High school sweethearts from Coney Island
Sherri and Harold Kaufman grew up together in Coney Island and were sweethearts at Lincoln High School. They have been married for forty years now and live in Massachusetts, but they still return occasionally to visit their old home. Harold worked...
Content type: Oral History Item
New York Aquarium volunteer
Debra moved to Coney Island at the age of 7 and recalls some of her fondest memories, including the animal nursery, volunteering at the New York Aquarium, Bread and Puppet Theater and the B&B Carousell. She also compares Coney Island to other...
Content type: Oral History Item
Helicopter pilot who landed on the Coney Island beach
Each spring New York City honors the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps during Fleet Week. Major Stacy Pandak participated as the first female pilot in the USMC MAGTF Air/Ground Demo in Coney Island. She explains some details about how the demo is...
Content type: Oral History Item
Former resident theater artist at Coney Island USA
Fourty-four-year-old Joseph, a former "focalizer" for the Rainbow Nation, gives us a spiritual, mystical take on Coney Island. He used to come to Coney with his parents as a young child, lived in Sea Gate from age 10 to 19 and, in the 80...
Content type: Oral History Item
13-year-old side show worker and activist
Thirteen-year-old Coney Island activist Patrick Burns works at the Side Show, Astroland, and El Dorado. He speaks of his love for Coney Island, "one of the great world wonders," and his plans for saving the place he loves.
Content type: Oral History Item
Parachute Jump lighting designer
Leni Schwendinger discusses her inspiration and process in creating a lighting design for the Parachute Jump including color selection and finding a way to express the feeling and movement of the Parachute Jump when it was a working ride. She...
Content type: Oral History Item
Memories of Tunnels of Love ride operator John Kavakos
Neal recalls his father, John Kavakos, a "street urchin" from Greece who came to Coney Island and built the Tunnels of Love at the Bowery and 12th Street. The attraction consisted of a serene boat ride that took passengers past various...
Content type: Oral History Item
Remembers details of riding the Parachute Jump
Born in 1952, he remember riding the Parachute Jump with his father.
Content type: Oral History Item
Lived next door to Luna Park
Rose Patton, nee Schwartz, lived in Coney Island in 1938 in a house her mother and aunt inherited from their father. Rose's family of four and her aunt's family of three shared the house for about a year before moving back to Brighton...
Content type: Oral History Item
Two generations are interviewed
Liivia lives in Queens and came to Coney on this day with her son and grandson who are visiting from Ohio. Liivia hasn't been to Coney Island in 50 years and her son Mike, who is also interviewed, is showing Coney to his 7-year-old son for the...
Content type: Oral History Item