Rob Weissbard

Rob Weissbard reminisces about his uncle, Milton Berger, the legendary long-time press agent for Coney Island's biggest attractions. When Berger died at age 81, an obituary in the NY Times  dubbed him the “Flamboyant Soul of Coney Island” and vividly described his distinctive presence, methods of estimating crowd size, and his credo: "The great days of Coney Island are in the future. The island is constantly renewing itself." Surf Avenue between West 8th and West 10th Streets was co-named Milton Berger Place in his honor in 1997. As a child, Weissbard accompanied his uncle to Steeplechase Park to pose for publicity photos with the staff as they prepared the park for opening day.  Fifty years later, Weissbard still spends a lot of time in Coney Island where he is a regular at the handball courts on Surf Avenue.