 What's New in Coney?
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| August 11: History Day at Deno's Wonder Wheel Park & History Project |
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 Celebrate historic Coney Island and enjoy live music, entertainment and history on Saturday, August 11, from 1pm - 6pm at the 2nd Annual History Day at Deno's Wonder Wheel Park and the Coney Island History Project.
History Day festivities include live music by New York City's legendary brass ensemble the Hungry March Band, Ragtime and Dixieland by the Banjo Rascals, and Benjamin Ickies and the Coney Island Screamers, who attack Golden Age Circus Music with a rock 'n' roll attitude. Plus the always amazing Lady Circus! The performances are free to the public and will be held at the Wonder Wheel, the Coney Island History Project and throughout Deno's Wonder Wheel Amusement Park.
At 2pm and again at 3pm, visitors can test their Coney Island smarts at the Coney Island Trivia Contest with historian and author Charles Denson. This year's contest will be held at the plaza under the Wonder Wheel. Prizes include ride passes for Deno's Wonder Wheel Park and souvenirs from the Coney Island History Project. If you have a Coney Island story to share, come and record your memories for the History Project's Oral History Archive. You may also schedule an in-person interview by emailing info@coneyislandhistory.org.  Additional free events on History Day include Deno's Draw-a-thon at the Wonder Wheel from 1-4pm. Adults and children are invited to draw a picture of the landmark Wheel, which will be part of an online photo exhibit. Crayons and paper will be provided. Visitors who dress in 1920's garb get one free ride on the Wonder Wheel, which first opened in 1920. Visitors are also invited to take their photos with old-timey cutouts at Deno's Wonder Wheel Park and the Coney Island History Project's Steeplechase horse from the legendary ride that gave Steeplechase Park its name.
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| New Exhibit: Cultural History of Bathhouses & Art of Bathhouse Key Tags |
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A new exhibit on the cultural history of Coney Island's bathhouses and the art of bathhouse tags will open on August 11 as part of our "History Day" celebration and will be on view through September 3rd.
 There were once more than 50 bathhouses of all kinds lining the beach at Coney Island. A century ago bathhouses provided the only access to the beach and, for many, a home away from home. Now hardly anyone knows what a bathhouse is. The shorefront facilities were a popular cultural phenomenon, providing entertainment, lockers, changing rooms, showers, swim suit rentals, steam baths, massive salt water pools, athletic equipment, game courts, restaurants, and fenced wooden decks for nude sunbathing. This exhibit provides a history told in photographs, admission tickets, oral history, and the folk art of bathhouse key tags.
The Coney Island History Project is open Saturdays, Sundays and holidays from 12 noon - 6pm through Labor Day. Admission is free of charge. Our exhibit center is located at 3059 West 12th Street at the entrance to Deno's Wonder Wheel Park, just a few steps off the Boardwalk.
 The exhibition center is also open by appointment for schools and groups and for special events. It is the starting point for the Coney Island History Project's popular walking tours of the amusement area. The 1-1/2 hour walking tours are led by historian Charles Denson or poet/teaching artist Amanda Deutch, who have over 100 years of family history in Coney Island! Please visit our online reservation website to see the walking tour schedule and purchase advance tickets online. If you have a question or to arrange a group tour, e-mail events@coneyislandhistory.org.
Thanks for using the "Forward to a Friend" link to introduce the Coney Island History Project's e-newsletter to your friends!
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Focus on Coney Island's Shore Theater: Photos & A Film by Charles Denson
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Coney Island's Shore Theater, a short film by Charles Denson featuring his never-before-seen photos of the building's ornate interior debuted a few days ago on Mr Denson's "Coneyologist" channel on YouTube. At the same time, the exhibit "Inside the Shore Theater: Photographs by Charles Denson" is on view at the Coney Island History Project through September 3rd. The exhibit center is open to the public on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays from 12 noon - 6pm. Admission is free of charge.
 "The Shore Theater represents not just Coney's golden past, but also its bright future," Mr Denson said last summer, when the landmark was inducted into the Coney Island Hall of Fame. The seven-story, neo-Renaissance style theater and vaudeville house and adjacent 14-story office building at the corner of Surf and Stillwell Avenues opened in 1925 and operated for half a century. Both structures have been closed and sealed up for decades. The theater's facade was granted landmark status in 2010, but the interior is not protected and vulnerable to demolition. The images in the film and the exhibition provide a rare glimpse of a Coney Island treasure.
 Mr Denson is one of the few people who has seen the inside of the Shore Theater in recent years. "The interior of the Shore (formerly the Loew's Coney Island) is a visual delight, a treasure trove of complex architectural details that ranks it among the finest of New York's surviving movie palaces," he said. "Below the theater's massive 150-foot dome are frescoed walls and vaulted ceilings covered with decorative nautical-themed plasterwork motifs featuring scallop shells, crabs, and squid medallions as well as wind-blown sailing ships with full sails and fluttering flags, breezing across a border of crashing waves. The mezzanine's colorful half dome ceiling is supported by a curving row of Ionic columns crowned with rows of beautiful dancing mermaids set into decorative diamonds."
"Local elected officials and the City's EDC have expressed an interest in buying and restoring the theater, but as time passes the fate of the structure's unique interior, which is not landmarked, becomes more uncertain every day. This architectural treasure must be preserved."
Thanks for using the "Forward to a Friend" link to introduce the Coney Island History Project's e-newsletter to your friends!
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| Call for Submissions: Art, Photography & Poetry by Coney Island Kids |
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 This season the Coney Island History Project is presenting "Coney Island Kids See Coney Island! Art, Photography and Poetry." Young people who live or go to school in Coney Island and are currently in grades K-12 are invited to be part of a special exhibit featuring their perceptions of their neighborhood. Artwork, photos, and short poems are featured in a digital slide show and a rotating display of original work at the Coney Island History Project's free exhibit center. Work will also be shown online via CIHP's flickr photo sharing page and Facebook.
Artists and their families will be invited to a special event at the Coney Island History Project in the fall to celebrate the exhibit and will receive a limited edition souvenir badge.
GUIDELINES
1. Send a scan or photo of your work as a jpeg via email to coneyislandhistory@gmail.com
2. Mail original work up to 11 x 17" to Coney Island History Project, c/ Deno's Wonder Wheel Park, 3059 West 12th St, Brooklyn NY 11224
3. Bring work to the Coney Island History Project during exhibit center hours. We're open Saturdays, Sundays and holidays from 12 noon - 6pm through Labor Day.
There is no fee to enter the show. Include the artist's name, age, zip code and school. Photos of people requiring a release are not eligible.
The project is supported by a JPMorgan Chase Foundation Grant by the Brooklyn Arts Council. The JPMorgan Chase grants support Brooklyn-based arts organizations whose primary mission is to provide arts and cultural activities open to the general public.
This organization has received funding from the 2012 JPMorgan Chase Regrant Program, administered by Brooklyn Arts Council, Inc. (BAC).
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| Free & Fun in Coney Island This Summer! |
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There's lots to enjoy all summer long and into the fall in Coney Island. Visit Coney Island on Facebook for the latest info on Coney attractions and events. Here's our list of FREE events in CONEY ISLAND this summer!
Fireworks, Fridays at 9:30 pm, through August 31
Wonder Wheel Park's Friday Night Karaoke, Boardwalk, through August 31
Wonder Wheel Park's Sunday Karaoke, Boardwalk, through August 26
Coney Island Flicks on the Beach, Monday night movies, through August 13
Playstreets Fridays, Kaiser Park, through September 14
Seaside Summer Concert Series, Surf Ave at W 21st St, through August 16
Street Games Saturdays, Kaiser Park, through September 8
NYC's Got Talent, Luna Park, Aug 10 & 17
Wonder Wheel Music Marathon on the Boardwalk, August 4 & 18
History Day at Deno's Wonder Wheel Park, August 11
History Day at Coney Island History Project, August 11
Beach Clean-up, Kaiser Park, Aug 12
Luna Park's End of Summer Concert, West 10th St, August 24
Parachute: The Coney Island Performance Festival, October 13 & 14
 For Coney news, conversation, photos and special features like "On this Day in History," please visit the Coney Island History Project's Facebook Page and "like" us! Follow us on Twitter for news and views in 140 characters and check out our photos on Flickr.
Thanks for using the "Forward to a Friend" link to introduce the Coney Island History Project's e-newsletter to your friends!
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