Wonder Wheel | Amusing the Zillion

Posts Tagged ‘Wonder Wheel’

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!

Target the Coney Island Arcade Cat Is On Twitter!

Posted in Animals, Coney Island, tagged amusement rides, cats on twitter, Coney Island Arcade, Coney Island History Project, Cyclone, OPening Day, Target the Cat, Wonder Wheel on March 27, 2010| Leave a Comment »

Target the Coney Island Arcade Cat on Opening Day 2009. Photo © Tricia Vita/me-myself-i via flickr

Coney Island’s 40 rides and diverse attractions start up again for the 2010 season in just one day! Since we work in Coney, it’s been so hectic getting ready for opening day that we haven’t had a minute to blog. Not so with Target the Coney Island Arcade Cat…

Our favorite cat has started microblogging as ConeyICat via twitter! But he has quite a ways to go before he catches up with Sockington, a Massachusetts cat with 1.5 million followers! Please follow Target if you are on twitter. His latest tweet:

Coney Island Arcade & Games open on Sunday too! http://bit.ly/bXBgAA We need players to have winners--That means YOU!
— ConeyIslandArcadeCat (@ConeyICat) March 27, 2010

Target the Coney Island Arcade Cat Has Something to Say... Photo © Tricia Vita/me-myself-i via flickr

Also opening on Sunday…Coney Island’s Cyclone Roller Coaster, Deno’s Wonder Wheel Park (22 rides), McCullough’s Kiddie Park (a dozen rides), 12th St. Amusements (Polar Express and 4 other rides) and the Eldorado Bumper Cars.

The annual Blessing of the Rides is set for 11:00 am at Deno’s Wonder Wheel. Then at 12 noon, Borough President Marty Markowitz will break a bottle of homemade egg cream on the Cyclone’s first car as the Hungry March Band toot their horns in celebration. The first 100 people to arrive to the party will ride the Cyclone for free. The Coney Island History Project on Surf under the Cyclone will host an Open House from 12-3 pm. Free admission to one and all!

For more info on what’s open in Coney Island and a listing of upcoming events, sign up for the Coney Island Fun Guide newsletter or follow them on twitter.

See you tomorrow, March 28th at 12 noon?

Manny Cohen of Coney Island Arcade with his World-Famous Cat Target. © 2010 Manny Cohen. All rights reserved

Photo of the Day: Spring Has Sprung in Coney Island

Posted in Amusement ride, tagged Bruce Handy, Deno's Wonder Wheel Park, solar lighting, solar panel, Spring in Coney Island, Wonder Wheel on March 20, 2010| Leave a Comment »

Wonder Wheel on the First Night of Spring. Photo © Bruce Handy/Pablo 57 via flickr

In preparation for March 28th’s official opening of Coney Island’s rides, the cars–stationary and swinging– were put back on the Wonder Wheel today. Along with the open concession stands on the Boardwalk and the spinning rides in Deno’s Kiddie Park, it was the first sign of spring in Coney Island. Thanks to photographer Bruce Handy for this lovely first photo of the Wheel on the first night of spring! “I saw the wheel turning this morning, What a joy!!! Was away all day and when I got back to Coney the cars were on,” writes Bruce.

This year, the 90-year-old Wonder Wheel’s swinging cars will be lit with amber lights that will replicate the lighting scheme of the ride in the 1920s. The big difference is the lights will be powered by solar panels installed on top of the cars, according to an interview with Deno Vourderis in the Coney Island History Project’s Oral History Archive. Vourderis’s family owns the New York City landmark and also operates Deno’s Wonder Wheel Park, which has 22 rides.