The carousel master of Prospect Park is a man who loves his job.
Lucio Schiavone, 78, has spent 26 years whistling to the tunes of his band organ as he makes funny faces at toddlers, charms grandmothers and kisses babies on their cheeks.
"If you come again ... don't call me Luigi, that's what everybody does," Schiavone said, in his lilting Italian accent.
"I tell them Luigi sells pizza. I'm a carousel master."
But Schiavone, who immigrated from Italy about 50 years ago, will retire this Saturday.
He's been in charge at the carousel since 1990, when the Prospect Park Alliance rescued it from dereliction after it was abandoned several years before.
The historic — and complex — piece of machinery was built in 1912 and sat for decades in Coney Island before it was moved to Prospect Park in 1952.
It was shut down in the 1980s because of a lack of funds.
When the Prospect Park Alliance formed in 1987, it wanted the beautiful roundabout to return to its glory days. It hired a bunch of local handymen to strip the crusty layers of paint, repair the horses and fix the organ.
Schiavone was one of them.
When his work was done and the carousel gleamed like now, the alliance asked him to stay on and run it.
"I've loved everything I've been doing since then," he said.
For quarter of a century, it's been Schiavone's job to repaint the horses, grease the wheels and make sure everything is in perfect shape.
But his favorite part of the job is the children, many he watched grow up. They come visit years later and are upset if he doesn't' recognize them, he said.
When Lucio retires, 22-year-old Frankie Iozzio, who's helped at the carousel for the past four years, will take his place.
He's a Ditmas Park native and his older brothers worked on the fairground ride before he did.
"I won't say I won't stay for 26 years," he said. "I might.
"I like the sound of it and I like the legacy of it."
The Prospect Park Alliance will celebrate Schiavone's career with a retirement party on Saturday Nov. 5 from 11:45 to 1 p.m. at the carousel, which is located near the entrance of the park by Flatbush Ave. and Ocean Ave.
