Deno’s Wonder Wheel is central attraction on Coney Island History Day (photo by twi-ny/mdr)
Coney Island History Project & Deno’s Wonder Wheel Park
West 12th St. Dreamland Pedestrian Plaza
Saturday, August 10, free, 1:00 – 6:00
www.coneyislandhistory.org
As the future of Coney Island remains in doubt, with the government and developers battling over how to rezone the famed district and take away the charm of the People’s Playground, the location’s storied past will be celebrated on August 10 at the third annual Coney Island History Day. This year’s old-timey festivities feature live entertainment from the Banjo Rascals, organ grinders from the Automatic Musical Instrument Collectors Association and the Carousel Organ Association of America, Professor Phineas Feelgood’s World of Magic, HumanToon/Street Sorcerer Kevin C Carr, and the Lady Circus. Visitors are encouraged to dress up in 1920s costumes, take a trivia test, and offer their own stories to the Oral History Archive. In addition, the Coney Island History Project will open its latest exhibition, “The History of Deno’s Wonder Wheel: Three Generations,” exploring one of the world’s greatest amusement-park attractions.