The 83-year-old honoree could be excused for not blowing out the candles – rollercoasters usually don’t have mouths.
The Coney Island History Project commemorated the Cyclone’s 83rd birthday with fans and friends of the iconic ride that was born on June 26, 1927.
"The Cyclone is 83 years old and it is still the most exciting landmark ride in Coney Island,” said Charles Denson, executive director of the Coney Island History Project, adding that there are still people who remember the first ride on the Cyclone.
"It was really fun to have a surprise party for the Cyclone,” said Tricia Vita, the Project’s administrative director. “Shh! Don’t tell the Cyclone!”
The visitors sang “Happy Birthday” four times and at the end rose their hands up, as people do while riding a cyclone wagon.
Kathleen Lisson from Albany came down to celebrate her 36th birthday on the same day as the Cyclone.
“I was thrilled to celebrate my birthday by screaming my head off on the Cyclone!” she said. “It felt just as scary as I remember from a few years ago, but it seems to go on for longer the older I get! I enjoyed the camaraderie of being scared and excited with my fellow riders.”
Paul Hommond came with his friends from Canada to ride Cyclone in Coney Island.
“I didn’t know that it’s that old,” he said. “It looks scary, and I’m happy to be here during Cyclone’s birthday.”
Vita pointed out that the Coney Island Cyclone is on the Facebook. “It has more than a thousand friends,” she said, many of them from Europe.
One of the European friends is Wietze Braem from Adinkerke in Belgium, who said in an e-mail message that he visited Coney Island three weeks ago and rode the Cyclone with his mother.
“It was great!” he wrote. “We have a wooden roller coaster in Belgium, but it is not like the Coney Island Cyclone. The coaster in Coney is a real wooden thing.”
Denson cited a few interesting facts about the Cyclone, an official New York City landmark. “It’s [similar to] the first roller coaster, the switch-back railway that was built in 1884,” he said. “Also, in the 1970s, they rode the Cyclone backwards.”
Be a Cyclone winner!
Coney Island Cyclone Roller Coaster presents two contests: the T-shirt design contest that offers a $500 prize and a season pass to the Cyclone, and Mr. Cyclone contest.
The organization has received hundreds of designs for the T-shirt. Judges picked the best 10 and put them online -- everyone can vote for the best T-shirt by clicking on www.coneyislandcyclone.com. The winner will be announced during the fashion show at 6 p.m. Friday, July 23.
The Mr. Cyclone Contest will be concluded on Saturday, Aug. 7, when the top seven candidates will rival. To apply go to www.coneyislandcyclone.com
