S♦P♦E♦C♦T♦A♦C♦U♦L♦A♦R C♦O♦N♦E♦Y I♦S♦L♦A♦N♦D
HI BROOKLYN!: A baby sea lion was born as aquarium guests looked on. Julie Larsen Maher © WCS
HEART OF A LION
NY Aquarium gets an adorable new addition
COURIER LIFE, JULY 2–8, 2021 11
HOT TICKET
Nathan’s Contest will go on
in front of a live crowd
PHOENIX
family-thrill coaster, Dennis
told Brooklyn Paper.
“So we traveled to Dollywood
because we had heard there is a
brand new family, thill coaster
that had just opened,” Vourderis
said, “and we wanted to go
see it and try that.”
The family contracted the
ride’s engineers to custommake
a roller coaster for Deno’s
by the end of 2019 without
knowing that just three months
later the coronavirus pandemic
would hit, shutting down the
amusement park and all the others
in the People’s Playground
throughout the 2020 season.
But despite the shutdowns,
the Vourderises continued to
move ahead with their coaster,
and looking back, Dennis said,
they think they made the right
decision as they are returning
after their yearlong hiatus
with something to really look
forward to, and hope the feeling
is reciprocated throughout
New York City.
“We’ve been extremely
busy on the weekends,” Dennis
said. “We opened April 9
and we went right into fastforward.
It was so busy. I knew
from that day forward we
made the right decision building
this this year.”
Riders can expect some notseen
before views of Coney Island
and the boardwalk, as
well as a new perspective of
the 101-year-old Deno’s Wonder
Wheel — which through
some of the coaster’s twists
and turns feels like your feet
might hit the sign for.
As the amusement park
was unable to host a 100-year
anniversary for the Wonder
Wheel, the Phoenix’s July 1
grand opening is sure to come
with a shebang — in addition
to the 100 free rides, there will
be a ribbon-cutting ceremony
and free shirt giveaways with
the event starting at 10:30 am.
Continued from page 9
BY EMILY DAVENPORT
Visitors at the New York
Aquarium experienced an unusual
surprise on Memorial
Day when a new member of
the sea lion family arrived to
celebrate the long weekend.
A California sea lion pup
(Zalophus californianus) was
born in full view of the Coney
Island aquarium’s morning
crowd on May 31. The new pup
is healthy and has yet to receive
a name and the sex of the
pup has yet to be determined.
“It is unusual for visitors
to have the opportunity to
Joey Chestnut in 2018.
File photo by Paul Martinka
GET IT TWISTED: The Phoenix, Deno’s Wonder Wheel Park’s newest ride.
Photos by Paul Frangipane
witness the birth of an animal
at the aquarium,” said
Craig Piper, interim New
York Aquarium director and
WCS director of City Zoos.
“Aquarium staff were on hand
to answer questions from the
guests, and our keepers and
veterinarians continue to
closely monitor the pup’s development.
This is a special
birth that has been a wonderful
experience for everyone.”
This is the fi fth pup born at
the aquarium since its fi rst was
born in 2010. This is the fi rst
pup born to Ariana, the pup’s
mother, who has been attentive
and protective of the young sea
lion. As the pup grows, the ability
for guests to view the pair
may be temporarily limited.
California sea lions are
the only species that are exhibited
in all fi ve WCS parks
in New York City – the Bronx
Zoo, Central Park Zoo, Prospect
Park Zoo, Queens Zoo,
and New York Aquarium. Sea
lions are periodically moved
between the parks for breeding
to ensure the population
is sustainable and genetically
healthy.
BY ROBERT POZARYCKI
A red hot Fourth of July
crowd will return to Coney
Island this summer for the
annual Nathan’s Famous
Hot Dog Eating Contest —
the borough’s answer to the
Super Bowl and Kentucky
Derby combined.
The gastronomical gorgefest
took place last summer
without fans in attendance
due to the COVID-19
pandemic. But with virus
cases plummeting, vaccines
making the rounds and the
city reopening, the organizers
of the contest are ready to
let fans be part of the frankfurter
fun again.
But the beefy brouhaha,
traditionally held outside Nathan’s
fl agship eatery at the
corner of Stillwell and Surf Avenues,
will instead be held this
year a few blocks over at Maimonides
Park — the home of
the Brooklyn Cyclones. Tickets
are free and will be distributed
on a fi rst-come, fi rst-served basis
— with all attendees subject
to federal, state and city health
and safety protocols.
The change still limits the
contest’s attendance. In past
years, crowds of up to 30,000
would gather at Stillwell and
Surf Avenues for the sausage
showdown. The park’s’ seating
capacity is about 7,000.
Nevertheless, Nathan’s
Famous relishes the prospect
of returning the contest to its
original location in 2022.
“The Nathan’s Famous
contest is the crown jewel of
the Fourth of July, and stands
as a beacon of freedom for all
those who believe in American
exceptionalism,” said
promoter George Shea of Major
League Eating.
The frankfurter festivities
get underway on July 4 at 10 am
at Maimonides Park, with the
women’s hot dog eating contest
at 11 am, followed by the men’s
competition at 12:30 pm.
The reigning champion on
the men’s side, Joey Chestnut,
is scheduled to return to Coney
Island to defend his mustard
yellow belt this year. Last
year, Chestnut scarfed down
a world record 75 hot dogs and
buns in just 10 minutes to win
his fi fth-straight title.
You can request tickets by
emailing nathanshotdogeatingcontest2021@
nathansfamous.
com, or by visiting MajorLeagueEating.
com.
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