Arrivederci, Lucio: Prospect Park Alliance To Honor Beloved Carousel Manager

Prospect Park will lose a popular, long-time fixture when Lucio Schiavone retires as Carousel Manager in December after 26 years of service.

On Saturday, November 5 at 11:45am the Prospect Park Alliance will commemorate Schiavone with a ceremony and names a favorite carousel horse “Lucio” in his honor. Free carousel rides will be offered from noon to 1pm.

Along with local families, Council Member Laurie Cumbo will be on-hand to thank Schiavone for his contributions to the park as well as the community and present him with an official City of New York proclamation. Prospect Park Alliance President, Sue Donoghue, and former Board Chair, Terry Christiansen, will also honor him at the event.

According to Prospect Park Alliance’s Lucy Gardner, Schiavone is “very popular among 3-10-year-olds” visiting the park. They all know and love the “incredibly sweet” Carousel Manager who is “so dedicated to his job and the community” and “takes such pleasure in seeing children enjoy the carousel”.

Originally from a small town outside of Naples, Italy, Schiavone moved to the United States in 1963. He studied at the Academy of Art in Italy and practiced painting and sculpture before being hired by the Prospect Park Alliance in 1988 to work on the restoration of the carousel.

Along with a small team, Schiavone meticulously repainted and reassembled each of the 51 horses, the lion, giraffe, deer, and two dragon-led chariots that were originally hand-carved by Charles Carmel in 1912. After the 18-month restoration project was completed, Schiavone was asked to stay on to maintain and manage the operations of the carousel.

Along with his daily tasks of selling and collecting tickets, ensuring that children’s seatbelts are safely secured, and operating the carousel and music, Schiavone also oils the machinery regularly, changes the sheet music on the Wurlitzer band organ every few weeks, and repaints the horses annually.

Originally located in Coney Island, the carousel moved to Prospect Park in 1952. It was declared a landmark by the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission in 1992.

Join the celebration this Saturday to congratulate Schiavone on his retirement and say, “arrivederci!”

The Event Rundown: Lucio’s Retirement Party
When: Saturday, November 5, 11:45am-1:00pm
Where: Prospect Park Carousel, 95 Prospect Park West.
How much: Free. Please register online.