NEW YORK—Denos’s Wonder Wheel Amusement Park will open Sunday for the first time this season, and as it has been since 1983, it will be a family affair.
The 150-foot Wonder Wheel is owned and operated by the Vourderis family. Dennis takes care of the operations while his brother and nephews tend to the maintenance of the 93-year-old crown jewel on Coney Island.
Dennis grew up in the shadows of the Wonder Wheel, working for his father, Denos, who owned a food-vendor stand on Coney Island. “I grew up behind the counter scooping icies,” Dennis said from the Coney Island boardwalk Wednesday.
Denos, an immigrant from Greece who moved to the United States at age 14, grew up a fan of the Wonder Wheel, frequently visiting the beaches, staring in awe at the Ferris wheel.
In 1970 Denos purchased several pushcarts, and began selling hot dogs and knishes on the boardwalk, always with his eye on the beloved Wonder Wheel.
“My father told my mother, ‘One day we will trade these two [pushcart] wheels for that big wheel,’” Dennis recalled.
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In 1983 the elder Vourderis finally lived his dream, purchasing the Wonder Wheel from the original owners, Charles Herman. His family thought he had made a mistake. “We told him he was crazy,” Dennis said with a laugh.
The Vourderis family spent the following two winters working to rehabilitate the historic Wonder Wheel, which had fallen into disrepair during New York City’s rough patch in the early 1980s. Dennis described the process as grueling. They had to refurbish 24 passenger cars and repaint the entire 400,000-pound ride.
The hard work paid off, and in 1989 New York City named the Wonder Wheel a city landmark, a day Dennis said was one of the proudest days of his life.
Dennis’s father helped with the food operations until an illness forced him to stay at home, leaving Dennis and his brother Steve to take over the business.
Denos passed away in 1994, and in 2001, West 12th Street was renamed Denos D. Vourderis Place in honor of the patriarch who brought life back to the Wonder Wheel on Coney Island.
New Season
On Wednesday Dennis and his son Denos, named after his grandfather, stood on a scissor lift replacing a sign blown away by Hurricane Sandy. The duo was busily preparing for the season opening, one expected to be more emotional than years past.
The Bethlehem Steel Ferris wheel withstood the gusting winds of Hurricane Sandy, but sand and water caused damage to the electrical system.
Dennis said he and his family drove to the site the morning after the hurricane hit and were shocked. “I almost walked away,” Dennis said.
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The family spent months cleaning and repairing the Wonder Wheel, in hopes of getting it ready for the season. “It was a labor of love,” he said.
He is very optimistic about this season, predicting it should be a big one. “After Sandy, people want a little relaxation.”
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