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COURIER LIFE, APRIL 15-21, 2022
WHEELS IN MOTION!
Deno’s Wonder Wheel Amusement Park opens for its 102nd season
BY JESSICA PARKS
Ride on!
Deno’s Wonder Wheel Amusement
Park opened for its 102nd
season on Palm Sunday with
the annual blessing of the rides,
which attracted hundreds of
thrills-seekers to the seaside
neighborhood for their chance to
snag one of the first rides of the
year.
“It was a great time, the kids
had a great time,” said Dennis
Vourderis, who co-operates the
park with brother Steve Vourderis.
“It was a little chilly but
everyone had warm hearts.”
The Vourderis family — who
have been in ownership of the
park for three generations —
kicked off the 2022 season as they
always do, with a ceremony on
the boardwalk right outside of
their park, where they are joined
by fellow community leaders and
elected officials for the joyous occasion.
If all goes according to plan,
the 2022 season will mark the
first full one for Deno’s Wonder
Wheel Amusement Park’s newest
addition, the family thrill rollercoaster
The Phoenix, which
opened last July, offering neverbefore
seen views of the Coney
Island Boardwalk and the Wonder
Wheel. 2022 also marks the
first season with no capacity restrictions
after the amusement
district wasn’t permitted to open
in 2020 due to the statewide pandemic
related shutdowns, and
limited entrance in 2021 to abide
by lessening, but still strict, mandates.
“It’s very optimistic for the
season being a busy one. Without
any capacity limits, of course, we
get a full season this year,” Vourderis
said. “Opening up without
capacity limits and all the mandates
that were in place a year
ago is certainly a relief to all of
us, looking very positive for a
wonderful year, a wonderful season.”
The April 10 opening took
place one week after the seasonopening
of neighboring Luna
Park on April 2, which means the
People’s Playground is now officially
open in full, with special
hours for schools’ spring break
next week.
“We are going to be open from
Good Friday, April 15 straight
through to April 24,” Vourderis
told Brooklyn Paper. “Weather
permitting, we will be opening
at 11 am and closing in the early
evening – 6 or 7 pm — so we’re
looking forward to hosting everybody
that’s on spring break. If
they need a place to come that’s a
short distance from home, come
on down.”
Both Deno’s and Luna Park
operate with reduced hours until
they open in full swing during
summer vacation. During those
months, Deno’s will open daily
from 11 am to 11 pm, but until
then, it’s just weekends and school
holidays from 11 am to 6 pm.
City, state and federal politicians
were invited to take a free
ride on the Phoenix following the
Palm Sunday ceremony, and the
first 102 guests at Deno’s Wonder
Thrill-seekers, local leaders and elected officials enjoy the reopening of Deno’s
on April 10. Photos by Erica Price
Wheel Amusement Park were
treated to free rides on the park’s
namesake Ferris wheel.
Some 300 children from the local
Salt and Sea Mission enjoyed
all the rides they could stomach
for two and a half hours, a
continuing tradition at Deno’s,
started in 1985 by Lula Vourderis
in collaboration with the organization’s
founder, Debbie Santiago.
New to the festivities this
year were 100 students of the New
Wave Saturday School for Ukrainian
Studies, who performed the
national anthem at the start of
the ceremony. The students were
also gifted two and a half hours
of free rides at the amusement
park, as their families’ home
country continues to face aggression
from neighboring Russia.
Notably absent from Coney’s
big day was Mayor Eric Adams,
who tested positive for COVID
Sunday after waking up with
a raspy voice, according to his
communications team.
“We were ecstatic to be part
of the Blessing of the Rides ceremony
at Deno’s Wonder Wheel
Amusement Park,” Alliance for
Coney Island Executive Director
Alexandra Silversmith said
in a statement. “A truly fabulous
day, we were honored to celebrate
and welcome the 2022 season
alongside many of our elected officials
including Senator Chuck
Schumer and Brooklyn Borough
President Antonio Reynoso as
well as many local community
members. We are certain all visitors
will be in for a treat when
they visit Coney Island this year!”