The hallway below the main exhibit leads to the Lunken Airport and Coney Island displays.

One could drive to Coney Island but a more enjoyable way to make the trip would have been to go to the public landing and board the Island Queen. Once aboard, one could go up on the top deck and enjoy fresh air and a breeze or you could take a more romantic approach and dance the trip away in the ballroom with live music.

As things turned out my family and I were on on the Island Queen's last return trip from Coney Island before she went up the river to Pittsburgh,Pa for repairs. While there during repairs, there was an explosion and the ship was destroyed. During my senior year in high school, I took a short trip on the Avalon, now the Belle of Louisville. What I remember most is how impressive the huge pistons that drove the paddlewheel were.

Click on any picture to enlarge or obtain more information.

Lunken Airport was Cincinnati's main commercial airport during the era of this display. As the airlines increased the size of their aircraft after W.W.II this airports location in a valley surround by steep hills caused it to become very dangerous. The runway was orientated almost perpendicular to the ridge on the Kentucky side of the Ohio River. On top of the ridge was Fort Thomas, Ky, the hometown of my youth. Sometimes one could hear an aircraft at full throttle, look up and see it not much higher than the tree tops as it labored to climb out of the valley.

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My father's employer, The American Can Co., put on two functions for its employees families every year. The first was a picnic at Coney Island in the summer and there was a children's Christmas party complete with gifts and entertainment. I always looked forward to both.

Either this diorama does not show all the rides or more had been added by the mid 1950's when we attended the company picnics. At that time there were two large roller coasters. I believe the one modeled above is the "Shooting Star". The "Shooting Star" was very fast and went more or less straight out and back while the other coaster, the Wildcat, went more in an oval with a lot more twists and turns.

By the '50s there was also a miniature train ride and a ride named "Over the Falls" that was like a tunnel of love with roller coaster hump that ended in a huge splash as the boat descended back into the lake. A great way to cool off on a hot summer day!

There was a bumper car ride named "Dodgems". The cars had a rugged resemblance to Dodge automobiles of that era. There was also a merry-go-round, Ferris wheel and the ride at the right edge of the first two photos above was a tame "Rocket Ship" ride. There were of course, the usual skill games that one can find at an amusement park and a few more rides that I have forgotten since I haven't visited Coney Island in over forty-five years.

Coney Island's "Sunlite" swimming pool was not shown in the diorama but is has the distinction of being the largest recirculating pool in the world.

The picnic grove was along the river's edge by the Island Queen's dock. Click on this history link for more information about Coney Island and the Island Queen.

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