Enchanted Garden

Hey Gary I forgot to mention that I remember the Lemon Tree was one of the first places I saw on T.V during that time with actual commercials that got air time to promote their Disco dance nites on network T.V. ......I remember Ripples as well ....I recntly missed a party with gald you made it this far ...best of luck to you my brother......!!!!!! ... Hope to meet you on the board walk at C.I. during the summer of 2012 some point....take care .....

just wanted to respond to Brother Gary D'Amico. Hey Gary...I just turned 57 on 1/8 /2012 too and man I can't believe I been to the places and met the people we talkin about.... Hey I want to turn you on to a spot that you may or may not know about ....a brother named the Commander and Chief at the following website is keeping things goimg.... rican@coneyislanddancers.com and these guys rock the board walk on Coney Island on weekends during the summer and pack the place.for FREE.......... they play all the jams that we used to dance to and you never know who you would run into at Coney on any day... the place is holding down the FORT and keeping the music GOING STRONG........if you get a chance connect.....you know how we do this and share what your up to and where ur palyin with me ........ until then Peace and love my brother....Love Saves The Day!

After hearing Paul Casella made me want to learn how to mix. So I bought 2 turntables, mixer and
now I am pushing 57 and still A FULL TIME Disc Jockey.
Sorry to say but Johnny Ace was the Mobile Disc Jockey At Ripples Not Paul.He also played Lemon
Tree with stan the man and Jenny Costa. I like to chat more but I have to go to work now,
Sincerely
DJ Gary D'Amico
AkA ,DAMIC the Sheik
Ozone Park,Queens

Wow...I was crusing the net this evening because I heard that some one had produced a film called " MAESTRO" about D.J.'s from the 1970's like Larry Levan, Nicky Siano, David Mancuso, and others who I eventually got to meet and grow to love their music and D.J.style..., but I allways wondered who was the D.J that I was introduced to in the elevated d,j, booth at Enchanted Gardens overlooking the dance floor and now at age 57 I finally know who I had the pleasure to meet D.J. Paul Casella..... I recall going up to the d..J. booth and getting a birds eye view of the dance floor and I need to appologize hopefully for the last time for accidently bumping into the left turntable while Paulie was palying ....thank god it was still early before the crowd arrived. ..... I recall being one of the few Latinos who through a friend named Raymond Talluy a great underground D.J. and dancer in his own right who would venture far into Queens and Long Island and club hop from the Paradise Garage, The Grand Ballroom, the Kontiki lounge, The Dome, Roseland Ballroom, Nemos, The Electric Circus, Elephaus, Crisco Disco, The Starship, Le Jardain, The Sanctuary, Ice Palace, the Loft then to Broadcasters in Queens to listen to "Hey girl Come and Get It" by the Stylistics....and one night we ended up at Enchanted Gardens...... I was part of that very rare crew that knew how to dance what was the hustle and eventually the Latin Hustle and we were paving the way to change the face of amoung other things playing disco music in neighborhood parks and roller skating rinks from classical organ music to Disco and what would soon be House Music.....I recall a huge dance floor at Enchanted Gardens and Donna Summers "Spring Affair" blasting across the dance floor....WHAT A SOUND SYSTEM!!!!!!!.....If memory serves me right there was a platform with a grand piano and a room with pinball machines and backgammon tables .....there was this really strong urge to play backgammon cause it gave you a chance to sit and interact with the beautiful young ladies......I even recall my friend Raymond introducing me to Steve Rubell who was walking across the floor in the game room and joining us out on to the golf course ...."Yes they were truly simpler times" ....White,Black, Brown and Yellow still had a chance to dance the night away and mingle .........Thanks for the Memories.....and as the Four Tops underground dance classic say's "Don"t Bring Back The Memories" ..........a perfectly beautiful place......a perfectly beautiful time..... thanks, Paulie, Steve, jimmy, and all the folks who made me feel welcome and kept the music and memory alive......that's my best recollection of the place before my Alzhimers kicks in......keep on truckin.....

OMG! I loved this place. Whenever we didn't want to drive to the city or drive out to the Hamptons, we would go to The Enchanted Garden. I remember a "friendly" rivalry between us North Shore girls and the girls from the South Shore. Great memories. Roy Cohn (partner with Steve to open Studio 54) was a cousin of my mother's friend so I knew Steve...oh what great times at both clubs.

Paul Casella was the Best DJ in town..Wayne Geftman..Music Box/Second Story/Catacombs...Philadelphia

RARE VIDEO! Grace Jones performing (well, lipsyncing) to "That's the Trouble" ca. 1976 @ the Enchanted Garden in this rare 27 minutes of footage shot by Anton Perich.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fpvTrkA8cq4

I think that might be John Travolta at the very beginning sitting at a booth w/ Diana Hyland. other celebs seen: Pat Cleveland, Sterling St. Jacques, Fiorucci, Potassa, Holly Woodlawn, Jackie Curtis, Francesco Scavullo, Poloma Picasso, and of course Steve Rubell.

I WAS CRUSING DISCO WEB SITES AND NOTICED A REUNION PICTURE AND PAUL CASSELLA WAS IN IT ..MAN HES HAS AGED , HOWEVER HE STILL HAS A FULL HEAD OF GREY HAIR.
NO ONE WILL EVER RECOGNIZE ME .. I LEFT THE SCEEN IN 1978 AND RAN ALL MY RECORDS THROUGH A TREE GRINDER!!!.NO MORE VYNEL FETISH NO MORE POLITICS FOR A D J JOB..

enchanted garden was one of the best clubs ever-paul could spin like no other-i still have afree drink ticket that steve signed and gave me!what a sound system---what memories...paul moved on to decameron and steve to 54--where are you paul?RIP steve--thanks------------------

Paulie played most of the time, Jimmy Yu sometimes... it was a shared thing!

The parties were the best ...

RIPPLES WAS FUN AND I REMEMBER EXPLICITLY THAT PAUL CASSELLA PALYED MONDAYS THERE ..
RIPPLES WAS LOW KEY COMPAIRED TO MOST OTHER CLUBS ESPICIALLY SINCE IT WAS ON MONDAY NIGHTS..

IN ALL I DONT THINK THE RIPPLES AFFAIRE LASTED VERY LONG ..

RIPPLES WAS A SMALL RECEPTION HALL FOR RENT ..
THERE WAS NO COMPARISON TO DUGLASTON MANOR WITH ITS ENCHANTED GARDENS TO OTHER CLUB SCEENS ..
TODAY YOU CAN LOOK UP THE DUGLASTON MANOR IN QUEENS AND SEE ITS SPLINDER AND THINK OF IT PAST DISCO TIMES..

TOO MANY CLUBS WERE NONTHING MORE THAN GARBAGE DUMPS ..DIVE DRUNK BARS WITH A NEW BOOM BOOM STEREO SYSTEMS ....EVERY RECORD COLLECTOR WANTED TO SPIN RECORDS AT THE DUMP DISCO BARS..

fantasy club. been there too. anyone remember RIPPLES ON THE WATER. ONLY ON MON. NITES.