For 45 years, the weekend after Labor Day has closed out the season for Astroland Park. This year, with the fate of Coney Island in the balance, the weekend passed without resolution. ELIZABETH KIEM says goodbye to the park, for now. (Astroland’s Last Summer | September 12, 2007)
What do you get when you marry Rodriguez to Rodriguez, double it, parcel it out, deliver it from evil and send it back to church? ELIZABETH KIEM visits a family compound whose God is west of the Wonder Wheel. (Astroland’s Last Summer | August 15, 2007)
Coney Island’s annual Siren Festival is billed as the largest free outdoor indie music festival in New York. This year’s lineup included 14 bands—all of which were free, outdoor, and apparently, indie. ELIZABETH KIEM managed to hear none of them. (Astroland’s Last Summer | July 26, 2007)
Coney Island celebrated the Fourth by crowning the first American hot-dog eating champion in seven years. ELIZABETH KIEM reports on yet another “triumph of the human spirit” at the fabled playground, drizzle be damned. (Astroland’s Last Summer | July 9, 2007)
Celebrating a quarter-century, Coney Island’s Mermaid Parade is a reminder that for some, changing times should be ignored. ELIZABETH KIEM provides a backstage pass to the revelry. (Astroland’s Last Summer | June 26, 2007)
As Coney Island gears up for its annual fancy-dress bacchanalia, the mermaids on parade contemplate the legendary funpark’s mortality. Part three of “Astroland’s Last Summer” by ELIZABETH KIEM. (Astroland’s Last Summer | June 20, 2007)
Coney Island’s Bowery was once lined with attractions for six straight blocks. Today it is largely shuttered, pending a new wave of development. ELIZABETH KIEM looks at the Penny Arcade’s last stand. (Astroland’s Last Summer | June 14, 2007)
Coney Island is under siege, and for Astroland lovers it’s hard to tell if the pirates are friend or foe. ELIZABETH KIEM begins a new series on the final summer at America’s Playground. (Astroland’s Last Summer | May 31, 2007)