 100 years of service to the amusement industry.
Michael Sarrell, operator of the venerable Ruby’s Bar & Grill on the boardwalk indicated that he isn’t quite ready to pack up and leave Coney Island yet.
“We’re hoping to get a lease extension,” he said. “We want to be around awhile longer.”
While business has been good at Astroland this year, Carrella says that it’s not as good as it was last year, and that part of the reason could be due to uncertainty about the park returning for still another season.
Sarrell attributes the drop off in business to the “specter of this being the last year of Coney Island.”
“They thought it was the last year in Coney Island last year,” he said. “It’s like the boy who cried wolf. But at some point the wolf will come.”
Astroland is scheduled to operate through the Labor Day weekend.
“From our hosting of the world-famous Reithoffer shows in June, through our sponsorship of the Sand Castle Building Competition in July, to these additional events in August – not to mention our summer-long hosting of Astroland – thousands of residents and tourists alike have gotten to experience the best of Coney Island this summer,” Friedman said.
