Sept 3rd: Free Event: Coney Island Hall of Fame and HIstory Day

coney island history proj

You're Invited to the Coney Island Hall Of Fame Induction Ceremony and 1st Annual History Day

Saturday, September 3rd, 1pm-5pm, FREE

History Day and the Coney Island Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will be held on Saturday, September 3rd, from 1-5pm. Celebrate historic Coney Island with us this Saturday at the 1st Annual History Day at Deno's Wonder Wheel Park and the Coney Island History Project. The festivities include live music, entertainment and a Coney Island Trivia Contest. The events are free to the public and will be held at the Wonder Wheel, the Coney Island History Project and throughout Deno's Wonder Wheel Amusement Park.

At 1 pm, Charles Denson, director of the History Project, will present the 2011 Coney Island Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony at CIHP's exhibit center on West 12th Street.

This year, the Coney Island Hall of Fame pays tribute to Lady Deborah Moody (1586-1659?), the first woman to found a colony in North America. Moody fled her native England because of religious persecution and first arrived in Massachusetts, where an aide to the governor advised barring her "for she is a dangerous woeman."

"In choosing to honor Lady Deborah Moody, we are returning to Coney Island's centuries-old roots," said historian and History Project director Charles Denson. "Moody has been described as 'the woman who wrote [America's] Declaration of Independence 130 years before the men got around to it.' Lady Moody, who founded the town of Gravesend in 1645, was not just the only woman to start a colony in the new world, but was also the first to recognize the value and importance of Coney Island."

Coney Island was part of Gravesend, which Moody settled when the Dutch governor granted her a charter insuring religious freedom and self-government. Gravesend was one of the original towns of Kings County in colonial New York. Coney Island was the town's common lands on the Atlantic Ocean. At the Hall of Fame ceremony, Lady Deborah Moody's contributions will be highlighted in a colorful banner accompanied by illustrated text panels detailing her fascinating life.

The second 2011 Hall of Fame honoree is in the architectural category: The Shore Theater, formerly known as the Loew's Coney Island, is a seven-story neo-Renaissance style theater and vaudeville house built in 1925 at the corner of Surf and Stillwell Avenues. On History Day, never before seen photos of the theater's ornate interior will be on view at the History Project's exhibit center, providing a rare glimpse inside a building that has been closed since the 1970s.

In addition to the two previously announced honorees, there will be a surprise honoree, a Coney Island native who has not been seen in decades.

History Day Events

History Day festivities at Deno's Wonder Wheel Park will include live music from 1pm by New York City's legendary Hungry March Band and Ragtime and Dixieland by the Banjo Rascals. From 1:30pm, Coney Island's DJ Peluche will spin music from the 1930s,'40s and '50s at the History Project. Additional entertainment will be provided by Kae Burke of Lady Circus.

At 4pm at the History Project, visitors are invited to test their Coney Island I.Q. at the Coney Island Trivia Contest with historian and author Charles Denson. Prizes include ride passes for Deno's Wonder Wheel Park and souvenir postcards from the Coney Island History Project.

Visitors who ride the historic Wonder Wheel on History Day will receive a nostalgic Coney Island commemorative gift and are invited to take their photo for free with old timey cutouts. Visitors to the Coney Island History Project's free exhibit center are invited to take their photo with our original Steeplechase horse.

The Coney Island History Project's exhibition center is located at 3059 W 12th St at the entrance to Deno's Wonder Wheel Park. View historic artifacts, photographs, maps, ephemera, folk art and films of Coney Island's colorful past. Admission is free of charge. We're open from 12 noon - 6 pm on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays from Memorial Day Weekend through Labor Day.

The exhibition center is open year-round by appointment for schools and groups. Walking tours of the historic landmarks and attractions --past and present--of Coney Island's amusement district are scheduled on Sundays through October 30. For info email [email protected].

Coney Island History Project, 3059 W 12th St

Deno's Wonder Wheel Park, 1025 Boardwalk at W 12th St