I just heard that Mike Saltzstein died on July 3rd in his sleep at
the age of 55. Since the age of 20, his life has been merry-go-round
operation, and until the day of his death he operated the B&B Carousel
in Coney Island.
B&B stood for original owners, Bishop & Breinstein. Just weeks before
Mr. Saltzstein's death Max Nowicki, a well-known East Coast band organ
man, was in to tune up and tweak the carousel's Gebrueder Bruder Elite
Apollo band organ which plays the 66-key B.A.B. roll.
I am told that there was a (to me) silent partner in the B&B Carousel,
a member of the McCullough family, a well-known name in the history of
Coney Island. Though the B&B Carousel failed to open for the 4th of
July -- which alerted the public to something being amiss -- it is open
again under the McCullough aegis.
This year and last have seen many losses in our world. Sad, but
inevitable. When will it be our turn?
Matthew Caulfield
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