Coney Island amusement park closes for good

Dark Knight

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When reports circulated over the weekend of a last-minute deal to keep Coney Island's historic Astroland amusement park open for another year, owner Carol Hill Albert was not amused.

Indeed, her tone was bitter as she described plans to close the park Sunday night in lieu of an agreement with the city or with private developer Thor Equities, which have competing plans for the 3-acre Brooklyn site.

"Despite rumors to the contrary, there are absolutely no negotiations going on, and there never were," said Albert, whose family has owned Astroland for more than four decades.

The park would close permanently, she said. Late Sunday night, visitors were herded out of the park and the lights were shut off for the last time.

The Cyclone, the famous Coney Island roller coaster, and the 150-foot-tall Wonder Wheel, a Ferris wheel, are separately owned and landmarked by the city so they are unaffected by the closing.

News that Sunday would be the last gasp for Dante's Inferno fun house, 22 other rides and three arcades drew hundreds of nostalgia-minded visitors, including elderly residents of the beach area and families with children who had never ridden on the Tilt-A-Whirl or the Water Flume.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080908...d&printer=1;_ylt=Aj8MP_tEF12cBxZRCGyPDoNH2ocA
 
They are taking another piece of my childhood away. My father took me on the parachute ride when I was 7. A big thrill. During the late 50's and 60's I spent alot of Saturdays at Steeplechase Park. One many of a Sunday, I would walk to Coney (quite a trek of a kid - 4 stops on the subway) with my allowance in hand I would ride the Cyclone twice and walk home exlilarated.

I moved out of Brooklyn in 1964 and the park was going down hill fast as the housing projects multipled. By the 1990's my extended family all moved to Staten Island.

As an adult I've read extensively about Coney's history which goes back to the late 1880's.

Thank you Dark Knight for the memories.
 
So sad. We in Chi town STILL HAVE KIDDIELAND! Opened 1929 in Melrose Park, which doesn't offically close for the season until October... Too bad I am too tall to ride my old fave, the VS mini bus.... It's still there after all these years and I rode that in the early 70's. It's been rumored for years Kiddieland will too be closing for insurance reasons.... I hope not.... The park fees are so minimal. The drive and parking are easy...
http://www.kiddieland.com/

Kiddieland to my generation is what Riverview was to my parents and grandparents generation....
http://history.amusement-parks.com/riverviewmain.htm

Like Vintage Ball Parks, these amusement parks imo should be kept alive.

DK- OT- My little Catholic KG'r brought his 'girlfriend' flowers today, in the rain..... It's raining and he wanted to bring her flowers so we 'snuck' into after school care and gave her a garden picked red rose- I picked the thorns off- and ??? white and pink.



Santa's Village in Dundee closed a two years ago. We lost Old Chicago, the indoor amusement park in Bolingbrook amongst other small local amusement parks, including Dispensa's Kiddie Kingdom.

It stinks that these old relics are closing down after all these years.....
 

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