Posted on 09/04/2006 9:13:03 AM PDT by wjersey
The Steel Pier, an Atlantic City attraction since 1898, is enjoying its final Labor Day.
Walking slowly, shoulders rubbing together, they went for one last stroll along the famed Atlantic City landmark yesterday, pointing out the sights and relishing the distinctive Steel Pier smell - a combination of sea air, cotton candy and popcorn.
Luther and Beatrice Zimmerman, 84 and 81, formerly of Aston and lately of the Villas, have a lifetime of memories stored up at the former "Showplace of the Nation," jutting almost 1,000 feet into the Atlantic Ocean.
"Back in the '40s, if you came to Atlantic City and didn't go to the Steel Pier, it was like going to Venice and not taking a ride on the gondolas," Luther Zimmerman said.
The couple didn't go on any rides, despite joking with each other that they might try the Rocket, a giant steel ball that shoots riders 225 feet into the air in 11/2 seconds. The Zimmermans were simply there to get one last glimpse of their past.
This weekend marks the final Labor Day for the Steel Pier, which first opened in 1898 and in its heydey featured entertainers such as Charlie Chaplin, the Three Stooges, Bob Hope and Frank Sinatra. When the pier was at its peak, the Sunday of Labor Day weekend might see 80,000 people pack in to watch the signature Diving Horse and rider leap from 40 feet into the sea.
In mid-October, the Pier, owned by Trump Entertainment Resorts Inc., will close permanently and eventually be razed for new development - most likely a mixture of high-end condominiums, restaurants and shops.
After a 1982 fire, the Catonoso family revived the pier as an amusement-only attraction in 1993.
Though it didn't lure stars or even high-rollers in its most recent incarnation, the Steel Pier played a different role as one of the few family-friendly spots in town.
Anthony Catonoso, one of four brothers who run the 23-ride pier, stood by the carousel he had made in Italy, handpainted with scenes from old Atlantic City. He shook hands and chatted with employees, many of whom have worked for his family for years.
"It's sad to think this is the last Labor Day," Catonoso said. "Steel Pier is very special to us because of the history of the place and because of what it means to Atlantic City."
Catonoso extended an arm at the boardwalk beyond the Steel Pier - glitzed-up casinos, a brand-new, $200 million shopping mall - and sighed. Heck, he pointed out, even the city's motto has morphed from the wholesome "America's Favorite Playground" to the distinctly naughty "Atlantic City: Always Turned On."
"We're not going to be here because they don't want families in Atlantic City anymore," Catonoso said. "We were fighting the tide here. A lot of the time in this city, it was bittersweet. Now it's just more bitter than sweet."
Ushering her two excited children onto the Big Trucks, Deborah Woodall of Atlantic City said she would miss the summer spot.
"There's nothing for kids to do here," Woodall said. "To take this away from them is upsetting."
Her daughter, Jahira, 6, shepherded little brother Jahid, almost 2, into a pink truck, and waved to Woodall.
She loves Steel Pier, Jahira said.
"I really like the Crazy Mouse," said the little girl, referring to a popular roller coaster with spinning cars.
Gilberto Diaz, 25, has no children, but still loves Steel Pier. He's been coming to Atlantic City from his home in the Bronx for 10 years and the pier for just as long, he said.
Now that he gambles, he splits his time between Steel Pier and the casinos.
"If I lose too much, I come here," Diaz said, laughing, dangling from the Climbing Wall, an ocean-facing, rock-studded surface. "It helps to get air."
Diaz hadn't heard of the impending closure, but he was saddened. "Atlantic City's losing a big asset," he said. "A lot of adults come here to gamble, and they can't bring their children into the casinos, so they come to the Steel Pier. This is for families."
Even on a cloudy, cool day with less-than-stellar attendance, the pier was still lively - the tinny, old-fashioned waltz music of the carousel mixing with the scream of excited children's voices on one end of the midway and the pulsing beat of rock music the heartbeat of the other end.
Yesterday marked Christine and Stan Stierle's first trip to the pier. Stan put daughter Caroline, 31/2, on her first carousel ride of the summer, while Christine stood on the side with Paige, 10 months.
"This is her first time here - and her last," Christine, 35, said of her older daughter. "I guess Paige will never get to go on the carousel."
The Stierles, who live in Branchburg, N.J., came at the suggestion of Christine's mother, who owns a home in Tuckerton. They had heard Steel Pier was legendary. They had heard it was a terrific place for their girls to have fun.
"I just got goosebumps," Christine Stierle said. "This is so sad."
For a slide show of photographs from the Steel Pier, visit http://go.philly.com/steelpier.
Saw it with my folks when I was a kid(yawn)... but there was a wax-museum on the boardwalk that was kind'a kewl.
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