Coney Island USA, a 501c3 not for profit arts organization, has announced the complete restoration of an extremely rare WWII era Mangels Shooting Gallery, originally manufactured in Coney Island on West 8th street. The restoration is part of our Living MUSEUM PROJECT which seeks to rescue, restore, protect and preserve items from Coney Island's historic past. The attraction will operate in Coney Island at SHOOTING GALLERY, our new Arts Annex with a vintage shooting game in front and a soon to open Gallery in the back, at 1214 Surf Avenue in Coney Island.
The shooting gallery, which hasn't been used in decades, was hidden behind the Scarface Shooting Gallery (destroyed in Superstorm Sandy) under Deno's Wonder Wheel. Park owners The Vourderis family, uncovered the gallery during Superstorm Sandy cleanup. It was then, that Coney Island USA Founder and Artistic Director Dick D. Zigun, inquired about loaning the attraction to the organization, agreeing to restore it and operate it on Surf Avenue.
In celebration of the restoration, Coney Island USA will host a Grand Opening on Thursday, August 8th at 1pm. Members of the press are encouraged to attend and try their hand at the restored Shooting Gallery.
William F. Mangels (1866-1958), was an amusement manufacturer and inventor housed in Coney Island on West 8th street and was a major player in the development of American amusement parks at the start of the 20th century. In addition to manufacturing carousels, including the the frame and rocking mechanism (that makes the horses move up and down) on Mayor Blomberg's restored B&B Carousell on the Coney Island Riegelmann Boardwalk, the fire engine and boat kiddie rides still in operation at Deno's Wonder Wheel Park, shooting galleries and inventing rides including The Whip (ride), he wrote a book titled The Outdoor Amusement Industry: From earliest times to the present.
Coney Island USA is a 501c3 not for profit arts organization that exists to defend the honor of American popular culture through innovative exhibitions and performances. Presenting and producing exciting new works, our approach is rooted in mass culture and the traditions of P.T. Barnum, dime museums, burlesque, circus sideshows, vaudeville, and Coney Island itself. Preserving and championing a set of uniquely American visual and performing art forms, we seek to create an international forum for cultural preservation and discourse, and where Coney Island represents these impulses, we strive to make it once again a center for live art and entrepreneurial spirit.
Coney Island USA operates a multi-arts center in a landmark building in the heart of Coney Island. We present and produce programming in two venues: the Coney Island Museum and Sideshows by the Seashore. Serving both New York City and an international community that includes visitors to Coney Island and enthusiasts of various cultural forms, our signature activities include the Mermaid Parade, the Coney Island Circus Sideshow, the Coney Island Museum, and new theatrical work. For further info on Coney Island USA, visit
www.coneyisland.com.
