HOW TO GO
What: EnterTRAINment Junction
Where: 7379 Squire Ct., West Chester Twp.
Hours: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays and noon to 6 p.m. Sundays
More info and admission price: www.entertrainmentjunction.com or 513-898-8000
EnterTRAINment Junction has revealed its newest attraction, a replica of Coney Island Amusement Park as it appeared in the 1960s.
The 1,000-square-foot replica comes with actual working rides and attractions that the Cincinnati park was famously known for, including the Shooting Star and Wild Mouse rollercoasters, the Lost River and the historic carousel.
“It’s an amazing project that took incredibly skilled craftspeople,” said Bill Mefford, Public Relations Manager at EnterTRAINment Junction. “Everything in there is built from hand. It was put together by a lot of volunteers and at least one professional craftsman from Indianapolis.”
The replica, which took one year and $150,000 to build, required a lot of research, including photographs, magazine and news articles, videos and books about the popular amusement park.
“We wanted to be historically correct, and Coney Island was very helpful with that,” Mefford said.
The replica includes 12 interactive buttons that visitors can push to turn on the sound effects of music playing, as well as to get the rides working.
“All these ride work,” Mefford said. “The rollercoaster goes up the hill and goes back into the station like it was real.”
Vic Nolting, the President of Coney Island is enthusiastic about the new exhibit.
“Coney Island’s been in continuous operation since 1886,” Nolting said. “It is much different today than it was in 1965 when it was at its peak. While we’re much different today, it’s still a great place and it’s nice to be remembered.”
Mefford hopes that the permanent exhibit will bring back memories for visitors.
“People will want to relive Coney Island as they saw it themselves,” Mefford said. “It was often said that Coney Island was a state of mind. It was a wonderful attraction for an amusement park.”
As a way of promoting the new replica, those who purchase a regular price ticket this month at Coney Island will receive a free ticket to EnterTRAINment Junction and vice versa.
“I think it’s just part of a really nice and first-class exhibit,” Nolting said. “We’re pretty excited about it and think it’s a great thing.”
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