Did you grow up here? Do you remember going for your first spin on the B & B Carousell? Did you meet your true love in Coney Island? We want to hear your Coney Island stories and see your photos!

The Coney Island History Project announces a series of themed history weekends to pique your interest and jog your memory--from "Childhood Days" and "Romantic Coney Island" to "Thrills & Chills!" and "Under the Boardwalk & On the Beach." Check the schedule below and stop by for an interview with historian Charles Denson or History Project staff.

Natalie Milbrodt Interviews Ron Rossi in CIHP recording studio
under the Cyclone roller coaster on the Cyclone's 83rd birthday

Throughout the summer, visitors are invited to record their Coney Island memories for the History Project's oral history archive. Selected interviews will be made available on our website as part of our Coney Island Voices exhibit, a record of visitors and their stories during the 2010 season. The CIHP's History Archive is rich with stories of people who lived, worked or played in Coney Island. Some of them still do: Williams Candy owner Peter Agrapides, game operator Caesar, and Luna Park visitor Mi Won Kim. You can find and listen to their stories via our searchable online database, which is organized by theme, place, period and interviewee.

Visitors are also encouraged to bring photos and memorabilia we can scan for the CIHP's online collection documenting Coney Island's past. Whoever brings in the best photo in each category will receive a set of historic postcards, vintage tickets, and a signed copy of Charles Denson's Wild Ride! A Coney Island Roller Coaster Family.

Interviews are available at the History Project's free public exhibition center on Surf Avenue under the Cyclone.The center is open on Saturday and Sunday, 1- 6pm, from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day, as well as by appointment. You may schedule an interview in advance by emailing info@coneyislandhistory.org.

Themed History Weekends at the Coney Island History Project

July 10 & 11, Romantic Coney Island!... Did you meet your true love in Coney Island, go on your first date or fall in love here? We predict this is going to be a popular theme, so we'll reprise it on July 24 and 25!

July 17 & 18, Childhood Days... Carousel and kiddie ride memories, being tall enough to ride the Cyclone or Parachute Jump for the first time, your very first memory of Coney Island.

July 24 & 25, Romantic Coney Island! Did you meet your true love in Coney Island, go on your first date or fall in love here?

July 31 & Aug 1, Thrills & Chills!... Coney Island's rides, funhouses, games and arcades are world famous, but which ones are your personal favorites?

Aug 7 & 8, Neighborhood Coney Island... Did you grow up here? Have a summer job in the amusement district or work year round in the neighborhood?

Aug 14 & 15, The Taste of Coney Island... Are you a fan of Nathan's hot dogs, Mrs. Stahl's Knishes, Philip's salt water taffy? How about Ruby's Bar & Grille, Totonno's Pizza or Williams Candy?

Aug 21 & 22, Historic Coney Island... Memories, stories or photos of Coney's four NYC landmarks -- the Wonder Wheel, Cyclone, Parachute Jump, and Childs Restaurant on the Boardwalk--as well as vanished attraction like Steeplechase Park, the Thunderbolt and Stauch's Baths.

Aug 28 & 29, Under the Boardwalk and On the Beach... Favorite memories, Outings with family & friends, first trip to Coney Island--even if it's today--because memories are in the making.

The Coney Island History Project is eagerly anticipating the grand opening of our new next-door neighbor, Zamperla’s Luna Park. History Project Director Charles Denson documented the beginning of the park’s construction and is creating an exhibit of the site’s 140-year transformation from sand dunes to Sea Beach Railroad land grant, to Feltmans Restaurant, to Astroland, and finally to the resurrected Luna Park. “The arrival of ride manufacturer Zamperla continues the tradition of Coney Island as a laboratory and testing ground for new amusements,” Denson said. “Less than a block away, on West 8th Street, were the amusement factories and workshops of William Mangels, Marcus Illions, the Pinto Brothers, L.A. Thompson, and numerous other foundries, blacksmiths, electricians, and machinists.

Although Zamperla will not be manufacturing rides in Coney Island, their presence means that Coney will have the best and newest attractions and will also be a showroom for new technology. It will be the best of both worlds, —Coney’s classic landmark Cyclone Roller Coaster right next to a modern resurrected Luna Park.”

Coney Island History Project Provides Research, Ride Plans to Zamperla USA

Central Amusement International president & CEO Valerio Ferrari, who is overseeing his company's ride development for the new Luna Park, recently consulted the Coney Island History Project. Mr. Ferrari requested historical information about the Astrotower to help with a possible resurrection of the iconic Coney attraction. We researched the tower's history and provided the original plans and archival photographs.

The images show the 1964 installation of the ride once known as the "Bagel-in-the-Sky" for its rotating glass-enclosed car that rides to the top of the tower. We hope someday to see the 270-foot remnant of Astroland become the centerpiece of Coney Island's new Luna Park.

The $1.7 million Astrotower was manufactured by the Swiss company Von Roll. It required a foundation of 1,100 tons of concrete and 13 tons of steel reinforcing bars. Like Astroland's other space-age themed rides, the tower was built specifically for the park. It did not come from the New York World's Fair. Von Roll was purchased by Doppelmayr Garaventa Group in 1996.

Installation of the Astrotower, 1964