Hello everyone,
If you’re with the carnival in Coney, or visiting later this summer, please stop by the Coney Island History Project’s public exhibition center under the Cyclone roller coaster on Surf Ave near 10th St. Our opening day of the season is tomorrow. Free concert by "The Mermaids" from 2-4pm!
We’re open on weekends only from 1-6pm. Admission is free!—We display vintage photos, films, and artifacts, including a Steeplechase horse from the legendary racing ride that gave Steeplechase Park (1897-1964) its name. My favorite object is an antique Mangels Kiddie Whip car with its original paint. Later this summer we’re having an entire exhibit on ride manufacturer William Mangels whose factory was just down the street.
Visitors are invited to record their Coney Island memories using our interactive photo booth. If you worked at Coney in the past and have a story to share, please let us know. We also do phone interviews if you can’t get here. Selected interviews are posted on our website:
www.coneyislandhistory.org Yesterday I joined a SAVE CONEY ISLAND demo on the Boardwalk. Some of the banners read: High Rises are not Thrill rides…Just say NO to Condos! …Carnival Stalls, Not Mega Malls! BUILD RIDES. NYC’s history is worth more than a chain store…America’s first amusement park deserves BIG RIDES! And the popular favorite….Strippers not Strip Malls!
Perhaps you see a theme here. We were protesting the city’s plan to shrink the area currently zoned for amusements and allow a developer to build high rise hotel/condos, etc and generic retail stores. You maybe interested in the article, it also mentions Reithoffer’s rides in Coney and has a link to Save Coney Island.
http://blogs.villagevoic...8/05/save_coney_prot.php Hope to see you this summer! The city’s lengthy rezoning process and the controversial redevelopment plans for Coney Island make our work more significant and necessary than ever!
btw can someone tell me who brought the Flitzer coaster to Coney in 1974 and how long it was there?
Coney Girl