"If you can't afford to advertise, do something newsworthy," is
an old saying.  Street organs were banned in New York City in 1936.
The law was repealed in 1976.  We brought them back in 2006.

April 9, 2006 was a great day in Coney Island, when the Lady Liberty
Chapter of AMICA, Intl., and Coney Island, USA, co-sponsored the first
street organ rally in the history of New York City.

The crowd often numbered in the thousands, with a steady stream of
people who had rarely, if ever, seen such instruments before.  News
reporters and photographers from the Associated Press, The New York
Daily News, The Los Angeles Times and a whole host of other news
publications from across the country descended on us like a swarm
of flies.

Certificates from the "Coney Island Organ Grinding School" were given
out to enthusiastic children who cranked an organ.  Others waited in
line to pump a player piano.

A grandmother from Russia watched one of the player pianos for over
two hours and was finally persuaded to sit and pump out a tune.  She
laughed and pumped, to her and everyone else's delight.  One family
from the area, whose daughter, Natasha, was the first to pump the
Stroud player piano, stayed at the rally for most of the day, ignoring
the many rides for opening day at Coney Island.  Still others stood
around another player piano to read the words and sing along for the
first time in their lives.

Two dance organs, a large Pell and a Wurlitzer 153, belted out their
tunes as people danced in the street.  (Pete Zorlenzan's 153 had once
been part of a carousel just yards from where it played for our rally.)

A 1930 Model A Ford pickup, a golden award winning 1971 classic Buick
Skylark and a 1958 Rolls Royce Bentley were on display.  A Molinari
and Sons crank organ, which had been made just up the street about 100
years ago, was displayed next to a Castlewood organ from a kit, which
created great interest.  The Hicks barrel organ from Brooklyn, Long
Island (before it was part of New York City) played once again.

Bill Maguire, president of the Lady Liberty Chapter, played his antique
trumpet accompanied by his piano.  Ira Malek led a chorus of people
who sang along with his rolls as they played on his piano.  Marvin and
Dianne Polan demonstrated their busker organs.  Even "Bob the Gorilla"
came by for a photo op and cranked Marvin's new Castlewood.  Paul de
Vries displayed his battery powered midi organ that he built in his
Manhattan apartment.  Bob Yorburg debuted his new Pell dance organ.
One of Bob Stuhmer's new rolls played on the Wurlitzer 153.

Aldo Mancusi of the Enrico Caruso Museum sported one of Enrico's own
straw hats.  "Coney Island Todd" Robinson ate fire, played the piano,
and oversaw the whole show.  The enthusiasm from the participants and
crowd was so great that we can't wait until next year.

Mel Brooks stopped by.  Marty Markowitz, President of Brooklyn Borough,
showed up and praised us.  Every AMICA application was taken and near
the end we had to refer people to the web site.  Most of the MBSI
brochures were also taken.

Photos will appear in an upcoming AMICA Bulletin.  Many others from
the Lady Liberty Chapter, MBSI, COAA, a local antique car club and the
Enrico Caruso Museum joined in to help make this a joyful and memorable
event.  Yes, it was a great day in Coney Island!

Vincent Morgan, rally coordinator

 [ At http://www.nydailynews.com/boroughs/story/402085p-340574c.html
 [
 [    The machines, some more than 100 years old, were once hugely
 [ popular in New York, especially in neighborhoods such as Little
 [ Italy and the lower East Side, where Italian immigrants settled.
 [ But in a bid to stamp out Italian stereotypes, LaGuardia banned the
 [ instruments from the streets.
 [
 [    "This was cranked up by every Italian immigrant who came to the
 [ United States, until it became so noisy that Fiorello LaGuardia had
 [ to shut 'em down," said Aldo Mancusi of the Molinari organs that
 [ were made in southwest Brooklyn.
 [
 [ -- Robbie