Dreamland (Coney Island, 2009) Explained

Dreamland was an amusement park in Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York City that operated at the site of the defunct Astroland park for the 2009 season. It was replaced with a new Luna Park the following year.

The park was operated by Anthony Raffaele for Thor Equities.^[1] The park contained two large freak shows as well as independent attractions to see a giant snake,^[2] a giant rat (really a baby capybara),^{[3] [4]} and a tiny woman.^[5] It also included a carousel, a scrambler, and other rides.

Thor Equities shut the park down before the end of the 2009 season because the operators had accumulated $600,000 in unpaid back rent. Thor locked the operators out in the middle of the night without a formal eviction.^{[6] [7]}

References

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Notes and References

1. Web site: Dreamland amusement park to take place of Astroland at Coney Island. Sederstrom. Jotham. April 8, 2009. nydailynews.com. 2019-07-22.
2. Web site: Giant Snake. shutterfreaks.com.
3. Web site: Coney Island Giant Rat « Capybara Madness. gianthamster.com. 2019-07-22. https://web.archive.org/web/20091228130616/http://gianthamster.com/2009/07/coney-island-giant-rat/. dead. 2009-12-28.
4. Web site: Stock Photo - Giant rat stall (not!) Brighton Beach, Coney Island, new york city, USA. Limited. Alamy. Alamy. en. 2019-07-22.
5. Web site: Art of the Day: World's Smallest Woman Arrives in Coney Island. 2012-09-02. Amusing the Zillion. en. 2019-07-22.
6. Web site: Nightmare at Dreamland: Rent woes shut Coney Island park as owner vows court battle. Durkin. Erin. August 24, 2009. nydailynews.com. 2019-07-22.
7. Web site: IT'S OVER! Coney's Dreamland will be closed for the rest of the summer. McLaughlin. Mike. Brooklyn Paper. August 28, 2009. en. 2019-07-22.