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This street is his street!
City offi cials renamed a
block of Mermaid Avenue between
West 35th and 36th
streets “Woody Guthrie Way”
on Saturday, commemorating
the late folk singer’s deep ties
to the Brooklyn’s Sodom by
the Sea.
“Coney Island was our family
spot, so for Coney to recognize
Woody as theirs was really
special,” said Guthrie’s
granddaughter, Anna Canoni.
“The sounds and streets of
Coney Island are part of our
DNA.”
Guthrie moved to Mermaid
Avenue in 1943, where he lived
with his family for seven years
— longer than any of his other
New York City abodes. During
his seven-year stay, the 1940s
folk legend wrote around 150
songs, many of which detailed
his love for the People’s Playground.
“Blintzes and cheeses,
knishes and spam. Go Coney
Island, roll on the sand,” goes
one of Guthrie’s odes to the
People’s Playground.
The family moved to Kingsboro,
Queens after their stay
in Coney Island. In 1967, Guthrie
passed away at age 55 from
complications of Huntington’s
disease.
During a ceremony organized
by Councilman Mark
Treyger debuting the new
street sign, thirty members of
the Guthrie family gathered
to remember the folk icon. Attendees
traded memories, and
Guthrie’s son, Arlo Guthrie —
known for his 18-minute protest
song “Alice’s Restaurant”
— sang a tribute to his father,
before Nora and Arlo unveiled
the street sign.
“The hope is that people
walking around Coney will
see the sign and look him up,”
said Canoni, who hoped the
sign would raise awareness
about her grandfather’s connection
to the area.
And for many of Guthrie’s
family members, the event felt
like coming home.
“Coney Island’s beach
is where I learned to swim
when I was about two,” said
Nora, who was crowned as
the Queen of the 37th annual
Mermaid Parade later on Saturday.
Her brother, Arlo, was
crowned King.
Woody Guthrie Way
Coney Island’s Mermaid Avenue renamed to honor late folk singer
REMEMBERING AN ICON: Nora Guthrie (left) and Arlo Guthrie (middle)
unveiled the new name of a stretch of Mermaid Avenue, which honors
their father, Woody Guthrie. Photo by Erica Price