KinetOscope Video: Super Zamperla Comes To Coney Town!

While Super Nemesis Thor continues on an evil path of destruction, Super Zamperla arrives to turn Coney Town into a shiny new plastic paradise.  The hopes that Super Zamperla will save Coney, turn to fears that he is just another byproduct of the city's evil doings.  The real denizens of the island will have to take matters into their own hands and stand up for their rights and save Coney Town!

This mini-movie pokes fun at both sides of the issue in the redevelopment of Coney Island.

Super Zamperla Comes To Coney Town!

Super Zamperla In Coney Town! from ConeyHOP on Vimeo.

This video may not play in some mobile systems.  For YouTube version click here.

Summer Of Zamperla For Carnival Coney

Thor Equities is no longer able to bring us shams like a squatted flea market which left its decaying skin behind to rot in the winter winds on the dirt lot it killed. The City has come in to save the summer...at least this summer...and with better carnival rides. Think of it, if you will, as a new version of Astroland. Though the nostalgia for Astroland will be missed it was time for something new. With Zampera, the winner of the RFP (Request for Proposals) to bring amusements to the City of New York (into the recently purchased 6.9 acres in Coney Island), we are promised lots of good quality generic carnival rides from this Italian amusement ride manufacturer.

Though this would help keep Coney alive, it still simply brings in rides people can ride anywhere else. I was on many Zamperla rides down in Miami's Santa's Enchanted Forest. Though these new generic rides would be un upgrade to Astroland's old rides, I took a nice short snooze on some of them. In fact, I've seen a bunch of Zamperla's rides in five fairs in South Florida during the winter months.

Santas Enchanted Forest



And in always knocking Thor Equities, I do reserve the jeers for their original ideas with Thinkwell back in 2007.


Excperpt from a KC post of June 27, 2007:

The presentation took us through many renderings and video clips of some of the new rides in action. At one of the forefronts, would be an emporium which will house a museum of Coney Island which will actually be a dark ride through the history of Coney Island. The emporium will be a greeting station and pit stop for all your needs from digital media gear and supplies, tickets to shows, strollers, etc. Down Stillwell Avenue will stand high, the Freakenspiele Tower (or Freak & Spiel) which pays homage to the Dreamland tower. The Freakenspiele will be a ride, launching passengers into the air at rocket speeds. Along Stillwell will be added attractions like stunt shows, street performers, and the indoor water park which seem to be a major staple in their plans.

One upgraded old ride would be the new Steeplechase ride which will be a morph between the Steeplechase horses and motorcylces. This would be a faster speed Steeplechase which would at one point go through the water park and then hover high over visitors.

This kind of thinking is more like what Coney needs, but done by professional amusement operators. With a contract to be signed between the city and Zamperla for up to ten years, and with this first step sounding like a temporary one for the next couple of summers, hopefully Zamperla will include, as their main attractions of the small Coney amusement core, some original thinking for the new Coney Island.

City Closes Deal On Almost Half Of Thor's Coney Land

Though this still does not put Joe Sitt and Thor Equities out of Coney Island completely, it does make a change for the better. The city now has the opportunity to modify their plan for the main amusement core in Coney. Let's see if they now turn around and make the needed changes to the oxymoron parts of their plan.

Here is the press release from Thor Equities press rep.; Stefan Friedman:

THOR EQUITIES CLOSES DEAL WITH CITY OF NEW YORK TO SELL 6.9 ACRES IN CONEY ISLAND

Thor Retains Nearly Half of its Coney Parcels, Will Remain Largest Private Landowner in Amusement District

Plans to Develop Hotels and Retail as Part of Revitalization of ‘People’s Playground’

(BROOKLYN, NY): Thor Equities and the City of New York have officially closed on the sale of 6.9 acres within the amusement district of Coney Island, officials from Thor Equities announced today. The deal allows Thor to retain nearly half of its parcels in Coney Island.

"Today marks a new beginning for Coney Island and the culmination of a lot of hard work," said Joseph Sitt, Chairman and CEO of Thor Equities. "In the end, we all wanted the same thing: to return Coney Island to its historic grandeur and prosperous past. The sale of half of our land allows the City to move forward with its vision and for Thor to continue to be an integral part of Coney’s future. Now it’s time for all of us to come together and get back to work in restoring the People’s Playground to its prominent position as the preeminent amusement and entertainment destination in the world."

The sites sold comprise approximately 300,000 square feet of land, mostly within approximately 9-acres of planned parkland located between KeySpan Park and the landmarked Cyclone roller coaster along the boardwalk, where the City plans to develop an outdoor amusement park as part of its 27-acre amusement and entertainment district.

As part of the deal, Thor Equities will retain roughly six acres in Coney Island, enabling the company to join the City of New York in a dynamic partnership. As the city works to attract the best of the best in amusements, Thor intends to build new hotels and bring in new retail stores and services to the region as soon as infrastructure improvements are made by the city that will help put Coney back at the top of tourist destination spots.

All these elements will help spur economic growth and deliver year-round jobs for Coney Island the people of New York.

Thor Needs To Get Out Of Coney Once And For All

It is now plain as the summer sunlight that Thor Equities and Joe Sitt is just another Fred Trump or Robert Moses; the foes in the Coney Island history. Joe Sitt has done nothing to prove wrong what everyone has said about him and his company. They they are mainly speculators out to rip off with Coney Island and its legend and charm.

After bulldozing thriving attractions and a theme park that could've still been left to function while the new Coney Island finally happens, Thor Equities has only made a shambles of everything they touch. As recent as a few days ago, they shut down their own amusement park; Dreamland, which was supposed to be the fill the void they left empty after carelessly evicting the long standing Astroland Amusement Park. Thor has made a mess of their empty lots from a hooky kiddie inflatable slide to a distressing flea market and they yearly short-lived makeshift carnivals that goes kaput before the season ends. Actually coming in late and leaving early.

And even though they could still reopen in a few days they have already displayed a lack of respect. A lack of business savvy doesn't seem to be at the crux of the problem here but a mere lack of respect with a sole interest in financial gain.

There is now a petition going on to boot them out as well as an angry 'Save Coney Island' coalition retort to the matter.

Save Coney Island writes:

“The closure of ‘Dreamland,’ Thor Equities’ half-hearted attempt at anamusement park, is only the latest installment in Thor's deliberatecampaign to blight Coney Island,” said Save Coney Island spokesman JuanRivero. “First, Thor senselessly drove out many of Coney Island’slong-established amusements — including the beloved Astroland amusementpark — now Thor is even shutting down the amusements that they themselvesbrought in.”

So, sign the petition, make your comments heard on the Internet, and pressure the city to give Thor Equities its 'Get out of Coney card'.

CEO Of Thor Equities, Joe Sitt's Statement On City Council Hearing

Image courtesy of Adrian Kinloch (Brit In Brooklyn)

Like many on the council who lean towards protecting the established businesses in Coney Island as well as push for private investment for Coney's only chance of revitalization, Joe Sitt warns that passing the zoning purposed by the city will not only hinder private investment but also lead to future years of decline for the 'former' people's playground, as he puts it.

In a press release yesterday Joe Sitt's statement reads:

"As we've said time and again, the city's zoning proposal as it currently stands will not lead to the revitalization of Coney Island,but rather to years, if not decades, of more of the same decline for the former People's Playground. By sacrificing any hope of private investment in Coney, the city is in real danger of passing zoning that will waste a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to return Coney to its heyday.

As the largest landowner in the amusement district, we stand ready to work with the city to come up with a zoning proposal that encourages private investment, allows for year-round amusements, games, shopping and other activities, and ensures significant job creation."

The statement released yesterday by Loren Riegelhaupt, Senior Vice President, KnickerbockerSKD