COURIER LIFE, F 14 EBRUARY 19-25, 2021
SAVED!
Coney’s amusement
parks allowed to
reopen on April 9
BY ROSE ADAMS
Outdoor amusement
parks across the state
can reopen at 33 percent
capacity on April 9,
Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced
on Wednesday,
meaning the People’s
Playground can once
again welcome thrillseekers
following a year
of fi nancial hardship.
“We can fi nally see
the light at the end of
the tunnel,” said Dennis
Vourderis, whose family
owns Deno’s Wonder
Wheel Amusement Park.
“And what a long, dark
tunnel it’s been.”
Park-goers must buy
tickets in advance and
wear face coverings,
and the parks must conduct
temperature checks
and clean the rides frequently,
Cuomo said.
Sleep-away camps and
indoor entertainment can
also open later this year,
Cuomo announced. Indoor
entertainment will
be limited to 25 percent
of their maximum capacity
and will open March
26, and sleep-away camps
will open in June for the
duration of the summer
with testing protocols.
The governor’s edict
allows the Coney Island
amusement parks to reopen
after a year-long closure
that hurt both parks
and the surrounding businesses,
threatening the future
of the peninsula.
“I don’t know what
the future would hold if
we lose another season
in Coney Island,” said
Coney Island businesses
advocate Alexandra Silversmith
in January.
“It’s a scary thought at
this point.”
The reopening will
come nearly two weeks
after the parks’ usual reopening
on Palm Sunday,
which falls this year on
March 28. But regardless
of the change, Vourderis
said he is thrilled just to
be able to reopen.
Wonder Wheel owner Dennis
Vouderis’ prayers to reopen
have been answered.
File photo by Todd Maisel
Vourderis and Alessando
Zamerla, who
owns the neighboring
Luna Park, have urged
the state since last summer
to issue reopening
guidelines, arguing that
the open-air rides are inherently
safe.
“The way the Wonder
Wheel was designed and
built 102 years ago during
the last pandemic, it was
designed to be socially
distant,” said Vourderis
in September.
This summer, both
parks will unveil new
rides. Deno’s Wonder
Wheel Park, which
tends to cater to younger
thrill-seekers, will open
a custom-made, 68-foottall
rollercoaster called
the Phoenix sometime
this summer, Vourderis
said. Next door, Luna
Park will unveil a new
kid-friendly section.
The reopening will
also mean that the Wonder
Wheel will be able to
celebrate its 100-year anniversary,
which would
have been in 2020, but
was postponed because
of the parks’ season-long
closure. But because
of the limited capacity,
Vourderis said he isn’t
yet sure what the celebration
will look like.
“We’re not sure how
much on an event we
can do,” he said. “At this
point, we’re just happy
we can open.”
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