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Archive for June, 2010

Coney Island Fireworks Show: Every Friday Plus 5 Saturdays

Posted in Events, tagged 2010, 2011, Boardwalk, Brooklyn, Coney Island, fireworks, free event, Friday night, New York City, Saturday on June 17, 2010| 11 Comments »

Door of the Grill House: Free Fireworks 9:30 Friday Night. Photo © Tricia Vita/me-myself-i

UPDATE June 4, 2013: For 2013 Fireworks Schedule see “Coney Island Fireworks 2013: Fridays, 6 Saturdays and More…” The first Friday night fireworks show of Coney Island’s 2013 season will be on June 21 and this free weekly event continues every Friday through August 30.

UPDATE…May 25, 2011… Coney Island’s tradition of Friday night fireworks begins for the 2011 season on June 17 and continues through September 2. The pyrotechnic extravaganza starts at 9:30 pm. Best viewing is from the Boardwalk or the Wonder Wheel. Please patronize the main sponsors of the fireworks: Deno’s Wonder Wheel Park; Luna Park, Scream Zone and the Cyclone; and the Brooklyn Cyclones baseball team. In addition, the Brooklyn Cyclones have scheduled fireworks on the following five Saturdays after their home games as well as on one Wednesday and Sunday night:

Saturday, June 18th – OPENING DAY – vs. Staten Island
Saturday, June 25th – vs. Hudson Valley
Wednesday, June 29th – END OF SCHOOL SPECTACULAR – vs. Hudson Valley
Sunday, July 3rd – HOLIDAY EXTRAVAGANZA – vs. Staten Island
Saturday, July 16th – Lowell
Saturday, August 6th – vs. Staten Island
Saturday, August 20th – DSNY APPRECIATION NIGHT – vs. Tri-City

When the weather is iffy, check the Coney Island tweeters on Coney Island Fun’s list for updates here.

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Coney Island’s first fireworks show of the 2010 season is this Friday, June 18th. On the eve of the Mermaid Parade! The free shows continue every Friday through September 3 and begin at approximately 9:30 pm. Best viewing is from the Boardwalk or the Wonder Wheel. Please patronize the main sponsors of the fireworks: Deno’s Wonder Wheel Park, the Cyclone Roller Coaster, Luna Park and the Brooklyn Cyclones baseball team.

The Brooklyn Cyclones also sponsor free post-game fireworks on Saturday nights when they play a home game. Saturday night fireworks in Coney Island are scheduled for July 3, July 10, July 31, August 7 and September 4, 2010

UPDATE June 19 Fireworks!!

This weekend is going to be a double header as far as fireworks: Walking by MCU Park on the way to the circus, we passed by the Brooklyn Cyclones banner advertising the fireworks and just realized there’s a show on Saturday, June 19! Catch the fireworks after the Brooklyn Cyclones opening game of the season or the Mermaid Parade and Ball. Either way, Saturday is going to be an even more eventful day than we thought.

Coney Island Photography Workshop with Kevin C Downs

Posted in Photography, tagged Bruce Handy, Coney Island, Coney Island USA, documentary photo, Kevin C Downs, photography workshop, street photography, Suzy Lafferty on June 16, 2010| Leave a Comment »

Coney Island, Ruby's, Mermaid Day Parade 2007. Photo © Kevin C Downs

Kevin Downs’ annual summer photo documentary workshop at Coney Island USA began earlier this month, but there’s still time to join. Consider it your passport to see Coney in a new light all summer long. The Saturday sessions, which continue through September 4, generally begin with a review at noon in the Coney Island Museum and go through the evening. Tuition is a very reasonable $300. From the course description:

Throughout its history, Coney Island has drawn many famous photographers: from Walker Evans to Weegee; Lou Stettner to Bruce Gilden. All have come to document this part of Brooklyn that is full of energy and creativity.

During this workshop, students will be documenting the changing conditions of this historic and magical place. Students will be shooting during the day and night, the icons of Coney Island: the Cyclone, Deno’s Wonder Wheel, the Mermaid Parade, and the personalities that inhabit the Boardwalk and the surrounding areas, from the water to Mermaid Avenue, developing their powers of observaton and their techniques.

Students will be asked to think of a specific documentary theme to focus on for the entire 14 sessions. Some examples could include: “The People of Coney Island”, “Architecture of Coney Island”, etc. The documentary theme can be anything that tells a story and documents the people, architecture and/or landscape of Coney Island. All themes must be approved by the instructor.

Coney Island, The Zipper from The Last Days of Coney Island and The Real Brooklyn. Photo © Kevin C Downs

Full disclosure: Kevin Downs as well as workshop participants Bruce Handy and Suzy Lafferty are friends of ATZ. We’ve learned a lot about photography from looking at their flickr photostreams and have selected their photos for our magazine articles and blog posts.

Coney Island resident and ATZ contributor Bruce Handy has taken Kevin’s class for the past three seasons and has assembled an impressive flickr set of his favorite photos from the workshop. “Kevin is an excellent teacher who brings 125% to the table,” says Bruce. “Our classes last year included field trips to see famous photographers, among them Louis Stettner. At least four times last year prominent photographers were guest lecturers at our class. Kevin arranges all this with joy. Kevin is a champion of Coney Island. He brings out the best in people. He is a very humble person, a passionate, natural teacher.”

Coney Island. Photo © Kevin C Downs

Suzy Lafferty’s photos from the 2009 workshop appear on her blog Satsuma’s Junkyard, beginning with the Coney Island Dancers in Coney #1 and ending with a couple kissing at twilight on Henderson Walk. Says Suzy: “After having gone to grad school for photojournalism, a rather mummifying experience, Kevin’s workshop helped me to resurrect my love of photography: the search and the longing and the state of being that defines documentary photography for me.”

Suzy describes the Coney Island Workshop: “We would gather and talk about photography for hours, often losing track of time, and then we would set out in droves or make solitary rounds of the candy apples, the atlantic splash zone, or the boardwalk, seeking our moments or following a story. The class was the rarest of finds. It’s dimensions stretch three months in length, it costs close to nothing, and the hours each Saturday are sprawling. Many times Kevin stayed out with us until midnight, roaming and combing the night for twisted and heartfelt tales.”

For info contact Kevin C Downs at kevincdownsphoto@mac.com or 917-607-3935. Kevin’s website is kevincdownsphoto.com. You can register online at Coney Island USA’s website.

Coney Island, 2008. Photo © Kevin C Downs

Photo of the Day: New Ride at Coney Island’s Wonder Wheel Park

Posted in amusement park, Amusement ride, tagged Coney Island, Deno's Wonder Wheel Park, Samba Balloon, Wonder Wheel, Zamperla on June 15, 2010| Leave a Comment »

New Ride at Deno's Wonder Wheel Park, Coney Island. June 12, 2010. Photo © Tricia Vita/me-myself-i via flickr

Last week Deno’s Wonder Wheel Park in Coney Island debuted a brand-new Samba Balloon ride. Manufactured by Zamperla, the family ride seats 32 children or 16 children plus 8 adults in colorful spinning tubs designed to resemble hot air balloons. Deno’s amusement park features 22 rides including the landmark Wonder Wheel. Bon Voyage!