By Jack Alexander
May 13, 1939
The idea for the Brooklyn armored-truck robbery began, as great concepts frequently do, in a small way. One morning in June, 1934, a couple of West Side thugs named John Manning and Bernard McMahon took a subway ride to Coney Island. They had nothing more grandiose in mind than robbing one of the heavily patronized bathhouses. They just thought that they would look over the big ones, pick out the easiest to rob, and return someday and do it.
While they were walking along Surf Avenue discussing aspects of their little enterprise, something happened that caused them to change their plans. They were approaching a branch of the Brooklyn Trust Company, at Surf Avenue and West Twelfth Street, a block from the boardwalk, when an armored car of the United States Trucking Corporation trundled past them and stopped before the bank. Manning and McMahon halted too, and out of professional curiosity looked on while the crew began transferring bags of money from the bank to the truck. The number of bags carried from the place amazed the pair, who up to then had never thought, except wishfully, in terms of big money.
To read more, click here.
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Monday, August 20, 2007
Rock the Boardwalk
by Brian Childs
This article appeared today in Metro in a shorter form, but since the website hasn't been updated I thought I'd just place it up here for posterity.
CONEY ISLAND - On Friday night, Cha Cha’s was packed with 50 burlesque dancers dressed as Princess Leia, Marilyn Monroe and even sexy, creepy clowns. Saturday featured eight free hours of surf music and sideshow on the boardwalk and on Sunday- a roller derby. Countercultures collided this weekend at the Coney Island Rockabilly Festival, a four-day event by Cockabilly Records with over 80 acts.
“It’s a cool new subculture,” said the 56 Kid, a musician from Philadelphia who performed on Saturday, his birthday, without pay, “It’s the reclamation of the 1950’s culture, minus the racism.”
The 56 Kid is new to Rockabilly, having switched his style from Country three weeks ago after meeting a mysterious old man he believes to be Elvis.
“I was playing in this bar in Philly three weeks ago and I met this old man who changed my whole sound,” said the 56 Kid, “I had my suspicions, and on the third day I held up a photo and it was dead on. Elvis. I think he heard my sound and he honed in on that. It was a chance to get out some of his final stuff.”
Although Coney Island is New York’s home of sideshow and burlesque, most of the festival’s performers were from other cities, Boston, Philadelphia and even Austin, and were new to the Coney Island scene. The result was a fresh take on old acts, such as Philadelphia’s Baron Von Geiger, a Human Pin Cushion who swung a beer keg around with his earlobes and allowed people to staple money directly to his body and face.
The festival was conceived as a one-day show at Astroland by Cockabilly Records’ Ben Wilson, but turned into a four-day bonanza as more and more performers heard about the show through MySpace.
“This was grassroots, 100 percent MySpace,” said Nelson Lugo, a magician who performed Friday night at Cha Cha’s, “when Ben [Wilson] called me I thought I’d be performing to an empty room, but he did it. He pulled it off.”
Most of the fans heard about the festival from MySpace as well and weren’t Coney Island regulars.
“I wanted to come to Coney Island for the last summer and I love Rockabilly music so this was perfect for me,” said Jaime Gillette, who came from Connecticut for the Friday show, “I love burlesque too so this was literally the perfect weekend for me.”
As for Wilson, he already has his eyes on next year.
“We’re going to add a tattoo convention, a hot rod show, and a formal roller derby events, maybe at Keyspan Park…we’ll have a whole year to get sponsors!” said Wilson, “You look at Crimson Boudoir, who’s burlesque, and Betty Bruiser, who’s roller derby. Look at Jelly Bean the sideshow performer. It’s all on the same page, it’s a beautiful crossroads of cultures.”
This article appeared today in Metro in a shorter form, but since the website hasn't been updated I thought I'd just place it up here for posterity.
CONEY ISLAND - On Friday night, Cha Cha’s was packed with 50 burlesque dancers dressed as Princess Leia, Marilyn Monroe and even sexy, creepy clowns. Saturday featured eight free hours of surf music and sideshow on the boardwalk and on Sunday- a roller derby. Countercultures collided this weekend at the Coney Island Rockabilly Festival, a four-day event by Cockabilly Records with over 80 acts.
“It’s a cool new subculture,” said the 56 Kid, a musician from Philadelphia who performed on Saturday, his birthday, without pay, “It’s the reclamation of the 1950’s culture, minus the racism.”
The 56 Kid is new to Rockabilly, having switched his style from Country three weeks ago after meeting a mysterious old man he believes to be Elvis.
“I was playing in this bar in Philly three weeks ago and I met this old man who changed my whole sound,” said the 56 Kid, “I had my suspicions, and on the third day I held up a photo and it was dead on. Elvis. I think he heard my sound and he honed in on that. It was a chance to get out some of his final stuff.”
Although Coney Island is New York’s home of sideshow and burlesque, most of the festival’s performers were from other cities, Boston, Philadelphia and even Austin, and were new to the Coney Island scene. The result was a fresh take on old acts, such as Philadelphia’s Baron Von Geiger, a Human Pin Cushion who swung a beer keg around with his earlobes and allowed people to staple money directly to his body and face.
The festival was conceived as a one-day show at Astroland by Cockabilly Records’ Ben Wilson, but turned into a four-day bonanza as more and more performers heard about the show through MySpace.
“This was grassroots, 100 percent MySpace,” said Nelson Lugo, a magician who performed Friday night at Cha Cha’s, “when Ben [Wilson] called me I thought I’d be performing to an empty room, but he did it. He pulled it off.”
Most of the fans heard about the festival from MySpace as well and weren’t Coney Island regulars.
“I wanted to come to Coney Island for the last summer and I love Rockabilly music so this was perfect for me,” said Jaime Gillette, who came from Connecticut for the Friday show, “I love burlesque too so this was literally the perfect weekend for me.”
As for Wilson, he already has his eyes on next year.
“We’re going to add a tattoo convention, a hot rod show, and a formal roller derby events, maybe at Keyspan Park…we’ll have a whole year to get sponsors!” said Wilson, “You look at Crimson Boudoir, who’s burlesque, and Betty Bruiser, who’s roller derby. Look at Jelly Bean the sideshow performer. It’s all on the same page, it’s a beautiful crossroads of cultures.”
Sunday, August 19, 2007
Saturday, August 18, 2007
Coney Island Rockabilly Festival
Sideshow, Burlesque, Surf Music and Roller Derby...you can't ask for much more than that!
Thursday, August 16, 2007
Thor tangled in Web video flap
By Brian Childs
A little two part article this week from Metro
Part I
BROOKLYN. A video posted on Coney Island developer Thor Equities’ Web site and YouTube last week has ruffled some fins out in the seaside neighborhood.
The clip, which opens and closes with the Mermaid Parade logo, features costumed revelers professing their love of Coney Island and the parade. Then, in the last few seconds, a woman wearing a Viking helmet slips in: “The spirit of Thor matches that of Coney Island!”
The woman was Digna Rodriguez, a Thor Equities employee.
The video was designed as goodwill promotional material and showcased the High Steppers, a Brooklyn-based marching band Thor Equities sponsored in the parade. Absent from the video were the many protesters who marched in the parade to “Save Coney Island.” Many fear Thor’s proposals to transform Coney Island into a year-round attraction with upscale hotels will wash away the local character(s).
“Thor has just been sent an email,” Dick Zigun of Coney Island USA, the group that runs the Mermaid Parade, wrote on his Web site, “informing them that they have NO PERMISSION to use the name or logo MERMAID PARADE within their FUTURE OF CONEY ISLAND logo such as they have done at the start and finish of the YOU TUBE piece.”
Thor spokesman Lee Silberstein defended the video.
“As the largest investor in Coney Island, Thor Equities has supported a number of community-based organizations and activities, including the Mermaid Parade,” Silberstein said. “Thor was delighted to participate in the parade, and some of Thor’s employees shared their experience by posting the video on YouTube.”
Part II
BROOKLYN. Thor Equities has modified a Web site it hosts and a video it made about Coney Island and the Mermaid Parade.
Earlier this week, Metro reported the video, which used the logo from the parade, had drawn fire from parade organizer Dick Zigun of Coney Island USA, who sent an e-mail to the developer saying it had “NO PERMISSION to use the name or logo MERMAID PARADE within their FUTURE OF CONEY ISLAND logo such as they have done.” The video was posted on Thor’s site, www.thefutureofconeyisland.com and on YouTube.
The video featured costumed locals proclaiming their love for Coney Island. At the end, an unidentified woman, who happened to be Thor employee Digna Rodriguez, says, “The spirit of Thor matches that of Coney Island!”
The day after Metro’s story appeared, the YouTube version was pulled down. Yesterday, the video on Thor’s Web site was still posted, but the logo was modified to say “Thor Equities at Mermaid Parade 2007.”
“Thor has taken down the video and is re-editing the title and closing. This was a minor thing blown all out of proportion,” said Zigun. “My dream is that we can all get along and all work together on behalf of Coney Island.”
A Thor spokesman dec-lined to comment yesterday.
A little two part article this week from Metro
Part I
BROOKLYN. A video posted on Coney Island developer Thor Equities’ Web site and YouTube last week has ruffled some fins out in the seaside neighborhood.
The clip, which opens and closes with the Mermaid Parade logo, features costumed revelers professing their love of Coney Island and the parade. Then, in the last few seconds, a woman wearing a Viking helmet slips in: “The spirit of Thor matches that of Coney Island!”
The woman was Digna Rodriguez, a Thor Equities employee.
The video was designed as goodwill promotional material and showcased the High Steppers, a Brooklyn-based marching band Thor Equities sponsored in the parade. Absent from the video were the many protesters who marched in the parade to “Save Coney Island.” Many fear Thor’s proposals to transform Coney Island into a year-round attraction with upscale hotels will wash away the local character(s).
“Thor has just been sent an email,” Dick Zigun of Coney Island USA, the group that runs the Mermaid Parade, wrote on his Web site, “informing them that they have NO PERMISSION to use the name or logo MERMAID PARADE within their FUTURE OF CONEY ISLAND logo such as they have done at the start and finish of the YOU TUBE piece.”
Thor spokesman Lee Silberstein defended the video.
“As the largest investor in Coney Island, Thor Equities has supported a number of community-based organizations and activities, including the Mermaid Parade,” Silberstein said. “Thor was delighted to participate in the parade, and some of Thor’s employees shared their experience by posting the video on YouTube.”
Part II
BROOKLYN. Thor Equities has modified a Web site it hosts and a video it made about Coney Island and the Mermaid Parade.
Earlier this week, Metro reported the video, which used the logo from the parade, had drawn fire from parade organizer Dick Zigun of Coney Island USA, who sent an e-mail to the developer saying it had “NO PERMISSION to use the name or logo MERMAID PARADE within their FUTURE OF CONEY ISLAND logo such as they have done.” The video was posted on Thor’s site, www.thefutureofconeyisland.com and on YouTube.
The video featured costumed locals proclaiming their love for Coney Island. At the end, an unidentified woman, who happened to be Thor employee Digna Rodriguez, says, “The spirit of Thor matches that of Coney Island!”
The day after Metro’s story appeared, the YouTube version was pulled down. Yesterday, the video on Thor’s Web site was still posted, but the logo was modified to say “Thor Equities at Mermaid Parade 2007.”
“Thor has taken down the video and is re-editing the title and closing. This was a minor thing blown all out of proportion,” said Zigun. “My dream is that we can all get along and all work together on behalf of Coney Island.”
A Thor spokesman dec-lined to comment yesterday.
Monday, August 13, 2007
TURF GUY KEEPS THE CYCLONES CHURNINGhttp://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gif
An interesting profile of the Cyclone's Turf Manager
By C.J. SULLIVAN
August 13, 2007-- GROWING up in
Highland, N.Y., Kevin Ponte loved playing baseball and football. At 16, he got a summer job as a groundskeeper at a local baseball field, and found he didn’t just love the game - he loved the work.
His parents wanted him to do something he was passionate about, which led Ponte to SUNY, where he got a degree in turf management. Upon graduating in 2004, he got the first job he applied for - head groundskeeper for the minor league Brooklyn Cyclones at KeySpan Park.
Ponte took an apartment in Sheepshead Bay and went to work keeping up the Coney Island ball field. He did so well he was named Groundskeeper of the Year in 2005 for the New York-Penn League.
On a steamy day last week, with the Cyclones off on a road trip, The Post caught up with Ponte, 25, as he was setting up the park for a punk-rock show.
He took a seat in the shade behind home plate and talked about his job.
To read more, click here.
By C.J. SULLIVAN
August 13, 2007-- GROWING up in
Highland, N.Y., Kevin Ponte loved playing baseball and football. At 16, he got a summer job as a groundskeeper at a local baseball field, and found he didn’t just love the game - he loved the work.
His parents wanted him to do something he was passionate about, which led Ponte to SUNY, where he got a degree in turf management. Upon graduating in 2004, he got the first job he applied for - head groundskeeper for the minor league Brooklyn Cyclones at KeySpan Park.
Ponte took an apartment in Sheepshead Bay and went to work keeping up the Coney Island ball field. He did so well he was named Groundskeeper of the Year in 2005 for the New York-Penn League.
On a steamy day last week, with the Cyclones off on a road trip, The Post caught up with Ponte, 25, as he was setting up the park for a punk-rock show.
He took a seat in the shade behind home plate and talked about his job.
To read more, click here.
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